"Ensure high penetration": Vladimir Yarygin on how the Grach pistol was created and improved

- This year, the 9-mm Yarygin pistol (PYa) celebrated its 20th anniversary. Please tell us how the development and testing of this weapon took place. What were your tasks at that time?

- It all started back in 1991 - with the fact that the GRAU (Main Rocket and Artillery Directorate. - RT) of the Ministry of Defense sent us, the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, and other enterprises (TsKIB SOO, TsNIITOCHMASH) the terms of reference (TZ) for the development of a new army pistol. Development work on it received the code "Rook".

Three prototypes were developed in our design bureau: "Grach-1" was created by designer Alexei Zarochentsev, "Grach-2" - by me, "Grach-3" based on PM - Boris Pletsky and Rashid Shigapov. Our main tasks were to ensure high penetration of targets in the new weapon and improve performance.

The TK said that the army should receive a pistol that would penetrate the protection of the 25nd class (Br2) from 2 m. The new weapon was to be adapted for use with two hands and for firing in darkened conditions. In addition, there should have been an indication of the presence of a cartridge in the chamber, and the fuse should be carried out both when the trigger is deflated and when cocked.

• Honored Designer of the Russian Federation Vladimir Yarygin with a pistol "Grach"
• © Kalashnikov press service

The GRAU expected to receive a weapon with a magazine with a capacity of at least 15 rounds. As a result, our team made a two-row magazine for 18 rounds and, in general, the rest of the requirements of the military were met.

In the final of the state competition, along with my version of the "Grach-2", a sample of TsNIITOCHMASH came out - the pistol of Pyotr Serdyukov SR-1. The tests took place at a research site near St. Petersburg. All tactical and technical characteristics were checked. Naturally, not everything went smoothly at once, and the Rook had to be finalized. After two years of refinement, the product was sent for preliminary tests, which preceded the state acceptance (control) tests. The requirements of the military were satisfied, and in 2003, the PYa was put into service.

The difficulty of the project was that the complex was being developed: not only a pistol, but also a new cartridge for it - 7N21. As a rule, work does not take place in this order. Most often, it is the weapon that is created for a specific, already existing ammunition. It is much easier to work this way, because any changes in the cartridge entail changes in the design of the weapon.

Ammunition for the "Rook" was created by specialists of TsNIITOCHMASH. Frankly, the parallelism in the development of the pistol and ammunition took a lot of time. However, these efforts brought results - and the PYa received a decent ammunition.

The last time the design of the 7N21 cartridge was changed in the 2011 year: the polyethylene "jacket" (shell) of the bullet was replaced with a lead one.

At the same time, the PYa can fire other 9 × 19 mm (9 mm Luger) ammunition, but without a guarantee of armor penetration and other indicators inherent in weapons with original ammunition.

It is important that the PYa turned out to be reliable. Before being put into service, he passed the exam for compliance with very strict standards. Unlike other countries, in Russia, military weapons must maintain their qualities under sudden changes in temperature, extreme exposure to dust and moisture.

Let me give you an example. On tests in a special refrigerating chamber, the PYa and its cartridges were exposed to extreme cold. Then the gun thawed, drops of moisture appeared on it, in this state the gun was again sent to the chamber for freezing. Not every pistol would have withstood such a "hardening", but the PYa coped and fired without comment.

Naturally, the PYa also passed the traditional water test for our weapons: the pistol was immersed in water, after which it also fired regularly.

• PYa at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi
• © JSC "Concern" Kalashnikov "

But the most difficult exam was for dust resistance, when a dust storm is created in a special room, which clogs all the insides of the gun. Such tests alternate with exposure to rain, and after that the gun must shoot flawlessly, which is what the PYa did.

— What technical innovations have you been able to implement at Rook?

- In order to achieve the required tactical and technical characteristics, the scheme of operation of automation with the recoil of the bolt with a short stroke of the barrel was chosen. The scheme turned out to be reliable and provided increased shooting comfort.

A large amount of work was associated with what is called ergonomics, balance. The difficult task was to create a compact large-capacity magazine, while the rather modest dimensions of the pistol had to be maintained.

When developing the PY, my previous experience in the manufacture of sports weapons helped me a lot, and this is almost 20 years of continuous creativity experience. I clearly understood that the pistol should be ergonomic, with a smooth soft descent, fit perfectly in the hand and stay there while shooting. I proceeded from the rule that everything in weapons should be well thought out, right down to the shape of the handle.

- You have already said that the "Rook" is capable of penetrating individual armor protection systems of the Br2 class. However, the development of personal protective equipment does not stand still. Can a steel-core bullet penetrate higher class defenses?

- I repeat: the requirement of the military was that the pistol should penetrate the protection of the Br2 class. Penetration on tests is checked from a standard distance of 25 m. Of course, in practice, distances are often smaller, respectively, the probability of breaking through a heavier defense is possible.

If we are talking about an ordinary cartridge with a "soft bullet" (with a lead core. - RT), then there are no requirements for penetrating action for it.

- You probably received feedback from our servicemen who used PY. What are the reviews about your brainchild?

