Silent Soviet Pistol - The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston Ammunition

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<SPAN CLASS="arthdr">Silent Soviet Pistol: The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston
Ammunition</SPAN><BR>
<SPAN CLASS="artsubhdr">By Philip H. Dater, MD</SPAN><BR><BR>
<SPAN CLASS="arttxt">
Little is known in the Western world of the Soviet silent pistols utilizing
special silent ammunition. The package consists of the model PSS (Pistolet
Sptsialnyj Samozaryadnyj) silent pistol and the special SP-4 captive piston
ammunition. The testing performed consisted of evaluation of the basic handgun, the
special ammunition, sound pressure measurements, muzzle velocity, and terminal
performance.<BR><BR>
In this report, a mixture of English and metric parameters are used. All
linear and circular dimensions are metric (millimeters). All weights are grains
simply because the convention we use are to weigh bullets and powder in grains.
Velocities are English and in feet/second because those are the units of our
chronograph. Sound levels are decibels (reference zero dB as 20 micropascals).
Temperatures are dual units (F/C) and barometric pressure is in millimeters of
mercury.<BR><BR>
<B>PSS Pistol</B><BR><BR>
This finely crafted semiautomatic handgun is a magazine-fed weapon utilizing

a single stack magazine that holds 6 rounds and a last-round slide hold-open
device. The pistol is well finished, and all parts carry the pistol’s serial
number. With the finish and serialization of all parts, it appears that during
factory assembly on all examples seen by this author, all parts were hand fitted.
It is issued with a brief instruction manual (in Russian) and a somewhat flimsy tan
leather shoulder holster.<BR><BR>
The PSS and its specialty SP-4 ammunition were specifically designed for
elimination of live targets without risking discovery of the operator. Unlike
predecessor captive piston handguns, the PSS is capable of semiautomatic fire.
Although there is a definite advantage to rapid follow-up shots, the disadvantage
for the covert operator is that it ejects (and leaves) spent cases at the scene.
These spent cases are exceptionally distinctive, and almost anyone with an even
passing familiarity with this weapon will be able to identify its use from the
spent cases.<BR><BR>
It is not obvious where either the PSS pistol or its SP-4 ammunition is
manufactured, but other clandestine special purpose weapons have been built at Tula
Arsenal, and it is suspected that Tula may well be the origin of the PSS. The
weapon carries absolutely no markings other than a low four digit serial number.
The PSS was developed for special personnel of the Soviet KGB and for elite
elements of the Spetsnaz of the Soviet Army and was introduced around 1983. It is
currently used by many elite Russian anti-terrorist teams. It is far more compact
and has a quieter action than the more common Soviet PB (silenced Makarov) and
Chinese Type 67 silenced pistols.<BR><BR>
While the PSS resembles a somewhat large conventional blowback pistol, it is

definitely unique. It will accept no ammunition other than the SP-4 silent
cartridge. Other than the ammunition used, the most obvious is it has a two-part
barrel. The separate distal rifled part is fixed to the frame. The breech portion
(consisting of the chamber) is allowed to recoil inside the frame for a short
length against its own return spring. This increases the mass of the moving parts
at the initial stages of recoil, and also slows the slide on its final stages of
movement, resulting in dampening the sound of the slide hitting the stop on the end
of the recoil cycle. The slide return main spring is housed in the slide, above
the barrel, and the spring guide rod is part of the slide retaining assembly. The
PSS firing mechanism is single/double action with open hammer and slide-mounted
safety/decocker of conventional Makarov design. Sights are fixed. <BR><BR>
We were granted the opportunity to extensively examine (including total
disassembly), photograph, and fire the PSS at a discrete Southwest Asian military
arsenal. To the best of our knowledge, there are no examples of this weapon in the
United States at the time of writing. There are known to be several examples in the
United Kingdom. Distribution through the former Soviet satellite countries is
unknown but presumed to have been issued to clandestine units in these countries.
Total production is unknown.<BR><BR>
Because all products of combustion are contained within the spent cartridge,
there is no powder fouling or possibility of corrosion from powder residues.
Interestingly, this also means that the operator’s hands will not be contaminated
with powder residues, which may be of interest in the forensic community.
Maintenance consists simply of light oiling of the weapon and wiping the external
surfaces with an oily rag. <BR><BR>
We do not have available to us at this time a factory breakdown of parts.

