For a compact assassination pistol, the Soviet PSS with its companion SP4 silent ammunition is a hard combination to beat. While the PSS resembles a somewhat large conventional blowback pistol, it is definitely unique. The weapon is 6.7 inches long and weighs 30 ounces. Its size is comparable to a SIG P226 pistol, but the specialized ammunition delivers a close range lethal projectile with almost no sound signature….
There has been a cultural shift from the 20-inch barrel length in the AR-15/M16 weapon systems chambered for the 5.56×45 NATO cartridge to progressively shorter barrels for the purpose of producing an increasingly more compact assault/entry weapon without resorting to a bull-pup design. Simple usage of these short-barreled weapons has shown the necessity for both sound and flash suppression, the intensity of which (in exceptionally short barrel lengths) approached the intensity of a flash-bang diversion device….
Chinese submachine gun technology has come a long way in the past 50 years. From the days of chop-shop PPSh-41 variants through the copies of Thompson submachine guns and M3 Greaseguns, a very efficient and high-technology infrastructure has evolved. Westerners may not be quick to understand the devotion the Chinese have to developing the manufacturing base in their defense industry….
Each of the students had a chance to test-fire various weapons and suppressors on the range day of the class. Affable, cheerful and humorous, the…
Pressure testing the entrance chamber of a 1.38 inch diameter 5.56mm suppressor on a 10.4 inch barrel. Pressure measurements of 2,998 psi calculated an acceptable…
The Makarov PB suppressed pistol with the secondary suppressor removed. This was easily concealed, and the secondary suppressor could be attached literally in seconds. The…
Dr. Philip H. Dater takes aim with the SSP-1M 4-barrel underwater pistol. The sound signature was recorded as 160.1 dB average in open air. (Dan…
The “silenced” Walther PPK used by Sean Connery playing the role of James Bond (007) in Dr. No. The photo shows the right side of…
The Soviet Union and its current iteration, Russia, have long been known for innovative weapon development; only some of which has seen the light of…
Shooting suppressed weapons will protect hearing far better than using hearing protection devices, because the sound is attenuated at the source. Hearing damage by bone…
An armorer test fires the PSS silent pistol. (Photo by Dan Shea) Little is known in the Western world of the Soviet silent pistols utilizing…
Dr. Philip H. Dater was born in the latter part of April, 1937 on Manhattan Island in New York City. He has two brothers, Tom and Sheldon, and a sister Emilie. Dr. Dater has two daughters from his first marriage, Diana and Valerie, and one daughter Julie with his wife, Jane, to whom he has been happily married for over thirty years. He is one of the brains behind Gemtech and his private consulting practice with Antares Technologies has done a lot behind the scenes for the modern small arms community….
Sound is defined as air in motion, which produces pressure variations that the human ear can detect. It is a form of overpressure, and how it is interpreted depends on a variety of factors, including frequency, duration, intensity (amplitude), and variations in the observer’s hearing acuity. The subject of this column is related to firearm sounds.
