Foreign pistols in Russia
Among the most significant "armory»Anniversaries of 2011 - the centenary of the well-known worldwide American pistol M1911" Colt ". A single listing of its modifications and copies would take several pages. He also visited the Russian service, so to speak.
Browning's “brainchild”
29 March 1911 year after lengthy tests in comparison with other systems in service with the US Army was adopted 11,43-mm self-loading pistol company "Colt" as a personal weapon of infantry, cavalry and artillery officers. He received the official designation US Auto Pistol cal.45 M1911 or Government Model ("Government Model", often referred to as the Colt Government). The first pistols entered the troops in January 1912.
Of course, the M1911 system did not appear immediately. It was based on one of the self-loading pistol schemes proposed by the John Moses Browning to the Colts Patent Fairgrounds Manufacturing Company Company in 1896. More precisely, the scheme with automation based on recoil of the barrel with a short stroke, locking and unlocking the barrel bore, respectively, by respectively raising and lowering the barrel itself relative to the pistol frame and the bolt. Starting from 1897, the system has been protected by a number of patents.
The Colt firm almost immediately proposed a new weapon to the US Army. According to the test results of a number of successively changing models - from М1900 to М1909 - the pistol scheme was being finalized. The caliber has also changed - from 9 millimeters (.38) to 11,43 millimeter (.45). The .45 caliber pistol cartridge was created at the Frankfort State Arsenal. Browning significantly reworked the basic weapon scheme - in the gun the M1909 was falling and not all the barrel was raised, but only its breech (the so-called “Colt-Browning” scheme). The details of the firing mechanism, the shape of the handle, etc. changed. The result was the M1911 system. Describe it unnecessarily - the device of the gun is well known.
We ordered one hundred thousand, got half as much
In 1911, the Russian military department became interested in printing messages about the use of the Colt pistol of the 11,43 caliber of a millimeter in the USA. Automatic pistols are no longer news for the Russian army. Moreover, its officers were allowed to acquire foreign models of this type of small arms at their own expense. Among them were three models of "Browning", however, the production of the Belgian "Factories Nacional" (FN). In addition, a number of German, Austrian, Belgian, Danish, Italian, and English pistols were officially tested in Russia.
Against this background, the interest in the new overseas pistol is understandable. The General Directorate General Staff (GUGSH) submitted an article from the American newspaper Arms and the Man about the testing of Colt and Savage pistols to the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) for review. The gunnery department of the Artillery Committee of the GAU 27 September 1911 offered to “purchase through our military agent in the North American United States two copies of such pistols with 1000 cartridges for their testing”.
Appropriate permission was obtained, but an incident was issued because of the term “revolver” that was ingrained in circulation for all types of personal weapons. GAU asked to buy "automatic Colt revolvers," but with respect to October 24 1911, the word "automatic" was missing. And in May, the 1912-h Arthcom received the Russian Colt Baron Bode’s “old Colt revolvers ... not of any interest” acquired by a Russian military agent (now the military attaché) (this is a Colt 11,43 X-revolver of the year ). Had to re-send the request to the United States, and the guns GAU received only in November.
The Belgian FN reacted to the order, which hastened to offer its model of the same scheme, but the millimeter 9,65 caliber (.38). Back in 1910, Colt and FN shared the markets for their products, and therefore the sale of Browning pistols in Europe, including the Russian Empire, was the prerogative of the Belgians. They, having managed to put a lot of Browning in Russia, naturally, did not want to share such a tidbit with someone. Moreover, the idea of a mass replacement of revolvers by pistols was being drawn up in the Russian army at that time.
The Russian industry could not establish its own factory of automatic pistols at that time — it simply could not withstand the necessary precision of production. I had to focus on foreign models. New approbations followed, including Colt and FN pistols. N. Filatov, Head of the Shooting Range, presented to the Artcom a report on the results of testing automatic pistols of the Colt system of 11,5 and 9,65 millimeters, in which he offered to order 50 pistols of this system for military trials. However, the main contenders were then 9-mm pistols "Parabellum", "Mauser" 1911, and "Browning" 1903-th.
These works, like a number of others, were interrupted by a world war. But she also aroused a new interest in automatic pistols and eventually led the M1911 to Russia.
And there began an active search for suppliers of self-loading pistols, since the experience of military operations showed that pistols with their relatively quick store change turned out to be more suitable for revolvers at the front - because of the “lacklusterness” of reloading, the officers, attacking the enemy’s trenches, sometimes took two revolvers. They didn’t pay attention to the caliber of purchased pistols - if only enough ammunition was delivered with the weapon.
