As you may have noticed, a lot of the manuals we post have a definite international flavor to them. Fpor some reason, governments in non-English-speaking countries often don’t print military documents in English. 🙂
Original documents are always the best source of information, as things can easily be left out or misinterpreted during translation. So we are happy to publish material in any language, and today’s additions are no exception. Courtesy of our friend Hrachya, we have three Polish instructional manuals, covering the TT33 Tokarev pistol, the Mosin-Nagant M38 and M44 carbines, and the PPSh-41/PPS43/PPS-43/52 submachineguns. The PPS-43/52 (wz.1943/52 in Polish nomenclature) was a PPS-43 with a fixed wooden stock instead of the more common folding stock. Poland was awash in these guns as a result of World War Two, and it makes good sense that the Polish military would make use of them. So, for a different perspective on Russian guns, here you go:
(1965) Instrukcja 7,62 mm KARABINEK wz. 1944. wz. 1938 (Polish)
(1954) Instruckja PISTOLET MASZYNOWY wz. 1941, wz. 1943 i wz. 1943/52 (Polish)
(1961) Instruckja PJSTOLET wz 1933 (Polish)
THANK YOU !!! 🙂 It’s an honor for me !!!
Awesome post! Thanks and keep up the great work!
Well, saying that Poland was awash in the Soviet guns is somewhat misleading. The truth is that Poland was conquered by the Soviet Union and turned into it’s satellite country. We were forced to follow Soviet ways in every aspect of life, from politics to handguns. All these models (among others) were produced in Poland under license…
Jasta
You are absolutely right !
However Poland managed to have several own designs of firearms … like PM wz.63 SMG, a couple of pistols (I guess). Besides, during world wars they made even more unique guns – Mors wz.1939, Maroszek anti tank rifle and it’s cartridge, I believe there was a semi auto rifle and other interesting firearms !
Oh, yes. We had even two pistols, rather crappy Czak (wz. or P-64) and much better, unfortunately somewhat delayed P-83 named Wanad (followed by ephemeral P-93). There is one more SMG, PM-84, and it’s Parabellum chambered variants, PM-84P, PM-98 and so on. You are right, that before WW2 there was semi-auto rifle, created by the same Maroszek, wz. 38M (Turniej), pretty conventional in design but probably also quite successful, and another one by Edward Stecke, that probably gave some inspiration to StG 45(M) and it’s offspring (some authors say, that MG42 is based on locking principle derived from Stecke’s idea, but it’s only a legend). There were also interesting weapons on design or concept stage, i.e. machine guns. Mors was unfortunalely a big mistake, resulting from lack of understanding of SMG role on battlefield, this weapon was bulky, expensive, needlessly complicated, and, saying the truth, obsolete. This weapon was probably great joy for the engineers, even with some patent opportunities, but was almost useless as what SMG should be, namely compact, cheap, simple, easy to manufacture and fielded in great numbers weapon. Polish engineers have redeemed their sins on the exile, thanks to Podsędkowski’s avant-garde MCEM-2 SMG and, most of all, EM-2, designed by Kazimierz Januszewski under stage name Stefan Kenneth Janson. There was even some life on the Marks, under commies rule our engineers had created somewhat simillar to VP-70, but much better due to weaker 9×18 mm ammo polymer-framed pistol with high magazine capacity P-75, unfortunately discontinued on prototype stage in favour to very conventional P-83. Now we have one of most advanced Kalashinkov’s rifle evolutions, Beryl, again some weapons that remained on prototype/initial production stage (MAG pistol, LMG wz. 2003) and one big hope, MSBS weapon system, SCAR or Masada a la polonaise, hopefully as successful as famous VIS pistol…
Great post, even if I can’t read Polish – LOL – you know back during Viet Nam all the rage was Polish jokes for some unknown reason. I can still see in my mind a revolver
that had barrel pointed back at the shooter, it was called a something or another ski.
Gun Smith’s made them up for there liberal friends.
Jasta
Thanks for thorough information !