Because of this, the names we use are based on apparent function and similarity to
parts in more conventional pistols. Field stripping for basic cleaning and
lubrication can be accomplished with no tools other than a section of cleaning rod.
Before starting, the magazine must be removed and the hammer cocked. Although not
photo detailed, the accompanying pictures show a slot cut in the front assembly
locking piece, which also appears to function as the slide stop. This engages a cut
in the front of the recoil spring, limiting rearward motion of the slide. To field
strip, a section of cleaning rod is inserted into the recess in the top rear
portion of the slide, and the recoil spring guide rod is pushed forward until the
locking piece/slide stop clears the front end of the barrel. At this point, the
locking piece can be slid upward to disengage from the front of the recoil spring
guide rod. The slide then removes to the rear, but the forward end of the slide
must be disengaged upward from the rear of the floating chamber, before it can be
fully removed. Re-assembly is the reverse. <BR><BR>
While we completely disassembled the PSS, we can most definitely recommend

that the user never do more than simply field-strip the weapon for maintenance.
Total disassembly is quite difficult and is by no means intuitive. It is also
totally unnecessary. Re-assembly is even more difficult. We speak from
experience.<BR><BR>
<B>SP-4 Ammunition</B><BR><BR>
Captive piston ammunition is a unique, special-purpose cartridge that is

designed to be intrinsically quiet as compared to conventional ammunition.
Essentially, the SP-4 silent cartridge consists of a reinforced steel cartridge
case containing a small powder charge enclosed in a cup-like piston in the rear of
the case. This piston rests against the base of the projectile; a cylindrical
bullet made of mild steel and fitted with a brass driving band at the front. The
SP-4 cartridge was adopted by the Soviet KGB and Spetsnaz units in 1983 along with
the PSS host pistol.<BR><BR>
The ammunition is issued in plain white boxes of twelve cartridges each. The
only markings on the box are what appear to be a lot number. This is enough to
charge both magazines. There are 20 boxes in a hermetically sealed SPAM tin and two
tins in a wooden crate. The tins are marked with the cartridge designation, lot
number (that correlates with the number on the boxes), and some other markings of
unknown meaning.<BR><BR>
Many prior designs, such as the SP-3 and PZAM silent cartridges, utilized 2-
part (or 2-stage) piston that extended beyond the end of the cartridge case. While
this permitted greater acceleration of the projectile, it also was incompatible
with cycling in a semiautomatic host weapon. These older silent cartridges from the
late 1970s and early 1980s utilized the standard 7.62mm M43 projectile loaded in
the AK 7.62x39 rifle cartridge.<BR><BR>
When fired, the primer ignites the powder charge, and the rapidly expanding
gases drive the piston forward at a high acceleration. The piston, in return,
drives the projectile. When the driving piston reaches a shoulder at the end of the
case, the piston is somewhat violently stopped by a shoulder on the front of the
cartridge case. Having been accelerated, the projectile engages rifling in the
short barrel and exits the weapon toward its target. The high pressure propelling
gases are contained (and trapped) in the spent cartridge and gradually leak out
over a period of several weeks. Because the propelling gases are not released into
the atmosphere, there is very little sound generated.<BR><BR>
What this means is that although the pistol is highly specialized to fire
this specific round, it is the ammunition itself that is “silent.” In the United
States, each individual round is considered to be a silencer subject to the
registration/transfer requirements of the National Firearms Act in its various
incarnations.<BR><BR>
In addition to shooting, we had the opportunity to disassemble a loaded

