The PBS-1 is a silencer designed for the 7.62x39mm AKM variant of the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...

assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...

in the

Kalashnikov rifle Kalashnikov rifles (), also known as the AK platform, AK rifles, or simply the AK, are a family of assault rifles based on Mikhail Kalashnikov's original design. They are officially known in Russian as ''avtomat Kalashnikova'' (), and informally ...

family. It is in diameter and long.

History

The PBS-1 silencer, designed for use with the AKM to reduce the noise when firing, was introduced in the 1960s, and was used mostly by

Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

forces and the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

. They were used by the Spetsnaz in the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...

in the 1980s, requiring the use of the AKM (modernized variant of the AK-47), because the newer

AK-74 The AK-74 ( Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974') is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974 as a successor to the AKM. While primarily ...

did not have a silencer available. Until a variant of the AK74, the AKS-74UB adapted for use with the PBS-4 suppressor (used in combination with subsonic

5.45×39mm The 5.45×39mm cartridge is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge. It was introduced into service in 1974 by the Soviet Union for use with the new AK-74. The 5.45×39mm gradually supplemented and then largely replaced the 7.62×39mm ca ...

Russian ammunition). The PBS-1 is a two-chambered silencer using baffles and a rubber wipe. It was designed for use in conjunction with subsonic rifle ammunition. The PBS-1 has been extensively tested by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Foreign Weapons Test Lab. The rubber wipe requires replacement after 20–25 rounds. With a rubber wipe in place the PBS-1 reliably reduces the sound of an AKM discharge by 15 dB, which make the noise between 130—135 dB.

Gallery

File:AKM with PBS suppresor at Tank Biathlon 2014.jpg, PBS-1 fitted on an AKM. File:27th Independent Sevastopol Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (181-8).jpg, An AKMS fitted with a PBS-1.

References

{{Commons category, PBS (silencer) Firearm components Weapons and ammunition introduced in the 1960s Kalashnikov derivatives Cold War weapons of the Soviet Union

History

Gallery

See also

References