The blood-chilling “Russian whisper” – the silent pistol “Groza”

The portable weapons of domestic saboteurs, which have received the title of “ideal killer weapon” in Western countries, are legendary, since there is still no reliable information about cases of their combat use.

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Adopted in 1972 by the Soviet special services, the double-barreled small-sized special pistol (SSP) “Groza” hits targets with standard 7.62 mm automatic bullets. It does not eject cartridges, and the sound of its firing is practically indistinguishable in city noise conditions (hence the horror-filled name “Russian whisper”).

Pistol for delicate special operations

In the mid-60s of the last century, almost all of Africa, as well as vast territories of Southeast Asia and Latin America, were shaken by liberation and internecine wars, in which some rulers replaced each other with kaleidoscopic speed.

This was a period of an unprecedented small arms race, when the Soviet Union and its friendly countries had to confront not only finances, but also technical developments of the USA, Great Britain, France, as well as West Germany, which was rapidly restoring its military potential.

Only today has information begun to emerge about regular military clashes between intelligence officers from the countries of the communist and imperialist camps, who were officially considered diplomats or were engaged in trade activities.

The leadership of the Soviet Union felt a serious shortage of special silent weapons that could be used illegally, without attracting the attention of the world community to the USSR and not allowing our country to be officially accused of sabotage activities.

Rafail Khlynin brilliantly coped with the task , presenting to the State Commission in 1965 a miniature double-barreled pistol with a length of 11.5 (!!!) centimeters and a combat weight of about 0.5 kg, capable of hitting with a standard 7.62 cm bullet targets at a distance of up to 20 meters. At the same time, the sound emitted by the pistol corresponded to the click of its triggering mechanism.

To put it simply, the design of the SME resembles a double-barreled hunting rifle with two vertical barrels and a kink for loading them. The pistol does not have a magazine in the general sense of this meaning, but is loaded and unloaded in blocks of two cartridges - according to the number of barrels. Silent shooting was ensured by special SP-3 cartridges, which have a special design. It’s worth talking about it in more detail.

PBS device

The device for silent shooting was a two-section muffler. A mesh metal roll was developed specifically for the barrel expansion chamber, which absorbed powder gases when firing. Holes were drilled in the barrel bottom through which powder gases entered the expansion chamber. Its front part was attached to the removable muffler unit using a crayon connection.

The muffler itself was equipped with a special separator, which has a special design consisting of washers located at different angles relative to the axis of the barrel channel. With their help, during firing, the powder flows were crushed and “swirled.” This reduced the muzzle velocity to 290 m/s. Since the speed of the bullet became less than the speed of sound, no shock wave was formed during firing.

Special cartridge for silent shooting

The SP-3 cartridge has a length of 52 mm (pay attention to the length of the entire pistol!) and is equipped with a standard 7.62 x 39 mm machine gun bullet of the 1943 model, which, after firing, cannot be identified as a pistol bullet.

Inside the cartridge case there is a special telescopic pan, which, when the gunpowder ignites, pushes out the bullet and clogs the neck of the cartridge case, preventing sound, flame and powder gases from escaping. In this case, the cartridge case remains in the barrel of the pistol, allowing the shooter to freely leave the scene of the special operation without leaving any traces behind.

The target firing range of the SME is 15-20 meters sufficient for special operations in urban environments, and its SP-3 bullet easily penetrates an SSh-68 army helmet or several sheets of Kevlar.

Pistol SME "Groza". Photo: Vitaly Kuzmin / Wikimedia.org

Advantages of weapons

Compared to some other pistol models, the PSM “Groza” has several advantages:

• The weapon is completely silent. This is achieved due to the fact that the speed of the ejected bullet is less than the speed of sound.
• The pistol is small-sized and lightweight, which allows it to be carried unnoticed.
• The use of SP-3 cartridges eliminates the formation of a cloud of powder gases: after combustion they do not leave the barrel channel. When firing, no flashes are generated that can unmask the shooter.

PSM has a great resource. With care, each barrel of this weapon can fire over 500 shots. In some cases, half-misfires occur. This is not a sign of a problem with the system. The cause of misfires is powder gases, which in 5% of cases manage to slip past the piston. The result is a somewhat loud bang when firing.

