PTRS-41

PTRS-41

PTRS
Type Anti-tank rifle
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service 1941-Present
Used by Soviet Union
North Korea
China
Sudan
Wars World War II,
Korean War,
Chinese Civil War,
Syrian Civil War,
War in Donbass
Production history
Designer Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov
Designed 1938
Produced 1941–45
Specifications
Weight 20.3 kg (46 lbs)
Length 2100 mm (83 in)
Barrel length 1219 mm (47 in)
Cartridge 14.5×114mm
Action Gas-operated; short stroke gas piston, vertically tilting bolt[1]
Muzzle velocity 1,013 m/s (3,323 ft/s)
Effective firing range 800 m (874.9 yd) (against armored vehicles)
Maximum firing range 1,500 m (1,640.4 yd) (against armored vehicles)
Feed system 5-round (in clip) integral magazine

The PTRS-41 or Simonov anti-tank rifle (Russian: ПротивоТанковое Ружьё Симонова)[1] is the semi-automatic analog of the PTRD anti-tank rifle.

Design

The PTRS-41 was produced and used by the Soviet Union during World War II. In the years between the World Wars, the Soviet Union began experimenting with different types of armour-piercing anti-tank cartridges. Finding the 12.7×108mm insufficient, they began development of what would become the 14.5×114mm armour-piercing round. Rukavishnikov developed an antitank rifle (ru:Противотанковое ружьё Рукавишникова) designated M1939 to accommodate this cartridge, but it didn't have large success because of some manufacturing issues, a sufficient number of more effective anti-tank guns in the Red Army, and high expectations about new German tank armour.

In 1941, the loss of huge amounts of anti-tank artillery created a need for a stop-gap anti-tank weapon, so famous USSR weapons designers such as Vasily A. Degtyaryov and Sergei G. Simonov designed two anti-tank rifles. Both were considered more simple and suitable to wartime production than an updated Rukavishnikov rifle. Simonov used elements of his 1938 design, a 7.62 mm automatic rifle.

The five-round magazine was loaded into the receiver and held under pressure by a swing magazine underneath. On firing the last round, the bolt is held open, and the magazine release catch can be operated only when the bolt is locked back. The gas-operated PTRS has a tendency to jam when dirty, and the 14.5 mm cartridge produces significant residue, blocking the gas port. The 14.5 mm armour-piercing bullet has a muzzle velocity of 1013 m/s and devastating ballistics. It can penetrate an armour plate up to 40 mm thick at a distance of 100 meters.[1]

In 1943 Simonov used a scaled-down PTRS-41 design for the SKS-45, that would accommodate the new 1943 designed M/43 7.62×39mm cartridge.

History

PTRS-41 during World War II.

Designed in 1938 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov, the PTRS-41 is a semi-automatic anti-tank rifle that was used along the Eastern Front in World War II and then used again in the Korean War and Chinese Civil War by various factions. Along with his partner Vasily Degtyaryov, Simonov helped the Soviet Union develop new weapons between World Wars. During this time, Degtyaryov would go on to create the PTRD-41 while Simonov would create and design its cousin rifle, the PTRS-41. As one of Simonov's creations, the PTRS-41 would sometimes be known as simply the “Simonov” on the battlefield. Although more advanced, the PTRS was harder to use and less reliable than the cheaper PTRD while yielding similar performance, so the PTRD was used more. These rifles are still in use by pro-Russian militiamen in Eastern Ukraine, during the Donbass War, due to their ability to penetrate APC armor. The ammunition used is actual WW2 vintage.[2] One of the rifles was fitted with a nonorganic muzzle brake from PTRD.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Modern Firearms, Simonov PTRS". Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  2. ↑ Бойовики на Донеччині викрали з музею протитанкову зброю Fakty i Kommentarii, 12 May 2014
  3. ↑ http://armamentresearch.com/Uploads/Research%20Report%20No.%203%20-%20Raising%20Red%20Flags.pdf

External links

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