cartridge to examine, photograph, and measure the parts. An inertial hammer-type
bullet puller easily dislodged the projectile itself. The piston has a conical
projection on its front, which inserts into a hole in the base of the bullet. The
purpose is to keep the projectile centered as it is being accelerated during
firing.<BR><BR>
We decided to fire the case after pulling the bullet in an attempt to drive
the piston out intact. The necked-down portion of the case was quite successful in
keeping the majority of the piston captured. However, the forward portion of the
piston separated and was recovered from the backstop used. We estimate that the
dimensions of the piston are in the vicinity of 8.91mm diameter and possibly 5-8mm
length. Once some of our fired cases bleed off pressure, we will section one and
get better piston length.<BR><BR>
The rimless SP-4 case measures 41.36mm in length and has a maximum diameter
of 11.88mm. The case has a short neck having a maximum diameter of 9.64mm. The
primary purpose of the necked-down area is to contain the piston when fired. The
case (with piston) weighs 107.3 grains. The primer is a Boxer-type, but the case
cannot be reloaded.<BR><BR>
The projectile is a mild steel cylinder (flat nose and base) measuring 28.4mm
length and 7.63mm diameter. There is a 2mm brass band to engage the rifling at the
forward portion of the projectile. The projectile weighs 155.4 grains, and it is
estimated that the powder weighs in the vicinity of 3.5 grains.<BR><BR>
<B>Testing and Evaluation</B><BR><BR>
Testing was performed on a military range. Weather conditions were ideal with
a temperature of 83 degrees F (29 degrees C), relative humidity of 37%, and a
station pressure of 676 mmHg. The altitude was 3,232 feet and there was no
measurable wind.<BR><BR>
On the range, we performed three separate tests: sound levels, velocity, and
penetration of body armor and cinder blocks.<BR><BR>
<B>Sound Measurements</B><BR><BR>
All measurements were done utilizing the protocol specified in Mil-Std-1474D.

The meter, a Larson-Davis model 800B with a 1/4 inch LD-2530 pressure microphone,
is a Type 1 precision sound meter in current certification. Prior to the start of
measurement, calibration was checked with a recently re-certified Larson-Davis
CA250 calibrator. Measurements were taken at the “reference” location of 1 meter to
the left of the muzzle, 90 degrees to bore axis, and 1.6 meters above ground. Grass
was not available, so measurements were made over compacted dirt.<BR><BR>
In order, the individual shots of the 5-round string were measured at: 125.0,
124.5, 124.5, 123.8, and 125.0 dB. The overall average was 124.6 dB. First round
“pop” is defined as to how much louder the first round measures compared to the
average of the remaining rounds. While it was calculated, these are individual
silenced cartridges, and the meaning of first round “pop” in this instance is not
germane. The standard deviation was 0.44, indicating excellent shot-to-shot
consistency.<BR><BR>
<B>Velocity Measurements</B><BR><BR>
A Pact timer/chronograph was oriented with the skyscreens (spaced 24 inches)

placed approximately two feet in front of the firing position. The skyscreens were
approximately 1.6 meters above the ground so that we could obtain both sound and
velocity measurements on the same cartridge. This was important to conserve
ammunition due to its excessive cost and poor availability. In order, the velocity
measurements were 625, 615, 624, 617, and 626 ft/sec for an average of 621 ft/sec.
This calculates a muzzle kinetic energy of approximately 133 ft-lbs.<BR><BR>
<B>Terminal effects</B><BR><BR>
We were unable to formulate ballistic gelatin in order to obtain information

on the effectiveness on flesh. This will be the subject of a later study. However,
information is available for comparable projectile weights and velocities. Based on
the bullet weight of 155-grains and kinetic energy of 133 ft-lbs, the projectile
certainly has enough energy to be lethal at reasonable close range. We did not
shoot paper targets for accuracy. We felt that this was not necessary simply
because the weapon system was intended and designed for exceptionally close ranges,
probably less than 3 meters.<BR><BR>
We did perform basic penetration tests. When fired at standard Kevlar Level-2
body armor, it just penetrated completely with the projectile being recoverable
from the vest itself. While it will not be lethal through a vest, it will cause
definite traumatic injury. It also penetrated a standard cinder block.<BR><BR>
<B>Proposed Future Tests</B><BR><BR>
The performance of this cartridge in ballistic gelatin (with conventional