State security workers perform most combat missions in urban environments. The Thunderstorm pistol is ideal for this, since it does not have a high penetration effect. From a distance of 50 meters with an SME you can pierce through a 250 mm thick board. It is impossible to penetrate a sheet of steel from this weapon even at close range. Using this pistol, you don’t have to worry about ricochets and civilian casualties.

Modern history of "Thunderstorm"

Due to the special secrecy of the SME, it is only known that it was very much loved by the saboteurs of the KGB and GRU of the USSR, as well as... combat swimmers of the USSR Navy. In the early 70s, this pistol was excellent for underwater shooting, allowing it to accurately hit targets at a distance of up to 10 meters, which often exceeded the level of possible visibility. Only over time did “Groza” free up this niche for the APS underwater assault rifle, as well as special pistols SPP-1M and Heckler & Koch P11.

During the Afghan war 1979-1989. this pistol was used to eliminate several warlords, including in Pakistan. Western propaganda tried to accuse the USSR of using illegal methods of warfare, but was never able to provide any direct evidence of this.

In December 2008, in one of the districts of Istanbul, Chechen militant Islam Dzhanibekov , suspected of organizing a series of explosions that occurred in 2001 in the Stavropol Territory and Karachay-Cherkessia, was shot dead.

Set of SP-3 cartridges with spent cartridges

Experts removed several machine gun bullets from his body, and a few days later, three SP-3 cartridge casings were found near the crime scene, which allowed investigators to put forward a version of the involvement of Russian special services officers using the Groza SME in the murder.

Naturally, this version remained an assumption, and military experts drew attention to the incompetence of local counterfeiters, since the Thunderstorm pistol uses a pair of ammunition for firing.

Despite the emergence of a large number of new pistols of various brands, the “Russian whisper” is still in service with fighters of domestic special forces, and information about its use is marked “Top Secret”.

Tactical and technical characteristics of SME "Groza"

Roman Zablotsky
military correspondent Interesting history pistol Russian weapons

Silent pistol MSP "Groza" with two barrels - a weapon of saboteurs

In the SME, engineers used a rather rare design, not typical for most Soviet weapons. The pistol is equipped with two barrels, which were located in the upper movable block.

The design of the barrel compartment, combined with the small size of the model, became an obstacle to the introduction of an element of automation into the weapon.

Another limitation was the design of the ammunition - the SP-3 cartridge intended for the Groza had a part in its structure that noticeably protruded from the spent cartridge case. Thus, its design could interfere with the operation of the automation.

For this purpose, the device has a special lever. Additionally, the MSP silent pistol is equipped with an automatic element that prevents accidental release of the triggers when the barrels are open.

The sighting devices were the front sight and rear sight.

One of the relevant experts, American C. Cutshaw, called the bullet that is equipped with the Thunderstorm cartridge a way to confuse investigations involving a pistol.

His opinion regarding the sabotage use of this weapon is not without meaning, because the chronicles of its use are classified.

In fact, a bullet from automatic ammunition can confuse traces, but not with the “Groza” - the MSP double-barreled pistol has a short barrel with a steep groove, so an experienced forensic scientist will always notice this on the bullet.

Double silent shot

During a double shot, the bullet initially flies out of the lower and then from the upper hole of the barrel. This sequence is determined by the firing mechanism.

Every two shots require subsequent reloading with the installation of a new clip. The shooter removes the used cartridges himself.

Immediately after shots are fired, they can be a source of danger, since the decrease in pressure and temperature of the powder gases does not occur instantly.

The noiselessness of the shot of the SME "Groza" pistol is created using the method of cutting off powder gases. This method involves a special cartridge device in which a limiter (piston) is placed between the charge and the bullet.

At the moment of firing, the piston transmits impulse to the bullet and at the same time remains in the cartridge case, preventing the release of hot powder gases. For this reason, they do not come into contact with the outside atmosphere, creating a noise effect.

Although Soviet special units adopted the silent Thunderstorm pistol back in the 70s, complete information about its practical use has not been preserved.

The further fate of the SME, as well as its current status, remains secret. There is evidence of the use of a pistol in Afghanistan, but there are no details of such operations.

Western intelligence agencies believe that "Thunderstorm" left its mark in Central America, but evidence or refutation of this has not been made public.