MSBS looks Very nice ..must have all modern assault rifle features – modularity , ambidexterity, one piece top rail (obviously) etc.
You’re welcome! MSBS is intended as a kind of summary of development of modern assault rifle. An attempt to take all the proven features from most successful models, merge them into one, and, if possible, make small but still making some difference improvements in order to obtain an “ultimate” weapon, hard to beat without real revolution in design. It indeed has all modern features, rifle aesthetics was defined by the industrial designers taking a part in project… It has even the unique feature, common upper receiver for conventional and bull-pup variants, that makes possible to reconfigure the rifle, but it’s somewhat hard to say, if this is indeed useful solution, that reduces TCO and simplifies stocks maintenance, or just a marketing highlight, saying “Hello, here we are, we have something that no one else has!”. Some drawback seems to be the lack of other chamberings, let’s say 6.5 mm Grendel, 6.8 mm SPC, 7.62×39 mm and, first of all, heavy version for 7.62×51 mm, but it’s most probably planned and feasible.
Initial stage of develpoment is complete, functional models are ready, the designers are waiting for Army to decide if they are interested in further develpment, combat tests and so on. Without more funds project will be terminated…
I like idea of switching from classic style to bullpup using same upper!
Sure, it would be better to have 6.5 mm Grendel, 6.8 mm SPC, 7.62×39 mm conversions possible. That’s a pity that nobody is interested in adoption 🙁
Well, my conclusion about MSBS is …. Bravo Polish designers !!! 🙂
Jasta
I thing even if MSBS project is terminated, they can successfully enter the civil market with semi auto only versions. Plus if they manage to set an affordable price, they could make it sell pretty well !
Sure, but there are two, or even three problems… First, lack of civilian weapons market here, in Poland. We have really hoplophobic laws and police and extremely low ownership rates. So, there is no way to test the weapon on the domestic market, before it’s introduction overseas. Secondly, FB Łucznik – Radom is extremely military market-oriented. It’s a result of aforementioned lack of civilian market in homeland, but also bad legacy of conservative in a bad sense habits of thinking, deeply rooted in centrally planned economy. Fortunately, there were some changes in last years, new managers are much more modern and clever, they have finaly undertaken an attempt enter US market, with Beryl and reborn Vis. Thirdly, weapon is still under development, and to successfully enter e.g. US market and to compete with rifles made by Heckler Koch, FN, Bushmaster, SIG etc. it must be incredibly refined, practically flawless, even if much cheaper. Radom is not established brand in there, just a newcomer, so they must be percfect or die. And it takes money… But, hopefully, we’ll see in next years military MSBS in service, along with the civilian one, conquering the markets 🙂
Jasta
I agree with you !!!
I live in Armenia and we also have very strong gun control laws . Sure all difficulties you noted do exist…but in other hand nothing is easy ! I still think the gun is able to compete in US civil market . Also I think if Polish decide to enter US market it would be clever marketing trick to establish a plant in USA (at least make parts in Poland and finish the guns in USA) as many others did.
Armenia… Greetings for our Christian (at least at civilization’s level) brothers!
Of course, I also hope, that even if in the case of Army lack of interest in MSBS FB will get some funds from it’s parent company and complete so promising project for export markets. But Army is aware, that design based on AK had reached it’s limitations and soldiers need something really new. Plant in USA… Well, maybe in some future, following some success. We don’t have problem with expensive in relation to USD EUR or CHF, our labour costs are still significantly lower than in USA. But, maybe FB managers should think of cooperation with Stag Arms. Though located in New Britain, Connecticut it’s actually a Polish company 🙂
Jasta
Thank you !!! 🙂
I knew about Stag Arms and their AR15s, but didn’t know it is a Polish company…that’s great ! 🙂
Oh, yes, it is 🙂 New Britain is commonly called “New Britski”, because of large Polish community. Company owner and president is Mark T. Malkowski. His father, Tadeusz Małkowski, also successful businessman was born in Poland and left to USA in 60s. Also most of key poeple and personnel in Stag are Polish immigrants or people of Polish descent.