- PSM pistol
Infobox Weapon
name=PSM
caption=
origin=flag|Soviet Union
type=Semi-automatic pistol
is_ranged=yes
service=1973-
used_by=Soviet Union
wars=
designer=
design_date=1969
manufacturer=
production_date=1973-
number=
variants=IZh-75, Baikal-441
weight=g to oz|460|sp=us|abbr=on|precision=2|wiki=yes
length=mm to in|155|abbr=on|precision=1|wiki=yes
part_length=convert|84.6|mm|abbr=on|1
height=convert|117|mm|abbr=on|1
crew=
cartridge=5.45x18mm
caliber=
action=Blowback
rate=
velocity=convert|315|m/s|0|lk=on|sp=us|abbr=on
range=Sights fixed for 25 m
max_range=
feed=8-round detachable box magazine
sights=Rear notch and front postThe PSM ("Pistolet Samozaryadny Malogabaritny", Russian for "small self-loading pistol") was designed by the Tula Design Bureau in 1969 as a self-defense firearm for law enforcement and military officers of the
USSR . The pistol entered production at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant in 1973.The PSM is a recoil-operated handgun with a double action trigger and slide mounted manual safety without a slide stop. The grip panels are made from thin
aluminum and new model with hardest plastic. The weapon is made fromsteel .The PSM was designed around the newly developed 5.45x18mm cartridge, which was developed for the weapon by Precision Mechanical Engineering Central Research Institute. The cartridge is capable of penetrating 55 layers of
kevlar at realistic engagement distances. This cartridge has a bottlenecked case and a spitzer-pointed jacketed bullet, providing performance superior to the .22 LR and.25 ACP (6.35x16mmSR Browning) rounds.The pistol was primarily intended for army high command staff. However, owing to its insignificant dimensions, especially small thickness (21 mm across the safety catch), it soon became popular with security ("KGB") and law enforcement ("militsiya") personnel. The PSM was also appreciated by higher echelon Communist Party functionaries.
Notes
References
External links
* [http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg23-e.htm Modern Firearms]
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