photography as well as high speed video) will be of benefit in extrapolating and
analyzing wound potential. While it is obvious that this has been used successfully
operationally, we do not know of any autopsy reports.<BR><BR>
In addition, we would like to perform high speed video analysis of the weapon
cycling during firing for motion analysis of exactly how the floating chamber
functions. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been performed. It is
estimated that a frame rate of 3,000 frames/second should be adequate.<BR><BR>
<B>Summary and Conclusions</B><BR><BR>
The PSS pistol and its specialized SP-4 captive piston silent cartridge is a
highly specialized purpose weapon. Its suppressed sound pressure level of 124.d dB
is in the vicinity of a suppressed .22 rimfire pistol and would definitely qualify
as “Hollywood Quiet.” With a muzzle velocity of 621 feet/second and a 155-grain
projectile, the kinetic energy of 133 foot-pounds is definitely lethal. The PSS
pistol with the SP-4 captive piston silent ammunition was specifically designed for
close-range covert elimination of targets. It is our opinion that this
weapon/ammunition combination is well chosen for this task.</span><br>
<table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10">
<TR>
<TD align=center valign=top><P><I>This article first appeared in
Small Arms Review V12N9 (June 2009)<BR>and was posted online on June 22,
2012</I></P></TD>
</TR>
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<ul>
<UL><li><a href="images/articles/art_000741/001.jpg" title="The author has
just fired the PSS, and the slide has locked back on an empty magazine. (Photo by
Dan Shea)"> <img src="images/articles/art_000741/001_t.jpg" width="72" height="72"
alt="Silent Soviet Pistol: The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston Ammunition"
/></a></li><li><a href="images/articles/art_000741/002.jpg" title="PZAM silent
captive piston round. This is an older cartridge for the double-barreled S4M silent
pistol, not the PSS. This is included to show a piston that extends well beyond the
mouth of the cartridge when fired. (Dan Shea photo courtesy MOD Pattern Room)">
<img src="images/articles/art_000741/002_t.jpg" width="72" height="72" alt="Silent
Soviet Pistol: The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston Ammunition" /></a></li><li><a
href="images/articles/art_000741/003.jpg" title="Left side view of the PSS lying on
its issue manual. (Photo by author)"> <img
src="images/articles/art_000741/003_t.jpg" width="72" height="72" alt="Silent
href="images/articles/art_000741/004.jpg" title="Complete half-section of the SP-4
silent pistol cartridge showing the projectile in place, the driving piston, and
the powder charge. (Dan Shea photo)"> <img
href="images/articles/art_000741/005.jpg" title="The cartridge on the left has not
been fired and shows the front of the steel projectile flush with the case mouth.
The cartridge on the right has been fired, and the front of the piston with the
centering protrusion is visible. The fired cartridge will hold relatively high
pressure gases for several weeks, making sectioning dangerous if done too early.
(Photo by author)"> <img src="images/articles/art_000741/005_t.jpg" width="72"
height="72" alt="Silent Soviet Pistol: The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston
Ammunition" /></a></li><li><a href="images/articles/art_000741/006.jpg" title="The
PSS pistol is lying on an opened SPAM tin containing 240 rounds of SP-4 ammunition.
Also shown is the un-opened SPAM can in the 2-can wooden case and a second unopened
can showing the Cyrillic markings. (Photo by Dan Shea)"> <img
href="images/articles/art_000741/007.jpg" title="Right side view with the action
held open by the empty magazine hold-open device. (Photo by author)"> <img
href="images/articles/art_000741/008.jpg" title="The S4M silent pistol is a double-
barreled Derringer-style pistol that used the older PZAM captive piston round. This
design was not suitable for a semi-automastic weapon. (Dan Shea photo courtesy MOD
Pattern Room)."> <img src="images/articles/art_000741/008_t.jpg" width="72"
height="72" alt="Silent Soviet Pistol: The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston
Ammunition" /></a></li><li><a href="images/articles/art_000741/009.jpg" title="95%
complete disassembly of the PSS yields a pile of parts. Although no tools were
required, it took more than two hands and well over an hour to re-assemble. This
level of disassembly outside of a trained armorer is truly unwise. (Photo by
author)"> <img src="images/articles/art_000741/009_t.jpg" width="72" height="72"
alt="Silent Soviet Pistol: The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston Ammunition"
/></a></li></UL>
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Silent Soviet Pistol - The PSS and SP-4 Captive Piston Ammunition

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This finely crafted semiautomatic handgun is a magazine-fed weapon utilizing

While the PSS resembles a somewhat large conventional blowback pistol, it is

We do not have available to us at this time a factory breakdown of parts.

While we completely disassembled the PSS, we can most definitely recommend

Captive piston ammunition is a unique, special-purpose cartridge that is

In addition to shooting, we had the opportunity to disassemble a loaded

<B>Testing and Evaluation</B><BR><BR>

All measurements were done utilizing the protocol specified in Mil-Std-1474D.

A Pact timer/chronograph was oriented with the skyscreens (spaced 24 inches)

We were unable to formulate ballistic gelatin in order to obtain information

<B>Proposed Future Tests</B><BR><BR>

The performance of this cartridge in ballistic gelatin (with conventional

<B>Summary and Conclusions</B><BR><BR>

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