OTs-38 Stechkin silent revolver

OTs-38 Stechkin silent revolver
OTs-38 in Interpolitex-2011
Type	Revolver
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
In service	2002
Used by	Russia
Production history
Designer	Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin
Designed	2001
Manufacturer	KBP Instrument Design Bureau
Produced	2002
Specifications
Weight	820g (without laser and empty), 880g (with laser and empty)
Length	191mm
Width	40mm
Height	140mm
Cartridge	7.62×42 mm SP-4
Action	Double-action Revolver
Effective firing range	50m
Feed system	5 round cylinder, loaded by full moon clips
Sights	Fixed front and rear, optional integral laser sight

The OTs-38 Stechkin is a 5-shot, double-action revolver, in production and service with the Russian Army since 2002 and Russian Internal Troops since 2012,^[1] chambered in the silent 7.62×42mm SP-4 cartridge.^[2]

Design

The effective range of fire for the OTs-38 Stechkin is 50m. The fired cases are kept in the cylinder, thus ensuring the absence of sound of ejected cases. The cartridge employs a captive piston so there is no flash or loud report upon discharge.^[3]

As the cartridge is rimless, the cylinder is fed via full moon clips. The SP-4 cartridges emit no report or flame because the propellant gases are retained in the case. The OTs-38 revolver is claimed to be effectively silent as the sound level of the live and dry firing is practically identical.

This system is virtually identical to that employed by the Quiet Special Purpose Revolver (QSPR) a variant of the commercially available Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum revolvers, rebuilt to fire specially manufactured dedicated integrally silenced ammunition.

Early prototypes had very short smooth-bore barrels with 0.40 inch (10mm) bore and matching chambers but later versions have longer barrels of up to 4inches (100mm). QSPR ammunition (which pioneered the captive piston propellant gas containment system) ejected fifteen tungsten balls from the special cartridges, weighing 7.5 grain (0.5 grams) each, exiting at a muzzle velocity of ca. 730 fps (222ms) for a muzzle energy of ca. 135 ft-lbs (185J).

This load was tailored to deliver wounding effect at up to 100 ft (30m) and have a practical (potentially fatal) effect at ranges below 30 ft (10m), deemed sufficient for the QSPR's intended and narrow application: clearing the confined and dimly-lit to pitch black tunnels encountered during the Vietnam War, for which reason no sights were fitted.

The acoustic signature of QSPR rounds was ca. 110 dB (similar to a traditionally silenced .22LR pistol), the captive piston totally eliminated muzzle flash (vital when most engagements occurred in near or total darkness). While effective only 250 QSPRs were manufactured, production curtailed after the US withdrawal from Vietnam.)

In contrast to its virtually stock predecessor the later OTs-38 is innovative to a degree unusual even in special purpose weapons:

• the cylinder pivots out to the right hand side
• a manual safety catch that allows the pre-cocked hammer to be set on manual safety, enabling the revolver to be carried cocked. (The mechanism also prevents accidental discharge with the cylinder open or not fully closed, with the revolver dropped or struck.)
• the barrel is mounted below the axis pin (the gun fires from the lowest cylinder chamber), so recoil is directed straight into the shooter's hand, rather than exerting a torque that raises the muzzle. This improves both accuracy and the maximum rate of fire.

The OTs-38 is fitted with an integral laser sight located above the cylinder axis (where a conventional revolver has its barrel) powered by 3 D-0.03D batteries.^[4]

Users

•  Russian Federation
•  Syria: by the Syrian special units and police

See also

• Captive bolt pistol
• List of Russian weaponry
• PSS Silent Pistol
• Stechkin automatic pistol
• Smith & Wesson Model 29

References

External links

Media related to OTs-38 at Wikimedia Commons

• Modern Firearms: OTs-38
• ОЦ-38