The Stechkin or APS (''Avtomaticheskiy Pistolet Stechkina'' = ''Автоматический Пистолет Стечкина'') is a Soviet
selective fire machine pistol that is chambered in
9×18mm Makarov and
9×19mm Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO or simply 9mm) is a Rim (firearms)#Rimless, rimless, Centerfire ammunition, centerfire, tapered cartridge (firearms), firearms cartridge.
Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer ...
.
History
Submachine guns such as the
PPSh-41 or the
PPS-43 were declared obsolete shortly after the adoption of the
AK47 assault rifle. A new self-defence weapon was requested for artillery and mortar crews, tank crews and aircraft personnel, for whom a cumbersome assault rifle was deemed unnecessary.
Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin, recently graduated in 1948 from the Tula Mechanical Institute, began work on this new automatic weapon concept, competing against other prolific designers such as Vojvodin and Kalashnikov.
Stechkin designed a select-fire pistol capable of accurate fire up to 200 meters, with the possibility of attaching a combination holster/shoulder stock. Field-testing of the first prototypes was undertaken from April to June 1949.
A 20,000 round endurance test against an Astra machine pistol and a PPS-43 submachine gun proved that Stechkin's design was promising.
However, the testing board showed flaws of the prototype, such as the lack of adjustability of the rear sight, the high weight (1.9 kg with holster), short sight radius, and the recoil spring located under the barrel.
A large redesign effort was made by Stechkin. He took several innovations from the Makarov pistol, such as the general silhouette, slide rails, extractor. The gun was lightened, the trigger mechanism redesigned and simplified, and the trigger guard reshaped. After successful military tests, the APS was formally adopted on December 3, 1951.
Design

The APS is a straight-blowback, select-fire, magazine-fed machine pistol. The weapon is fed through 20-round double-stack staggered-feed detachable steel box magazines. The APS shares features with the
Makarov service pistol, such as a heel-mounted magazine release, slide-mounted safety lever, and field-strip procedure. The rear sight is adjustable from 25, 50, 100 to 200 meters through an eccentric rotating drum-dial. The serrated front sight may be drifted for windage. The slide features a textured strip on top to reduce aim-disturbing glare. The chrome-lined barrel serves as the recoil spring guide. The slide stop lever also acts as an ejector blade. The trigger guard pivots down for stripping and detents in position through a spring-loaded plunger. The checkered or serrated grips' panels are made from wood (early models), reddish-brown bakelite or black plastic.
The Stechkin features a combination safety-decocker-fire selector lever on the slide. The three-position lever, when pointed forward in the "PR" or safe position, decocks and locks the hammer, locks the slide to the frame and prevents forward travel of the free-floating firing pin. When pointed downwards to the "OD", or single-shot position, the safety lever deactivates the auto-sear and
rate reducer to allow semi-automatic fire. Finally, the rearmost "AVT" position puts the APS in fully automatic mode.
The trigger mechanism of the APS is of a simple construction and features a double/single-action fire mode. It comprises a trigger and trigger bar, disconnector, sear and hammer. The rebounding hammer, when in resting state, has an intermediate safety intercept notch that does not allow forward travel of the hammer unless the sear is raised. Disconnection is achieved through a cam in the slide.
To make controllable automatic fire possible through such a system, designer Stechkin employs several mechanical solutions. Firstly, the slide has a very long stroke (three times the length of the cartridge). This allows time to slow the slide down and reduce felt recoil by minimising the jolt produced through the collision of the slide with the frame. Secondly, the rate-reducer lever offers extra resistance to the opening stroke of the slide, further slowing down the cycling process. Finally, the primary inertial rate reducing plunger delays the dropping of the hammer after the slide closes. The slide has a large cam that strikes a lever downwards. This lever transfers that energy to a spring-loaded weight located in the grip. The weight travels down, compressing its spring, then slams back up into the trigger bar, tripping the sear and firing the gun. Effectively, the rate reducer, which reduced the automatic rate of fire from 1,000 RPM to 750RPM, also acts as the auto-sear.
The machine pistol may be fitted with a wooden (early), brown bakelite or steel wire shoulder stock (for the APB variant); otherwise, the weapon becomes difficult to control on full auto. The stock is attached via a T-slot cut into the rear strap of the pistol frame. The stock is hollowed out and can act as a holster, accepting the machine pistol inside, similar to the
Mauser C96 pistol. A Leather sling and ammunition pouch were also supplied with the weapon.
Variants
APB
The APB (''Avtomaticheskiy Pistolet Besshumniy'', meaning automatic silenced pistol) version was a version of the APS optimized for silent operations.
Developed in the early 1970s by A.S. Neugodov (А.С. Неугодов) under the factory name AO-44, it was officially adopted in 1972 under the service name APB and given
GRAU index 6P13. Approximately 2,000 APS pistols were converted to APB variants by the Vyatskie Polyansky Machine-Building Plant from 1972 to 1973.