- Received. I can't talk about everything. But as an example, I can report that the pistol is successfully operated by border guards in the extreme conditions of the Far North and by our servicemen in the NWO zone. As far as I can tell, they shoot a lot of weapons and request more magazines for ammunition (the standard ammunition load includes two magazines for 18 rounds each. - RT).

- Nevertheless, "Rook" is criticized for a number of features. Among them are a very tight magazine spring, rough metal processing on the magazine jaws, problems with sending less powerful cartridges into the chamber.

- I will answer in order. The spring of the pistol magazine really requires a certain amount of effort, otherwise it will not be possible to ensure the supply of the cartridge to the discharging line during the rollback of the bolt to the rearmost position. Believe me, compared to other pistols, this weapon does not have such a tight spring.

If we talk about the rough processing of metal on the sponges of the store, then this problem appears when the fighter incorrectly equips it. The magazine of our pistol is two-row, and it is difficult for many to get used to it, since initially almost everyone learned how to handle the PM, where the standard single-row equipment of cartridges in front for the bends.

• Pistol "Rook"
• © RIA Novosti / Anton Vergun

Cartridges in the PYa magazine must be put on top in the same way as in a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It comes to the point that the fighters feel the impact of the bends of the store.

Now about sending less powerful cartridges into the chamber. I have already said that the pistol is designed for firing 7N21, and only with it it is guaranteed to correspond to its performance characteristics.

The rest of the cartridges have different characteristics, they differ from combat ammunition. Our weapons do not have to be adapted to them and provide warranty standards.

At the same time, optionally, we, of course, checked each pistol for performance with 9 mm Luger cartridges. We did not have any questions about weapons.

- Also, PYa is sometimes criticized for the "fragility" of some parts and insufficiently safe descent from a combat platoon.

- Most likely, certain parts can fail under a very heavy load, high intensity of shooting.

For its part, the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, as a manufacturer, conducts tests of each pistol (production, acceptance and acceptance). Also, twice a year, according to one sample, the resource of the PYa is shot, and as a result, it retains its functionality. There was a case when we fired 12 thousand shots. The margin of safety of the PYa is high if it is properly operated.

As for the descent from a combat platoon, I can say that we have laid in the pistol a classic mechanism for setting on a safety platoon, which is quite widespread in Russia and abroad.

Any mechanism requires the development of application skills. In the PY, the fighter must pull the trigger off the sear. When the trigger returns, it is placed on a safety platoon. Let me remind you that the pistol passed all the tests and the company did not receive any comments on the mechanism.

- What technical solutions were implemented in the modernized PY? How different is it from the base 2003 model?

- Any weapon needs to be improved, adapted to new trends, and more modern materials must be introduced into its design. PYa was no exception. So, in the 2020 sample, I slightly improved ergonomics, introduced an adjustable sighting device, set a Picatinny rail, which allows you to install a wide range of target designators and various optical sights.

But the main thing is a twofold increase in the resource of the pistol, up to 8 thousand shots. This was done thanks to a new method of surface hardening of parts, which was developed by Togliatti specialists. Its essence lies in the deformation effect on the surface of the part in a saturated medium with alloying material and the removal of concentrators.

Also in the course of modernization, two modifications of the PYa were developed: with metal and plastic frames. This was done by decision of the Ministry of Defense, but so far the production of pistols with a polymer frame has not started.

- Does the PYa have further modernization potential?

- Of course there is. The PYa lived for 20 years, and can live, like the PM, for another half a century, if it is constantly improved.

In the short term, I believe, it makes sense to develop modifications of the PYa chambered for 9 × 21 mm and 7N31 cartridges (9 × 19 with a high-speed bullet of increased armor penetration. - RT). But there must be a request from the customer for these works.

- Is the PJ a competitor to the newer Lebedev pistol (PL)? Now this pistol has been adopted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard, it is expected that soon it will be included in the arsenal of the units of the Ministry of Defense.

- I would not rush to any conclusions. These weapons have yet to prove themselves in the armed forces, and the PYa has already passed this path and has established itself as a reliable powerful weapon that retains its combat and operational qualities in different natural and climatic conditions.

• Lebedev's pistol in the hands of its creator Dmitry Lebedev
• © JSC "Concern" Kalashnikov "

- In the armed conflicts of recent decades, machine guns, rifles, machine guns are massively used, less often submachine guns. Now a special operation is underway and pistols almost do not flash in the footage of hostilities. Many people have a question: does the army need a pistol at all, is it worth directing budget funds to the development of this type of firearm?

- Talking about the importance of pistol weapons, it is necessary to talk about all law enforcement agencies. In our country, pistols are in demand among soldiers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard, the FSB, the Federal Security Service, the Federal Penitentiary Service and other law enforcement agencies. Pistols are always armed with various special forces, including the army. In addition, in our army, a holster with a pistol is traditionally worn by officers.

The pistol retains its relevance as a compact individual weapon, and some samples also have the ability to fire bursts. The experience of combat operations around the world shows us that a pistol is a good means of defeating the enemy at short distances, in enclosed spaces and narrow spaces. In practice, pistols can be used when cleaning buildings. And the use of pistols in military units proves that the armed forces still need these weapons.