In January, 1916, at the request of the Russian ally, the British government placed an order for 100 000 pistols in America - issuing orders for Russia through the United Kingdom to the United States had become common practice by that time. And since Morgan & Company acted as representative of the Cabinet of Ministers of His Majesty George V when purchasing weapons in the United States, the order for Colt was placed through Morgan Bank.
The firm "Colt" began delivery in a timely manner. Already in May-June, 1916 of the year she passed around 6000 pistols for shipment to Russia. Russian military agent in London, General Hermonius telegraphed 19 on October 1916-o to Petrograd: "Colt Arms Co is increasing its productivity and since February, 1917 could take up to 2500 pistols a week."
According to American data, from 19 February 1916 to 18 in January 1917, Colt sent 47 100 pistols to the Russian Empire (less than half of the ordered). М1911, delivered to Russia, had serial numbers from C23000 to C80000 and the Cyrillic inscription "ENGLISH ORDER". Index "C" pointed to the commercial purpose of the model. Although the order for the M1911 Colt was one of the most solid, they were shipped less than the Spanish Browns (ordered through France) or C-96 Mauser (purchased in the UK and Japan).
Since most of the pistols were delivered without a holster, the development of the last year in January 1917 was entrusted to the Technical Committee of the Main Directorate Directorate. Note that in most of the documents of the war period, self-loading pistols were still called revolvers.
It so happened that the Russian army estimated the merits of the M1911 Colt even a little earlier than the Americans themselves: they recognized it as an effective personal weapon only in 1918, when US troops had to take part in the battles in France. In turn, the UK purchased 18 340 pistols for the Navy and the Royal Air Corps. In addition, during the First World War, the Colts were acquired by Canada, France, Norway, the Philippines, and the Netherlands. In total, 1912 – 1919 in the United States manufactured 723 275 pieces MXNX.
Good for Stalin's protection
After the February Revolution, pistols, and before the piece left the army, along with other weapons began a real circulation among the people. For example, the 3-I Peterhof school of ensigns filed 16 on May 1917 of the GAU with a demanding statement for issuing five Browning pistols, one Colt and three Nagan revolvers and 50 cartridges each for reimbursement to officers who have the revolvers were selected by unorganized soldiers during the revolution. "
During the Civil War, as reported, at the expense of the Entente 14 700 pistols "Colt" was delivered to the white armies. The Colts did not go to the reserve after the war, although there were fewer of them than the Belgian Browns. “Colts” are mentioned, say, among the weapons of Stalin’s protection in the 30 – 40s.
In the USA, the 1926 M1911 has been upgraded. Modification М1911А1 was produced until 1970, and remained in service until 1985, in a number of countries continued service and later. Record term work.
When during the Great Patriotic War the question arose of increasing the supply of personal weapons to the Red Army - pistols and revolvers, there was no discussion of their order abroad. In any case, among the applications submitted by the Soviet representatives during the Lend-Lease negotiations and included in the Moscow Protocol (October 1941), there are no pistols. Nevertheless, the M1911A1 Colt, like the Thompson American submachine guns, entered the USSR. They were, in particular, a set of Lend-Lease tanks and armored vehicles. In total, about 13 pistols were received, although large numbers are also called. In addition, the Wehrmacht used the Norwegian “Colts” M / 000 under the designation P.1914 (n), so that they could fall into the Red Army among captured trophies.
New "Walter"
In Russia at the beginning of the 21st century, the situation with the manufacture of small arms and the possibilities of providing them with security agencies is completely different. There is (or rather, there is still) modern industry and highly qualified personnel of designers and production workers. Nevertheless, the tradition of using foreign models is reviving. In any case, by a resolution of the RF Government on July 14 of 2006, a number of foreign-made small arms were adopted by the internal affairs bodies. Among them are the Austrian Glock pistols, the Czech CZ-75D “Compact” “Czech Zbroevka”, the German USP “Heckler und Koch” and Р99 “Walter” also in the “Compact” versions. All chambered type 9x19.
Against the background of clearly delayed domestic work on new combat pistols and the organization of their large-scale production, the addition of Russian products with foreign models looks logical from a technical point of view. More difficult with the financial side - our gunsmiths is the one domestic manufacturer who is better to give money than his foreign counterparts. Although it must be admitted, not the worst foreign models that were created for use by law enforcement officers, already tested by the world market and deserving good reviews, besides firms that have established themselves as manufacturers of high-quality personal weapons were selected.
