PTRS-41
Encyclopedia
The PTRS-41 is the semi-automatic
cousin of the PTRD
anti-tank rifle
.
during World War II
. In the years between the World Wars, Soviet Union began experimenting with different types of armour-piercing anti-tank cartridges. Finding the 12.7x108mm insufficient, they began development of what would become the 14.5x114mm armour piercing round. Famous USSR weapons designers such as Vasily Degtyaryov and Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov
designed rifles to accommodate this cartridge. In 1938, Simonov designed the PTRS-41.
The five round magazine was loaded into the receiver
and held under pressure by a swing magazine underneath. On firing the last round, the bolt
is held open, and the magazine release catch can only be operated when the bolt is locked back. The gas-operated PTRS has a tendency to jam when dirty, and the 14.5 mm cartridge produces significant residue, blocking the gas port. The 14.5 mm armour-piercing bullet has a muzzle velocity of 1013 m/s and devastating ballistics. It can penetrate an armour plate up to 40 mm thick at a distance of 100 meters.
In 1943 Simonov used a scaled down PTRS-41 design for the SKS-45, that would accommodate the new 1943 designed M/43 7.62x39mm cartridge.
, the PTRS-41 is a semi-automatic anti-tank rifle that was used along the Eastern Front
in World War II
and then used again in the Korean War
and Chinese Civil War
by various factions. Along with his partner Vasily Degtyaryov, Simonov helped the Soviet Union develop new weapons between World Wars. During this time, Degtyaryov would go on to create the PTRD-41 while Simonov would create and design its cousin rifle, the PTRS-41. As one of Simonov's creations, the PTRS-41 would sometimes be known as simply the “Simonov” on the battlefield.
Semi-automatic firearm
A semi-automatic, or self-loading firearm is a weapon which performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine...
cousin of the PTRD
PTRD
The PTRD-41 was an anti-tank rifle produced and used from early 1941 by the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It was a single-shot weapon which fired a 14.5x114mm round...
anti-tank rifle
Anti-tank rifle
An anti-tank rifle is a rifle designed to penetrate the armour of vehicles, particularly tanks. The usefulness of rifles for this purpose ran from the introduction of tanks in World War I and until the Korean War...
.
Design
The PTRS-41 was produced and used by the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In the years between the World Wars, Soviet Union began experimenting with different types of armour-piercing anti-tank cartridges. Finding the 12.7x108mm insufficient, they began development of what would become the 14.5x114mm armour piercing round. Famous USSR weapons designers such as Vasily Degtyaryov and Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov
Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov
Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov was a Soviet weapons designer; he is one of the fathers of the modern assault rifle....
designed rifles to accommodate this cartridge. In 1938, Simonov designed the PTRS-41.
The five round magazine was loaded into the receiver
Receiver (firearms)
In firearms terminology, the receiver is the part of a firearm that houses the operating parts. The receiver usually contains the bolt carrier group, trigger group, and magazine port. In most handguns, the receiver, or frame, holds the magazine well or rotary magazine as well as the trigger mechanism...
and held under pressure by a swing magazine underneath. On firing the last round, the bolt
Bolt (firearm)
A bolt is a mechanical part of a firearm that blocks the rear of the chamber while the propellant burns.In manually-operated firearms, such as bolt-action, lever-action, and pump-action rifles and shotguns, the bolt is held fixed by its locking lugs during firing, forcing all the expanding gas...
is held open, and the magazine release catch can only be operated when the bolt is locked back. The gas-operated PTRS has a tendency to jam when dirty, and the 14.5 mm cartridge produces significant residue, blocking the gas port. The 14.5 mm armour-piercing bullet has a muzzle velocity of 1013 m/s and devastating ballistics. It can penetrate an armour plate up to 40 mm thick at a distance of 100 meters.
In 1943 Simonov used a scaled down PTRS-41 design for the SKS-45, that would accommodate the new 1943 designed M/43 7.62x39mm cartridge.
History
Designed in 1938 by Sergei Gavrilovich SimonovSergei Gavrilovich Simonov
Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov was a Soviet weapons designer; he is one of the fathers of the modern assault rifle....
, the PTRS-41 is a semi-automatic anti-tank rifle that was used along the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and then used again in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
by various factions. Along with his partner Vasily Degtyaryov, Simonov helped the Soviet Union develop new weapons between World Wars. During this time, Degtyaryov would go on to create the PTRD-41 while Simonov would create and design its cousin rifle, the PTRS-41. As one of Simonov's creations, the PTRS-41 would sometimes be known as simply the “Simonov” on the battlefield.