Converting a signal PM into a combat one: myth or reality

This may seem somewhat strange, but signal weapons in Russia for their intended purpose (giving a sound signal) are purchased by a small percentage of buyers. The bulk of consumers by purchasing a signal pistol or revolver partially satisfies the desire to have an item that is as similar in appearance as possible to a short-barreled firearm.

Since firearms and revolvers are prohibited for purchase by individuals in Russia, signal or cold weapons of this type are the only real substitutes for the owner’s craving for weapons culture. However, there is another category of buyers.

Converting a signal PM into a combat one: myth or reality

This may seem somewhat strange, but signal weapons in Russia for their intended purpose (giving a sound signal) are purchased by a small percentage of buyers.
The bulk of consumers by purchasing a signal pistol or revolver partially satisfies the desire to have an item that is as similar in appearance as possible to a short-barreled firearm.

Since firearms and revolvers are prohibited for purchase by individuals in Russia, signal or cold weapons of this type are the only real substitutes for the owner’s craving for weapons culture.

However, there is another category of buyers.

Possible consequences

Now let's cool down the ardor of those who decided to start manufacturing their own weapons. Carrying such a pistol, and even more so, using it, cannot but attract the attention of prying eyes, among which may be the eyes of a law enforcement officer.

If your pistol is examined, it will be proven that it is a firearm and is intended to hit a living target. Due to the lack of permission to carry such a device, you will be surprised in the form of a real sentence of up to 4 years or a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles.

The troubles don't end there. If desired, the investigator may be interested in where this barrel came from. According to Article 223 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for the manufacture of firearms you can get five years in prison or a 200 thousand ruble fine. Practice shows that when converting a signal pistol into an injury, the degree of punishment is not so high, but do not forget about Article 222, under which the actual sentence and fine have already been assigned.

Description of design and equipment

The pistol differs structurally from the prototype only in the barrel, made according to the standards of the law on traumatic weapons. Thus, near the chamber of the PM-T there is a pin that covers approximately 20-25% of the barrel, which is devoid of rifling and tapered, similar to the Grand Power T12 released at approximately the same period of time.

The main components are familiar by heart to many of those who have had the chance to hold a PM in their hands:

• Frame, barrel and trigger guard;
• Bolt with firing pin, ejector and safety;
• Return spring;
• Trigger mechanism;
• Handle with screw;
• Shutter stop;
• Shop.

Of particular awe among collectors is the fact that all parts are made of high-quality weapons steel from the times of the USSR, with original bluing and part numbers.

Since PM-T has been available for several years only by repurchasing it from current owners, precise data on the configuration could not be found. It is only known that, in addition to the PM-T itself, the buyer received only one magazine, an instruction manual and a weapon care kit. Perhaps among the readers there will be people who managed to purchase that same pistol who can clarify the information.

Singles

True, there is another side to the coin: many veterans who would like to remember their youth in combat (front-line soldiers, Afghan heroes, etc.), alas, cannot afford such things either. Black pistol The question that just rolls off the tongue: isn’t it dangerous to sell a weapon that can’t be distinguished from a combat weapon from a distance of a few steps to everyone? A reasonable question, but...

Behind this faceless term was a deactivated military weapon. For the average person, it is also almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

In short, the genie is long out of the bottle. The police simply do not know who is now holding thousands of sold guns. Therefore, only one thing remains: to cultivate a weapons culture among the people.

Which pistol to choose PM P-411 or PM SO

Advantages of PM R-411:

• produced on the basis of a combat pistol;
• the necessary markings identical to the combat markings have been applied;
• appearance is identical to the combat one;
• there may be abrasions on the bluing due to use in the Armed Forces;
• donors were made in the 50-70s;
• high reliability;
• large resource of use;
• Made with high quality.

Advantages of PM SO:

• the price tag is significantly lower than that of competitors;
• TK10 cartridge is used;
• good bluing, with a red tint, which is valuable for collectors.

• differs in appearance from the combat version - there is a hole in the bolt;
• the shutter is weakened, which reduces the resource;
• structural differences from a combat pistol when disassembled - the barrel and bolt are made of a single element.
• made on the basis of OOOP (traumatic pistols) - as a result, of less quality.
• Donors were produced in the second half of the 90s.

We can conclude that for a collector, or in the form of a gift from which it is expected to shoot often, the best watered-down PM is the P-411 as it is well-made, reliable and outwardly matches its older brother.

It makes sense to buy a PM SO if you don’t have enough finances and you don’t plan to actively use the gun.

New pistol PL 15K (2017)

The best fight is the one that was not started, and the best weapon is the one that did not have to be used. It was this principle that guided the team of Izhevsk gunsmiths under the leadership of Dmitry Lebedev when developing a new pistol - PL-15 with the index “K”. Reducing characteristics for the sake of wearing comfort and ergonomics - a tribute to fashion or a severe necessity?

Sources

1. Commentary on the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; Yurayt - M., 2007. - 127 p.
2. Ivanov, V.N. Consumer pocket book: Legislative acts, service rules, practical advice, sample documents for going to court / V.N. Ivanov. - M.: Marketing, 1994. - 220 p.
3. Unified labor protection rules for diving work. - M.: Transport, 1996. - 224 p.
4. Law of the Russian Federation on copyright and related rights. - M.: BEK, 1993. - 849 p.
5. Zemskova, S.I. Copyright / S.I. Zemskova. - M.: STANSY, 2002. - 264 p.

Legal changes to flare weapons

The first most popular legal modification is the implementation of the ability to automatically reload the pistol, because it is known that the MP-371, unlike its combat counterpart, has this ability deactivated. Let us remind you that automatic reloading is needed so that after each shot you do not have to cock the bolt manually, but use the energy of the powder gases for this. The weapon meets the characteristics specified in the certificate, so there is nothing illegal in this tuning.

It was not by chance that we drew attention to the certificate, since this document appears in the law on weapons. The characteristics of the pistol must comply with the certificate, otherwise it may be seized by law enforcement officials. Some modifications do not turn signal weapons into firearms, but change their performance characteristics.

As such, there is no punishment for such actions, but the gun cannot be called legal either.

First of all, we are talking about increasing the caliber. Usually the pistol is adapted for firing light-noise cartridges of 10x24 or 1-TK caliber. Here the owner has a certain temptation. To obtain a cold weapon, you will have to spend a lot of time and money, and converting a signal pistol for 10 TK cartridges provides a relatively inexpensive way to get shots that sound identical to a shot from a combat pistol.

Any examination will confirm the fact of alteration. If a citizen does not have a certificate for a pistol, this will be a reason to send the barrel to specialists. But if the articles of the criminal code are not applicable in this case, then the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for a violation of the law in this act. This means that the owner of such a trunk will have to pay a considerable amount of fine. Isn’t it better to legally acquire a traumatic or bleached weapon? This is a rhetorical question.

Illegal options

This may include the activities of citizens who, for selfish reasons or as an experiment, prefer to make a real weapon out of a signal pistol. The essence of the modification is to adapt the pistol to specific ammunition. At the lowest cost, the MP-371 pistol can be converted to chamber 9 mm RA, 10x22 or 9x18.

In this case, you will have to work with the barrel. Its specific part, the stem, must be replaced. There can be no quality control in this process and you should rely only on yourself. Moreover, it is technically difficult to make rifling in the barrel. But this does not stop the “masters,” and the latter, in turn, fall under Articles 222 and 223 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

It should be noted that the manufacturer has taken all possible measures to prevent illegal alterations. Some parts of the barrel, bolt and frame are weakened due to cuts. It is assumed that the metal will not withstand the movement of a combat bullet, and its tears will be observed. In response to this, craftsmen come up with ways to increase the strength of parts.

If we try to provide detailed instructions for converting a starting pistol into a firearm, we risk being misunderstood. Some owners may take this information as a call to action.

Boys play war

The most popular product is the Makarov pistol. Light-sound cartridges have been developed for the PM: it shoots loudly, “in an adult way,” and does not burst with compressed air, like its pneumatic counterpart, and does not slam the capsule, like the signal version. And the automation works like a combat one: it shoots in semi-automatic mode, that is, the cartridge case is ejected and a new cartridge is loaded.

Of course, you shouldn’t even try to force a live cartridge into the chamber: it will explode to hell. The engineers at the factory took care of this: they inserted a liner (insert) into the barrel, plus pins in the barrel and in the bolt, and loosened the guides. The pistol is certified.

It cannot be turned back into combat, but it looks like the real thing. Until you look into the barrel (or take it apart), you will not understand that this is not a combat pistol.

Included is a passport, where from the first page in capital letters they try to exhort and guide the owner on the true path. They intimidate: do not scare innocent people with a pistol. If there are children, pregnant women and psychopaths nearby, then it is better not to take it out of your pocket. Do not point the gun at law enforcement officers, collectors and armed guards - you will get a bullet from your opponent.

And it is not recommended to use it for self-defense.

Naturally, this begs the question: why is one needed then? And for cultural and educational purposes. For military-patriotic education, participation in film and theater productions, for historical reconstructions.

What is the purpose of the upgrade?

If the main use of a pistol is to shoot cans or bottles, then the speed of the bullet or ball is critical. It is much more pleasant and effective to have a weapon that breaks a bottle in no time than a “scarecrow” that barely leaves marks on the glass.

Since an air pistol can be used for self-defense and hunting small rodents, increasing the power of the shot also increases its effectiveness. Keep in mind that using advanced high-velocity weapons may violate the law. Let's look at ways to increase shot speed for amateur shooting tasks.

Is it possible to repurpose an aerosol can for trauma?

In principle, such manipulations are possible. There are, for example, chambered for a traumatic cartridge. Homemade “Kulibins” bore the barrels of the “Dobryn” in order to “shove” large ammunition with a rubber bullet, and tightly secure the clips of the “Pioneers” with screws. In general, there are always solutions. But - not for an ordinary person without above-average technical knowledge and special tools.

Of course, homemade traumatic weapons can be ordered on the Internet. But the responsibility for such a “gun” is considerable. Firstly, altering the Dobrynya aerosol pistol or any other is a crime. Believe me, the police will be very happy to find such an exclusive, and it won’t be possible to shift the blame to “some guy on the Internet.”

The minimum penalty is a fine, and the maximum is a suspended sentence. And if you use your device in a skirmish and injure your opponent – ​​voila! - the deadline turns into a real one. What to do, the system doesn’t like it when people try to deceive it.

Gas cylinders

Ways to increase the shot speed in gas-cylinder pneumatics also involve increasing the barrel length and refining the mechanism. Ways to increase power are as follows:

• replacing the “fighting” spring with a more powerful one. We are talking about a spring that sets the trigger or barrel in motion, hitting the valve. The disadvantage of the method is that it significantly increases the load on the trigger of the pistol (i.e., increases the trigger force);
• boring the chamber with gas (increasing the diameter). Depending on the design of the pistol, you can get a good increase in speed, especially with initially thick-walled chambers;
• enlargement of the holes in the exhaust valve through which carbon dioxide escapes. In the classic valve design, gas exits through three internal holes. Their diameter can be increased to 0.5 mm by drilling. You should not make holes that are too large, otherwise the gas will escape very quickly, and the bullet will greatly lose speed during acceleration;
• the use of a larger trigger (or a heavier barrel). With increased impact, the valve will remain open longer, releasing more gas. To increase the mass, you will have to turn to a turner again;
• increasing the diameter of the seal located behind the needle for piercing the balloon. Do not overdo it in expanding it, otherwise the needle may fall out and will have to be fixed with “super glue”.

Tips for caring for a traumatic pistol

Many weapons forums are full of disputes about “why is a PM-T, produced from a combat model of 1955, better than the same one, but made in 1981” or advice on “finishing with a file” samples of different generations (the design differences between them are minimal, but they are present, like form of the shutter stop). Despite this, there are a number of general tips that will be useful to anyone who already owns a PM-T or is just preparing to buy:

• Replacing the spring is important. The “native” recoil spring is poorly adapted for the use of non-lethal ammunition;
• You cannot be sure what the pistol's load was before it was converted into a traumatic one. After purchase, it is recommended to fully inspect all parts for defects. Some of them can be replaced yourself. In case of damage to parts with serial numbers, it is necessary to submit a request for service repair;
• Magazines manufactured between the 50s and 80s are better suited for “injuries”;
• The habit of ergonomics can only be achieved through practical shooting. Since firing a self-cocking shot requires quite a lot of effort, the shooter must be prepared to use the pistol for its intended purpose, and this requires some experience in handling;
• The declared “Soviet quality” is a fact, but not a reason to ignore the need to clean weapons and the generally accepted rules for storing them.

“Fried topic”, media campaign or real increase in incidents

An epidemic of violence is raging in Russia, the causative agent of this epidemic is a traumatic weapon of self-defense. Pistols converted from military Makarovs, Nagans, TTs for firing “non-lethal” rubber bullets. If a combat pistol in Russia can be either a service pistol, or a reward pistol, or a criminal pistol, then a traumatic one is also sold to ordinary citizens - this requires a license similar to a hunting one.

Having settled in the pockets of Russians, “traumas” also settled in crime chronicles. Showdowns on the roads, shootings in drunken fights, and even “Russian roulette” at a wedding, which recently ended with serious injuries - such events have become almost an everyday background in Russian news since last year. The density of reports of offenses using such pistols, meanwhile, leads to suspicions that we are facing not only a real increase in “traumatic” offenses, but also a media campaign aimed at limiting the spread of civilian weapons.

There are indeed grounds for such guesses. Officials and legislators have repeatedly stated that the proliferation of traumatic weapons has become a real problem, and this problem must be somehow solved by limiting the spread of Makarychs and the like. Free Press asked experts on civilian weapons and the Ministry of Internal Affairs itself about whether such a campaign is being waged in reality.

Rafail Ruditsky

, Chairman of the Saiga shooting club and one of the coordinators of the Civil Weapons Union:

— What is happening now in the criminal chronicle is not a media campaign, these are the real consequences of ill-considered decisions made several years ago.

I'll tell you how this story with traumatists began. In 2005, the LDPR convened a round table on the possibility of legalizing short-barreled weapons. Leonid Vedenov, major general of police, deputy head of the public order department, was present there; representatives of the arms industry, social activists. And at this round table, when the topic of traumatic weapons came up, we, as supporters of the legalization of short-barreled combat weapons, immediately stated that this type of weapon is not a very good solution for civil self-defense.

The fact is that “Makarychi” and similar traumatic pistols are declared by manufacturers as non-lethal. After all, even through a jacket, a rubber bullet will give at most a severe bruise, and a thick jacket generally completely protects against a shot from a trauma weapon. Therefore, a traumatic pistol is not perceived by its owner as a weapon. As a result, the threshold for using weapons as such is reduced.

Meanwhile, traumatic weapons can turn out to be quite lethal. The bullet pierces the eye or temporal bone, hits the brain - and that’s it, on the spot! And our streets are full of hot-tempered people. And therefore, if earlier an angry driver ran out with a tire iron or a bat, and the matter ended with bruises, or at most a broken arm, now it often comes to murder.

However, then it was decided to develop the market for traumatic pistols converted from combat pistols. For gunsmiths, this turned out to be extremely profitable: at that time, remaking a combat pistol lying in a warehouse cost the plant 200-300 rubles, and the finished product cost about 3,000. Factories began to make money literally out of nothing.

And people began to sweep away these pistols in stores - of course, almost real Nagans and Makarovs were sold, then the traumatic TT became a bestseller. As a result, we have what we have now - and we warned everyone that this would happen. It was necessary first, by legalizing short-barreled combat weapons, to accustom citizens to weapons culture, and only then to promote “rubber arrows.”

After all, military weapons are treated completely differently. It is known that in the Caucasus, where the population traditionally has military weapons in their hands, not a single holiday is complete without shooting - and there are almost no accidents or drunken shootouts. This is because among the Highlanders, every child knows that weapons must be taken seriously. And here - remember the recent case when at a wedding guests played Russian roulette with a traumatist with sad consequences. This is because a traumatic pistol is perceived as a half-toy, a frivolous thing.

In order to improve weapons culture, it would be worth restoring the system of shooting training for citizens - in particular, DOSAAF used to do this. True, now that there are many public shooting societies and private shooting ranges, I believe that we could simply be given the official right to teach the “weapons minimum” to those who wish. And if the now reformed DOSAAF takes over shooting training, it seems to me it will be worse. On top of everything else, we at a private shooting club always thoroughly record briefings, safety exams, the number of shootings, and government agencies will not be under control in such a situation, try to figure out who is a trained shooter and who is not.

Of course, I understand the police. For them, the more weapons they have, the worse the situation. There's enough to do already. So the police would be happy to take away weapons from all citizens. But life, nevertheless, moves forward, such things are already difficult and unreasonable.

For example, there have been much more rifled weapons on hand lately. Previously, almost no one came to the LRO of the police station, where I am renewing my license, for rifle weapons. Now there is a crowd of 70 people every day! The waiting list for shooting at the bullet point department is a month and a half!

Therefore, in any case, comprehensive measures are needed to prevent further escalation of violence involving traumatists. First of all, those who want to own weapons need to be trained - almost any shooting range can be useful here. You also need to learn how to carry a self-defense weapon: you need to wield it confidently, if you own it at all. Weapons must be carried and used safely and without danger.

In addition, I would suggest converting traumatic pistols into a special type of weapon. They are also good, but in their own way. This is a good sporting weapon; it can be used to drive away stray dogs without unnecessary blood. For them, I would introduce into licensing practice exams under the Weapons Law and psychological testing - in a medical center or a mental health clinic, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that there is a psychologist who would identify potentially aggressive (albeit mentally normal) citizens. But as a civilian weapon, a weapon of self-defense, they are too dangerous.

With pre-pumping

Diagram of the modernized Crosman 1377 air pistol

Tuning for higher speed in pump pistols has much in common with modifying CO2 pistols. The general method is to judiciously increase the length of the barrel. You can also use the following approaches:

• reducing valve spring stiffness. This increases the time it takes for the gas to escape from the chamber and increases the speed of the shot;
• boring the valve holes (see above);
• increasing the stiffness or length of the mainspring driving the trigger;
• work on the gearbox in models equipped with it. If the gun does not have a pressure regulator in the pneumatic chamber into which the gas enters after the main cylinder, the reducer will have to be removed and adjusted manually.

The price for increasing the power of the shot is an accelerated decrease in pressure in the cylinder. If the goal of modification is only to increase the speed of the bullet, then you can experiment with the gearbox being as open as possible, avoiding its excessive spinning.