Р99 "Walter" is the youngest among these models by the time of birth of the system. Take a look at this “guest worker”.
In 1994, Carl Walter began the development of a new generation police pistol chambered for the Parabellum 9x19. The work was led by a group of designers under the leadership of Horst Vesp. Oriented to create the most compact and lightweight sample with a plastic frame. The company presented the first combat pistol in 1996 under the designation Р99.
In accordance with the tendency to carry out a personal weapon with a streamlined model, there are almost no protruding elements, and the controls are flush with the weapon lines. Automatics based on recoil of the barrel with a short stroke is made according to the modernized “Browning High Power” scheme, with the coupling of the bolt and the barrel due to the inclusion of a rectangular protrusion of the breech into the slot of the bolt window. Such a scheme, which is now widely used in pistols, excludes a number of technological operations during production. The whole structure is made according to the modular principle, which allows modifying the weapon in relatively wide limits.
In addition to 9x19, the P99 pistol is also available in versions for 9x21 and .40 “Smith and Wesson” cartridges. The 9-mm Р99 is supplied with a magazine for 16 cartridges, for the 10-mm version the magazine contains 12 cartridges. The magazine latch is controlled by a two-way lever on the back of the trigger guard. The sighting device includes a front sight and a constant sight with a rectangular slot, for shooting in low light conditions the front sight is equipped with a white dot, and the sight with a frame around the slot.
Naturally, the gun was immediately overgrown with various accessories. The American company “Laser Devices”, for example, presented for it a set of target designator illuminator called “Walter” Р99 - “Laser Website Unit”.
In addition to the basic model Р99, a number of modifications soon appeared, differing in size, features of the firing mechanism, etc. The modification of the Р99 С (“Compact”) differs from the basic one primarily in the trunk and gate sizes - the barrel length is reduced from 102 to 90 millimeters, and the overall length - from 180 to 168 millimeters. The pistol grip is also shortened - accordingly, the magazine's capacity dropped from 16 to 10 cartridges. As in a number of other compact pistols, the shortening of the handle is compensated for by the curly plastic lining of the magazine cover, which gives support to the fingers of the hand, which makes it possible to keep the hold position in a reduced position when reducing the size of an unloaded weapon.
Browning's “brainchild”
29 March 1911 year after lengthy tests in comparison with other systems in service with the US Army was adopted 11,43-mm self-loading pistol company "Colt" as a personal weapon of infantry, cavalry and artillery officers. He received the official designation US Auto Pistol cal.45 M1911 or Government Model ("Government Model", often referred to as the Colt Government). The first pistols entered the troops in January 1912.
Of course, the M1911 system did not appear immediately. It was based on one of the self-loading pistol schemes proposed by the John Moses Browning to the Colts Patent Fairgrounds Manufacturing Company Company in 1896. More precisely, the scheme with automation based on recoil of the barrel with a short stroke, locking and unlocking the barrel bore, respectively, by respectively raising and lowering the barrel itself relative to the pistol frame and the bolt. Starting from 1897, the system has been protected by a number of patents.
The Colt firm almost immediately proposed a new weapon to the US Army. According to the test results of a number of successively changing models - from М1900 to М1909 - the pistol scheme was being finalized. The caliber has also changed - from 9 millimeters (.38) to 11,43 millimeter (.45). The .45 caliber pistol cartridge was created at the Frankfort State Arsenal. Browning significantly reworked the basic weapon scheme - in the gun the M1909 was falling and not all the barrel was raised, but only its breech (the so-called “Colt-Browning” scheme). The details of the firing mechanism, the shape of the handle, etc. changed. The result was the M1911 system. Describe it unnecessarily - the device of the gun is well known.
We ordered one hundred thousand, got half as much
In 1911, the Russian military department became interested in printing messages about the use of the Colt pistol of the 11,43 caliber of a millimeter in the USA. Automatic pistols are no longer news for the Russian army. Moreover, its officers were allowed to acquire foreign models of this type of small arms at their own expense. Among them were three models of "Browning", however, the production of the Belgian "Factories Nacional" (FN). In addition, a number of German, Austrian, Belgian, Danish, Italian, and English pistols were officially tested in Russia.
