World War II Database

Country of Origin	Russia
Type	Submachine Gun
Caliber	7.620 mm
Capacity	35 rounds
Length	820.000 mm
Barrel Length	243.000 mm
Weight	3.040 kg
Rate of Fire	600 rounds/min
Range	150.000 m
Muzzle Velocity	500 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseWeapon designer A. I. Sudaev's PPS (Pistolet Pulemyot Sudayeva) submachine guns were introduced into service in 1942 (as PPS-42) as a response to a Soviet Army requirement for a lightweight weapon (3 kilograms or less) that was shorter in length and more accurate than the PPSh-41 submachine guns. The trials for the new weapon lasted from Feb 1942 to Jul 1942, at the end of which the PPS design defeated Georgy Shpagin's PPSh-2 which was an improved version of the proven PPSh-41. Among the key reason was that a PPS submachine gun required only 2.7 hours of machining using 6.2 kilograms of metal, the latter of which represented half of what a PPSh-41 weapon required. The technique of steel sheet stamping contributed to the efficient manufacturing. The initial design, designated PPS-42, was first manufactured at the Sestroryetsk Arsenal near Leningrad in northern Russia; these weapons were first available for units in the Leningrad area in Dec 1942. 46,572 PPS-42 weapons were made in 1943. In mid-1943, PPS-43 entered production. This new variant featured improved safety mechanism, reduced length, further-angled magazines for ease of reloading, and rubber (rather than wood) grips. PPS-43 was further simplified to further decrease manufacturing time. Between 1943 and 1946, about 2,000,000 PPS-43 weapons were built. Front line troops praised PPS-43 for the hinge (which was similar to PPSh-41) that allowed the weapons to be field-cleaned very easily.

After WW2, PPS-43 submachine guns were license-built in Poland (PPs wz. 1943/1952), Communist China (Type 54), Finland (M44), Spain (Dux M51), and Germany (M53).

Sources:
Chris McNab, Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II
Wikipedia. ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Jul 2008

Photographs

PPS Timeline

25 Feb 1942	The Soviets began trials for a new submachine gun to succeed the proven PPSh-41 design.
26 Apr 1942	The PPS submachine gun began to be tested.
12 May 1942	The PPS submachine gun's testing completed.

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