"Drunken revolver" USSR and cartridges with vodka

Hello ATS!

Today I want to tell you about an unusual weapon that was invented in the USSR. Russia is famous for its defense industry. The foundation for such success was laid during the Soviet era, and today I will talk about perhaps the most mysterious invention of the Soviet Union.



Before the start of the Second World War, powerful design bureaus worked in the USSR. Not all developments entered the conveyor belt for mass production. Many of them were produced in small series. Among them is a Gurevich revolver. Its feature is noiselessness.

Silencers designed for silent operation of firearms first appeared in the 19th century. The popularity of their use appeared in the 20th century. In the 30s, intelligence and the army became interested in them. There was no great demand. This was primarily due to the so-called low survivability of weapon accessories. Many mufflers became unusable after 15-30 shots. The engineers understood this perfectly and tried to find a way to correct this deficiency.

In 1942, design engineer Yevgeny Gurevich began to develop a silent revolver. His idea was based on locking the propellant gases in cartridge cases. Then, in his opinion, the need to use mufflers was no longer relevant. He tried to invent a closed-type cartridge design.

Evgeny Gurevich managed to create a new cartridge. The hydraulic chuck is equipped with a hydraulic transmission system. The bullet was set in motion due to the activity of the pistons and squeezing in the liquid. At first, the innovator used ordinary water, and then he came up with the idea to replace it with alcohol. The cheapest in those days was 60% alcohol, and they began to use it. Plus, it has resistance to extreme cold. The shots were almost noiseless, colorless. True, after each shot it smelled of alcohol.



The invention was well received. In 1943, Gurevich's revolver began to be produced in small batches. For this, weapons with easily removable drums were created. This could solve the problem of inflation of the casings after shots.

Alcohol bullets had an average muzzle energy, but at the same time they remained effective even at a distance of 40 meters. Despite the success, the revolver was not produced in a wide series. We can say that the history of its triumphant development was completed in 1945. But at the same time, it cannot be argued that his work was recognized as useless. In the future, the designers repeatedly returned to Gurevich's hydropathron. His professional invention was also used to create hunting rifles.

A very interesting weapon, especially for the Russians))

Thanks.

RT,

In my school days, we played a version of "Russian Roulette" we called "Beer Hunter" (named for the film "Deer Hunter").

A player would be presented six cans of beer. One can had been shaken up and would "explode" when opened. The player knew not which can had been shaken. So he would choose a can of beer, and pointing its opening at his ear, Russian Roulette style, would pop the tab on the can to open it.

Like playing Russian Roulette with a revolver, the odds were not that bad. 5/6 of the time, the can was opened with nothing but a hiss of escaping gas. But 1/6 of the time ...

Cheers

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2
RT,

In my school days, we played a version of "Russian Roulette" we called "Beer Hunter" (named for the film "Deer Hunter").

A player would be presented six cans of beer. One can had been shaken up and would "explode" when opened. The player knew not which can had been shaken. So he would choose a can of beer, and pointing its opening at his ear, Russian Roulette style, would pop the tab on the can to open it.

Like playing Russian Roulette with a revolver, the odds were not that bad. 5/6 of the time, the can was opened with nothing but a hiss of escaping gas. But 1/6 of the time ...

Cheers

Ear is cool)))
In fact, Russian roulette is more of a cinematic phenomenon. Although some officers, who lost their meaning and support in life, played this simulacrum of suicide. In fact, Russians are quite sane and reasonable people. But childhood is always radical)))
I posted this thread. to show the unusualness of the weapon and laugh a little. A bear, a balalaika and a home nuclear reactor were attached to Gurevich's revolver))))

So what are the three designs in the photograph at the bottom? (I assume the revolver you mention was the one in the first photo).

Silenced weapons. Real cloak-and-dagger stuff.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2
The photo shows the advantages in size of the Gurevich revolver over the Nagant revolver with a silencer.

Russian spies can be identified by the smell of alcohol, which will be followed by them))))))))

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

This revolver is still relevant today. Imagine walking through your city, having a drink at a bar, drinking heavily. A policeman stops you and you tell him. that you are not drunk, but wounded)))))
He takes you to the hospital))))

a reply to: RussianTroll

Great thread RussianTroll.

Always something of interest to be had.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: RussianTroll

Great thread RussianTroll.

Always something of interest to be had.

When we meet, we will drink a couple of clips from this revolver))))

a reply to: RussianTroll

very interesting thread, thank you sir.

Wonder how these sound when one is holding and firing them.

Isn’t there a variant of this ammunition design for artillery?

originally posted by: RussianTroll
a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

This revolver is still relevant today. Imagine walking through your city, having a drink at a bar, drinking heavily. A policeman stops you and you tell him. that you are not drunk, but wounded)))))
He takes you to the hospital))))

I would tell the policeman I am drunk because I woke up in a world in which Biden was the president of the USA, and then the policeman would sit down and get drunk with me.

Cheers

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2

originally posted by: RussianTroll
a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

This revolver is still relevant today. Imagine walking through your city, having a drink at a bar, drinking heavily. A policeman stops you and you tell him. that you are not drunk, but wounded)))))
He takes you to the hospital))))

I would tell the policeman I am drunk because I woke up in a world in which Biden was the president of the USA, and then the policeman would sit down and get drunk with me.

Cheers

until you wake up the next day at the fire department and your ass hurts and you realized the police roofied you and made you register democrat

originally posted by: Brotherman
Isn’t there a variant of this ammunition design for artillery?

Not sure about artillery but the 40mm grenade launcher High-Low system. The gas isn’t completely contained but allowed to bleed from the high pressure chamber into the low pressure chamber.

Interesting weapon, and history, is there any footage of it firing?

a reply to: andy06shake

When we meet, we will drink a couple of clips from this revolver

From back in the day when RT wanted to drink with us all.

What happened......?

Nice History. The Soviets kept working on this to the end. They developed an AK-47 Cartridge with a plunger inside the brass casing. -A silenced Bullet. When the Bullet left the casing the plunger stayed inside the case and slowed down any remaining gases to low-noise speeds. We know about them because some CIA boys found expended cartridges in the 1980's in Afghanistan. Short-range and low-power, but they are cheap and effective. a reply to: RussianTroll