Against this background, the interest in the new overseas pistol is understandable. The General Directorate General Staff (GUGSH) submitted an article from the American newspaper Arms and the Man about the testing of Colt and Savage pistols to the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) for review. The gunnery department of the Artillery Committee of the GAU 27 September 1911 offered to “purchase through our military agent in the North American United States two copies of such pistols with 1000 cartridges for their testing”.
Appropriate permission was obtained, but an incident was issued because of the term “revolver” that was ingrained in circulation for all types of personal weapons. GAU asked to buy "automatic Colt revolvers," but with respect to October 24 1911, the word "automatic" was missing. And in May, the 1912-h Arthcom received the Russian Colt Baron Bode’s “old Colt revolvers ... not of any interest” acquired by a Russian military agent (now the military attaché) (this is a Colt 11,43 X-revolver of the year ). Had to re-send the request to the United States, and the guns GAU received only in November.
The Belgian FN reacted to the order, which hastened to offer its model of the same scheme, but the millimeter 9,65 caliber (.38). Back in 1910, Colt and FN shared the markets for their products, and therefore the sale of Browning pistols in Europe, including the Russian Empire, was the prerogative of the Belgians. They, having managed to put a lot of Browning in Russia, naturally, did not want to share such a tidbit with someone. Moreover, the idea of a mass replacement of revolvers by pistols was being drawn up in the Russian army at that time.
The Russian industry could not establish its own factory of automatic pistols at that time — it simply could not withstand the necessary precision of production. I had to focus on foreign models. New approbations followed, including Colt and FN pistols. N. Filatov, Head of the Shooting Range, presented to the Artcom a report on the results of testing automatic pistols of the Colt system of 11,5 and 9,65 millimeters, in which he offered to order 50 pistols of this system for military trials. However, the main contenders were then 9-mm pistols "Parabellum", "Mauser" 1911, and "Browning" 1903-th.
These works, like a number of others, were interrupted by a world war. But she also aroused a new interest in automatic pistols and eventually led the M1911 to Russia.
And there began an active search for suppliers of self-loading pistols, since the experience of military operations showed that pistols with their relatively quick store change turned out to be more suitable for revolvers at the front - because of the “lacklusterness” of reloading, the officers, attacking the enemy’s trenches, sometimes took two revolvers. They didn’t pay attention to the caliber of purchased pistols - if only enough ammunition was delivered with the weapon.
In January, 1916, at the request of the Russian ally, the British government placed an order for 100 000 pistols in America - issuing orders for Russia through the United Kingdom to the United States had become common practice by that time. And since Morgan & Company acted as representative of the Cabinet of Ministers of His Majesty George V when purchasing weapons in the United States, the order for Colt was placed through Morgan Bank.The firm "Colt" began delivery in a timely manner. Already in May-June, 1916 of the year she passed around 6000 pistols for shipment to Russia. Russian military agent in London, General Hermonius telegraphed 19 on October 1916-o to Petrograd: "Colt Arms Co is increasing its productivity and since February, 1917 could take up to 2500 pistols a week."
According to American data, from 19 February 1916 to 18 in January 1917, Colt sent 47 100 pistols to the Russian Empire (less than half of the ordered). М1911, delivered to Russia, had serial numbers from C23000 to C80000 and the Cyrillic inscription "ENGLISH ORDER". Index "C" pointed to the commercial purpose of the model. Although the order for the M1911 Colt was one of the most solid, they were shipped less than the Spanish Browns (ordered through France) or C-96 Mauser (purchased in the UK and Japan).
Since most of the pistols were delivered without a holster, the development of the last year in January 1917 was entrusted to the Technical Committee of the Main Directorate Directorate. Note that in most of the documents of the war period, self-loading pistols were still called revolvers.
It so happened that the Russian army estimated the merits of the M1911 Colt even a little earlier than the Americans themselves: they recognized it as an effective personal weapon only in 1918, when US troops had to take part in the battles in France. In turn, the UK purchased 18 340 pistols for the Navy and the Royal Air Corps. In addition, during the First World War, the Colts were acquired by Canada, France, Norway, the Philippines, and the Netherlands. In total, 1912 – 1919 in the United States manufactured 723 275 pieces MXNX.
Good for Stalin's protection
After the February Revolution, pistols, and before the piece left the army, along with other weapons began a real circulation among the people. For example, the 3-I Peterhof school of ensigns filed 16 on May 1917 of the GAU with a demanding statement for issuing five Browning pistols, one Colt and three Nagan revolvers and 50 cartridges each for reimbursement to officers who have the revolvers were selected by unorganized soldiers during the revolution. "
During the Civil War, as reported, at the expense of the Entente 14 700 pistols "Colt" was delivered to the white armies. The Colts did not go to the reserve after the war, although there were fewer of them than the Belgian Browns. “Colts” are mentioned, say, among the weapons of Stalin’s protection in the 30 – 40s.