Muzzle velocity reportedly dropped to 290 m/s in this variant.
Instead of the holster-stock of the APS, the APB comes with a detachable stock made of steel wire. Its barrel is longer than that of the APS; it protrudes from the slide and is threaded for the attachment of an eccentric sound suppressor. When not in use, the detachable sound suppressor can be clipped to the stock.
[Оружие ближнего боя России / Russian Close Combat Weapon (2010), pp. 88-89, ; Moscow: Association "Defense Enterprises Assistance League"; almanac publication sponsored by Rosoboronexport]
OTS-33 Pernach
Dracula md. 98
Romanian variant
.
Traumatic versions
VPO-504 "APS-M"
Chambered for 10×22mm T. Manufactured by Vyatsko-Polyansky Molot Plant by converting combat APS pistols.
MP-355
Chambered for 9mm P.A.
Pneumatic versions
Umarex APS
4.5mm pneumatic pistol.
Gletcher APS
4.5mm pneumatic pistol, identical in weight, with a moving slide.
Gletcher APS-A
6mm pneumatic pistol, identical in weight, with a moving slide for use in airsoft games.
MA-APS
Carbines chambered for 9×18mm.
VFC APS
6mm pneumatic pistol, identical in weight, with a moving slide for use in airsoft games. Production is expected to begin in late 2024.
Adoption
The APS was introduced into service in 1951 for use by artillery and mortar crews, tank crews and aircraft personnel, for whom a cumbersome assault rifle was deemed unnecessary, and saw service in a number of wars including the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
,
Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...
and
Syrian Civil War.
The APS was issued to Soviet Army vehicle operators, artillery crews, and front-line officers and law enforcement, and was used in conflicts in Angola, Libya, Mozambique, Romania, Tanzania and Zambia.
The APS was praised for its innovative concept and good controllability for its size. However, the high cost of the weapon, complex and time-consuming machining, combined with a limited effective range, large size and weight for a pistol, fragile buttstock, frequent stoppages and subpar ergonomics, led to the APS being gradually phased out of active service.
Nonetheless, the weapon found a new niche among special forces such as the
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 ...
or
FSB, who needed a more effective sidearm than the
Makarov PM.
The Stechkin APS was eventually replaced by the
AKS-74U compact assault rifle in 1981, offering more firepower due to its much more powerful
5.45×39mm M74 rifle ammunition, acceptable accuracy at moderate distances, and greater magazine capacity.
During 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 ...
, the APB was used by Soviet Spetsnaz team leaders as an extra weapon; they usually carried on a sling with the suppressor and stock mounted. It was used by radio operators and even by some heavy gun crews.
Special forces units of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) such as the
OMON
OMON is a system of military special police units within the Armed Forces of Russia. It previously operated within the structures of the Soviet and Russian Ministries of Internal Affairs (MVD). Originating as the special forces unit of the So ...
and the
SOBR
The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR (), from 2002 to 2011 known as OMSN (''Otryad Militsii Spetsial'nogo Naznacheniya'', Special Police Unit), is a spetsnaz unit of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya).With their military equipmen ...
have also used the pistol.
Users
Current
*
*
** OMON
** SOBR
** Special forces
** Customs authorities
*
*
*
** State Courier Service
*
*
*
*
**
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
**
FSB Alpha Group
** Interior security forces
** Security guards of the
Central Bank of The Russian Federation
*
** Special forces
*
*
Former
*
**
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 ...
*
** After the reunification of Germany, a number of APS pistols were purchased by the German company "Transarms" for the German police.
Non-state
*
Afghan mujahideen
The Afghan ''mujahideen'' (; ; ) were Islamist militant groups that fought against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union during the Soviet–Afghan War and the subsequent Afghan Civil War (1989–1992), First Afghan Ci ...
** Captured pistols during the
Soviet-Afghan War
*
*
People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
*
Russian separatist forces in Ukraine
See also
*
List of Russian weaponry
The following is a list of modern Russian small arms and light weapons which were in service in 2024:
Handguns
Revolvers
Pistols
Special purpose
Submachine guns
Special purpose
Shotguns
Rifles
Bolt-action
Semi-a ...
*
PB (pistol)
*
Škorpion
*
FB PM-63
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Modern Firearms - ''Stechkin APS pistol''APB Silenced Machine Pistol* Юрий Пономарёв
АПС Kalashnikov magazine 2005/1, pp 34–43; has some APS diagrams
Photos of APS and APB in serviceAPB photo gallerydisassembled photo showing the expansion tube and drilled barrel*
*
{{Modern Russian Infantry Weapons
9×18mm Makarov machine pistols
9mm Parabellum submachine guns
Cold War firearms of the Soviet Union
Silenced firearms
Pistols of the Soviet Union
Vyatskiye Polyany Machine-Building Plant products
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1951