In the Soviet Union, a huge number of very different weapons were created. Including in the country at different times a representative number of pistols was designed and produced. Most of them were created for the needs of the state security agencies and the army, but there were other, very specific samples. Today we will focus on those about which the majority of Soviet citizens knew almost nothing.
1. IZH-34 \ 35
A fairly late Soviet pistol, which was created in 1973 and was produced right up to 2005. The unusual shape of the pistol grip and barrel can be easily explained. The thing is that the IZH-34 series are sports pistols with a 6-round magazine. It is worth noting that it was with this pistol that the athletes of the USSR, and then Russia, took 12 Olympic gold medals.
2. Margolina MC
Another little-known Soviet pistol, developed in 1948 and still in use today. Most citizens have never seen Margolina due to the fact that the creation of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant is another sports pistol. It was used at international competitions only until 1974, after which it was replaced by more advanced models.
3. Pistol Prilutsky
In fact, this pistol was developed back in the Russian Empire. It was created by Sergey Alexandrovich Prilutsky on the basis of the Belgian Browning M1903 chambered for 9 × 20 mm SR Browning Long. The pistol was not taken into production in tsarist Russia due to the outbreak of the First World War. In 1924, the designer finalized his development, but ultimately the Prilutsky pistol lost to the TT pistol in state tests.
4. Pistol of the Vojvodin system
The fate of this pistol was very similar. In 1938, the PV was planned to be adopted instead of the TT. The pistol even managed to be released in a small series of 1,500 copies. However, it never came to rearmament. The Great Patriotic War, which began soon after, prevented this. The PV was created primarily as a pistol for the crews of tanks and armored vehicles.
5. TKB-506
A pistol for state security officers, namely the KGB. The TKB-506 was developed in 1954 especially for Soviet intelligence officers. The main "feature" of the pistol is that the weapon is hidden in a relatively small cigarette case 108x74 mm. It was possible to wear this one, without arousing any suspicion, right in the breast pocket. Another feature of the weapon was that, due to the specifics of its design, it fired almost silently and smokelessly.
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