In the USA, the 1926 M1911 has been upgraded. Modification М1911А1 was produced until 1970, and remained in service until 1985, in a number of countries continued service and later. Record term work.
When during the Great Patriotic War the question arose of increasing the supply of personal weapons to the Red Army - pistols and revolvers, there was no discussion of their order abroad. In any case, among the applications submitted by the Soviet representatives during the Lend-Lease negotiations and included in the Moscow Protocol (October 1941), there are no pistols. Nevertheless, the M1911A1 Colt, like the Thompson American submachine guns, entered the USSR. They were, in particular, a set of Lend-Lease tanks and armored vehicles. In total, about 13 pistols were received, although large numbers are also called. In addition, the Wehrmacht used the Norwegian “Colts” M / 000 under the designation P.1914 (n), so that they could fall into the Red Army among captured trophies.
New "Walter"
In Russia at the beginning of the 21st century, the situation with the manufacture of small arms and the possibilities of providing them with security agencies is completely different. There is (or rather, there is still) modern industry and highly qualified personnel of designers and production workers. Nevertheless, the tradition of using foreign models is reviving. In any case, by a resolution of the RF Government on July 14 of 2006, a number of foreign-made small arms were adopted by the internal affairs bodies. Among them are the Austrian Glock pistols, the Czech CZ-75D “Compact” “Czech Zbroevka”, the German USP “Heckler und Koch” and Р99 “Walter” also in the “Compact” versions. All chambered type 9x19.
Against the background of clearly delayed domestic work on new combat pistols and the organization of their large-scale production, the addition of Russian products with foreign models looks logical from a technical point of view. More difficult with the financial side - our gunsmiths is the one domestic manufacturer who is better to give money than his foreign counterparts. Although it must be admitted, not the worst foreign models that were created for use by law enforcement officers, already tested by the world market and deserving good reviews, besides firms that have established themselves as manufacturers of high-quality personal weapons were selected.
Р99 "Walter" is the youngest among these models by the time of birth of the system. Take a look at this “guest worker”.
In 1994, Carl Walter began the development of a new generation police pistol chambered for the Parabellum 9x19. The work was led by a group of designers under the leadership of Horst Vesp. Oriented to create the most compact and lightweight sample with a plastic frame. The company presented the first combat pistol in 1996 under the designation Р99.
In accordance with the tendency to carry out a personal weapon with a streamlined model, there are almost no protruding elements, and the controls are flush with the weapon lines. Automatics based on recoil of the barrel with a short stroke is made according to the modernized “Browning High Power” scheme, with the coupling of the bolt and the barrel due to the inclusion of a rectangular protrusion of the breech into the slot of the bolt window. Such a scheme, which is now widely used in pistols, excludes a number of technological operations during production. The whole structure is made according to the modular principle, which allows modifying the weapon in relatively wide limits.
In addition to 9x19, the P99 pistol is also available in versions for 9x21 and .40 “Smith and Wesson” cartridges. The 9-mm Р99 is supplied with a magazine for 16 cartridges, for the 10-mm version the magazine contains 12 cartridges. The magazine latch is controlled by a two-way lever on the back of the trigger guard. The sighting device includes a front sight and a constant sight with a rectangular slot, for shooting in low light conditions the front sight is equipped with a white dot, and the sight with a frame around the slot.
Naturally, the gun was immediately overgrown with various accessories. The American company “Laser Devices”, for example, presented for it a set of target designator illuminator called “Walter” Р99 - “Laser Website Unit”.
In addition to the basic model Р99, a number of modifications soon appeared, differing in size, features of the firing mechanism, etc. The modification of the Р99 С (“Compact”) differs from the basic one primarily in the trunk and gate sizes - the barrel length is reduced from 102 to 90 millimeters, and the overall length - from 180 to 168 millimeters. The pistol grip is also shortened - accordingly, the magazine's capacity dropped from 16 to 10 cartridges. As in a number of other compact pistols, the shortening of the handle is compensated for by the curly plastic lining of the magazine cover, which gives support to the fingers of the hand, which makes it possible to keep the hold position in a reduced position when reducing the size of an unloaded weapon.
Information