Pistolet-pulemet
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Pistolet-pulemet (Пистоле́т-пулемёт) means submachine gun in Russian. The name is most often used in relation to a series of weapons made by the Soviet Union. The letter(s) after the PP (ПП) in the gun's designation is from the designer's name. For example, the "Sh" in PPSh stands for Shpagin (Шпагин).
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Variations
PPD-34/38
Designed by Vasily Degtyaryov, the PPD is a near direct copy of the German Bergmann MP28, though it utilized the large ammunition drum of the Finnish M31 Suomi. An improved version, the PPD-40 was developed.
PPSh-41
Mémorial_uniforme_soviétique_WWII.JPG
Designed by Georgii Shpagin, the PPSh-41 was one of the most mass produced weapons of WWII. Finding that PPD was too expensive and time consuming to build, the PPSh was designed as an inexpensive alternate. One of the key things that made this gun cheaper was that there were no screws or bolts on it, all metal parts were stamped.
The PPSh not only was better from a manufacturing point of view, it turned out be superior in other areas as well. The PPSh had a phenomenal rate of fire, around 900 RPM (it utilized a crude compensator to lessen muzzle climb), as well as an outstanding reputation for durability and low maintenance. It was even thought to be somewhat more accurate than its foreign counterparts. Over 6 million of these weapons were produced by wars end. Both the reputation and availability of this weapon led to entire divisions equipped with it.
Though 35-round magazines were available upon the advent of the PPS, most infantry men kept their drum as the initial load out, preferring the high ammo reserve. The standard equipment seems to have been the one drum and 5 or 6 magazines. Prior to the usage of magazines, it appears they would have been equipped with two drums.
The Germans themselves were very impressed by the weapon, and would use them as often as they captured them. Due to the 7.62 x 25 mm and 9 mm Parabellum cartridges sharing similar dimensions, only a 9 mm barrel and a magazine-well adapter was needed to convert the PPSh-41 to fire from MP38/40 32-round magazines. The Wehrmacht officially adopted the converted PPSh-41 as the MP717(r).
The few drawbacks to this weapon were both the difficulty of reloading and tendency of the drums to jam (something that the magazines solved), and that dropping the weapon could lead to an accidental discharge.
Nicknames for this weapon include Pah-pah-shah, Shpagin and Burp Gun.
PPS-43
Designed by Aleksei Sudaev and first issued during the Siege of Leningrad, it was a result of further simplification of the PPSh-41, and it is often considered the best submachine gun of the second World War.
Initially made as the PPS-42, it was soon improved and resulted in the PPS-43. The use of a folding stock allowed the weapon length to be reduced from 820 mm to 620 mm. This compactness made it ideal for tank crews, paratroopers, and recon units.
Finding too many flaws with the heavy, bulky ammunition drum, the PPS-42 was designed to utilize a 35 round magazine. This magazine was also backwards compatible with the PPSh. The PPS could not utilize the drum.
While the weapon had a slightly slower firing rate of 700 round/min, it more than made up for this with its lighter weight, small size and greater ease of manufacture. About 500,000 were made.
Captured PPS-43s were used by the Germans as the MP719(r). Unlike the MP717(r), they were not converted to fire 9 mm.