PPS-42
Soviet State Arsenals · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1942
Also known as: PPS, Pistolet-Pulemyot Sudayeva obr. 1942, Sudayev SMG, PPS obr. 1942
Overview
The PPS-42 (Pistolet-Pulemyot Sudayeva obrazets 1942) is a Soviet blowback-operated, open-bolt submachine gun chambered in 7.62x25mm Tokarev and the original model of the PPS family of submachine guns. Designed by Alexei Sudayev inside besieged Leningrad in 1942 as an emergency, resource-frugal replacement for the larger PPSh-41, the PPS-42 was built almost entirely from sheet-steel stampings, with a pinned barrel, a folding steel shoulder stock, and a curved 35-round detachable box magazine. Firing from an open bolt through a fixed firing pin, the weapon operates in full-automatic only at a moderate cyclic rate of around 600 rounds per minute, which makes controlled short bursts practical, while a slotted barrel-shroud extension at the muzzle acts as a compensator to limit climb. Rushed into limited production within the encircled city, the PPS-42 was issued to Leningrad Front units and proved compact, light, and reliable in mud and extreme cold. Combat experience prompted Sudayev to simplify the design further, and the refined version was standardized the following year as the PPS-43, which many historians regard as the finest submachine gun of the Second World War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2950 g (104.1 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 3580 g (126.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 907 mm (35.71") |
| Folded Length | 640 mm (25.20") |
| Barrel Length | 273 mm (10.75") |
| Height | 225 mm (8.86") |
| Width | 60 mm (2.36") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Full Auto Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 35 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 500 m/s (1640 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 688 J (507 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 150 m (164 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Stamped Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x25mm Tokarev · primary — also known as 7.62mm Tokarev, 7.62x25mm TT, 7.62mm TT
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Lever, Bolt Handle Safety Notch
- Features: Stamped Steel Construction, Open Bolt Firing, Folding Metal Stock, Muzzle Compensator, Fixed Firing Pin, Automatic Only, Simple Construction, Curved Box Magazine
Variants
- PPS-43 — Refined Design
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Soviet Red Army · adopted 1942
- Finnish Defence Forces · adopted 1944 · as captured PPS-42
Conflicts
- World War II (Eastern Front) (1942-1945)
- Siege of Leningrad (1941-1944)
Production
Estimated total produced: 46,000 · Production years: 1942-1943
The PPS-42 was produced in limited numbers in besieged Leningrad during 1942-1943 before being superseded by the standardized PPS-43; figures vary, with several tens of thousands made. Combined PPS-42/PPS-43 production reached roughly 2 million units by 1946.
Origin
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Designer: Alexei Ivanovich Sudayev
Discontinued: 1943
Notes
The PPS-42 was the first-production iteration of Sudayev's design, manufactured in besieged Leningrad in 1942 and combat-tested by Leningrad Front units before the relief of the city. It differs from the later PPS-43 chiefly in a slightly longer barrel and shroud, a longer overall length, and detail changes to the stock latch and ejection port; after troop trials Sudayev simplified the weapon into the standardized PPS-43 in 1943. Both models share the same 7.62x25mm Tokarev chambering, 35-round curved magazine, folding steel stock, and stamped-steel construction. Folded length is commonly cited at roughly 640 mm.
Background
Sudayev designed and test-produced the PPS-42 inside Leningrad while the city was under siege, and the same starving factory workers who assembled the stamped-steel weapons reportedly carried them straight to the front line ringing the city. Engineered around extreme economy of steel and machine hours, it gave tankers, scouts, and paratroopers a folding-stock automatic compact enough to be worn inside a vehicle hatch.