PPSh-41
A stamped-steel Soviet submachine gun used extensively in WWII and Korea.
The PPSh-41 (Pistolét-pulemyót Shpágina-41, 'Shpagin's machine-pistol-41') is a selective-fire, open-bolt, blowback submachine gun chambered for the 7.62×25mm Tokarev round. Designed by Georgy Shpagin in the Soviet Union as a cheaper and simplified alternative to the PPD-40, it became one of the major infantry weapons of the Red Army during World War II, with about six million units manufactured during that period. The firearm is made largely of stamped steel and can be loaded with either a box or drum magazine.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Is Ranged
- yes
- Service
- 1941–present
- Designer
- Georgy Shpagin
- Design Date
- 1941
- Manufacturer
- Numerous
- Production Date
- 1941–1947 (USSR) Mid 1940s–present (Other countries)
- Number
- Approx. 6,000,000
- Un--It Cost
- Ca. 50-80 rubles (WWII) (~161-258 USD today)
- Weight
- 3.63 kg (without magazine)
- Length
- 843 mm
- Part Length
- 269 mm
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The impetus for the PPSh-41 came from the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland, where the Finnish Suomi KP/-31 proved highly effective in close-quarters fighting. The Red Army's older PPD submachine gun was expensive to manufacture due to numerous milled metal parts. Shpagin reduced costs by using metal stamping, and his prototype included a simple gas-compensator that improved shot grouping by about 70% relative to the PPD. Production began in a network of Moscow factories, with a few hundred weapons produced in November 1941 and 155,000 more over the next five months. By spring 1942, factories were producing roughly 3,069 units a day, with almost 1.5 million units made that year. The PPSh uses 87 components compared to 95 for the PPD-40, and could be manufactured in an estimated 5.6 machining hours (later revised to 7.3 hours) versus 13.7 hours for the PPD. Barrels were often made by cutting 7.62mm Mosin–Nagant rifle barrels in half and machining the chamber for the Tokarev cartridge. After capturing large numbers of PPSh-41s, the German Army converted some to use the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge, designating them MP 41(r); unconverted weapons were designated MP 717(r) and supplied with 7.63×25mm Mauser ammunition. Converted PPSh-41s received a magazine adapter for MP 40 magazines, and the 9mm round reduced the cyclic rate from 800 to 750 RPM. Each PPSh-41 came standard with two factory-fitted drum magazines matched by serial number; mixing drums could cause poor retention and feeding failures. Drum magazines were later superseded by a simpler 35-round box magazine, though an improved drum magazine made from 1 mm thick steel was introduced in 1944. The Red Army introduced the PPS-43 in 1943, which was even simpler and had a more moderate rate of fire, but it did not fully replace the PPSh-41 during the war. The Soviet Union also experimented with mounting 88 PPSh-41s in forward fuselage racks on the Tu-2Sh variant of the Tupolev Tu-2 bomber for close air support. During the Korean War, the USSR supplied the PPSh-41 in large quantities to Soviet-aligned states and Communist guerrilla forces. North Korea's Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army received large numbers, in addition to the North Korean Type 49 and Chinese Type 50 licensed copies. Though relatively inaccurate, the Chinese PPSh had a high rate of fire and was well-suited to close-range night firefights common in Korea. Some US infantry officers ranked the PPSh as the best combat weapon of the war, providing more firepower at short distances than the M1 Garand or M1 carbine, though other servicemen felt their M2 carbines were superior.
Reader's Guide
The PPSh-41's significance lies in its role as a mass-produced, cost-effective submachine gun that equipped entire platoons and companies of the Red Army with devastating short-range firepower during World War II. Its design emphasized simplicity and low cost: stamped sheet metal, a chrome-lined bore for durability with corrosive ammunition, and a hinged receiver for easy field-stripping. The weapon's high rate of fire—approximately 1250 rounds per minute—and 71-round drum magazine gave Soviet infantry a volume of fire unmatched by most contemporary submachine guns. Thousands were dropped behind enemy lines to arm Soviet partisans. After the war, the PPSh-41 was supplied to Soviet-aligned states and communist guerrilla forces, seeing extensive use in the Korean War. There, its close-range effectiveness was noted by US officers, though opinions varied on whether it outclassed American weapons like the M2 carbine. The PPSh-41 remains in limited use by some forces, including Russian separatists in Ukraine and Syrian opposition, and as of 2011, 300,000 were stored in Ukrainian Ministry of Defense warehouses.
More in Submachine Guns 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced