VSS

September 11, 2008

The silent sniper complex was developed at the TsNII (Central Research Institute) TOCHMASH byRI. SerdukovandV.F Krasnikov and was adopted for service in 1987. The BSK complex comprises the sniper special purpose rifle (VSS «Vintorez», Index 6P29) and the SP5 (7N8) 9 mm special cartridge.
The SP5 sniper cartridge was developed by N.V. Zabelin and L.S. Dvoryaninov on the basis of the cartridge case Mod. 1943. The heavy subsonic bullet retains good stability on its trajectory and in addition to a high accuracy features assured penetrating per¬formance and defeats at a range of 400 meters live targets in II, III level armor vests (with firing SP6 cartridge).

The rifle is a gas-operated weapon, the bore barrel is sealed by a rotating bolt with six locking lugs. The relatively smooth recoil enhances the weapon’s accuracy. The firing mechanism is of a hammer type with a light striker. The safety lever is of a thumb type. The separate fire selector (single-shot and continuous fire modes) is located behind the trigger.
The powder gases are exhausted into the integrated silencer through grooves in the walls of the barrel and through the muzzle end face escape into the separator. The fire crack does not outstrip the crack of the small cal¬iber sport rifle.
The cross section of a target hits dispersion at a range of 100 meters is equal to 12 cm. The VSS rifle is equipped with the PSO-1 -1 sight or night sight, there is also available an iron curve-slide sight. The unremoved wooden skeleton-type buttstock is outfitted with an elastic buttplate. The rifle is easily broken into large parts for concealed carrying.
The 10-round plastic magazine with a checkerboard arrangement of cartridges is made of plastic.
Specifications
Caliber………………………9mm
Cartridge ……………..SP5, SP6 (9×39)
Pistol weight w/o optical sight
and cartridges ………………2.45 kg
Complex length……………….894 mm
Barrel length…………………200 mm
Muzzle bullet velocity ………….290 m/sec
Rate of lire ……………800-900 rds/min
Effective rate of fire…………30/60 rds/min
Sighting range
w/optical sight ……………….400 m
w/night optical sight ……………300 m
w/open sight ………………..400 m
Magazine capacity…………..10 « 20 rds