For many years, gunsmiths of all countries have tried to create silent revolver, suitable for solving various combat missions, however not very successful in this matter. Certain characteristic features of the revolver architecture interfered with the easy and quick obtaining of the desired results.. Nevertheless, nevertheless, workable and serviceable structures were created. One of the first silent revolvers, entered service, became a product AAI QSPR of American design.
Special silent revolver QSPR became a response to certain challenges of the Vietnam War. Troops and guerrillas of North Vietnam made the most active use of the developed networks of underground tunnels, premises, etc., which could be used as cover or to move quickly literally under the battlefield. To combat underground objects and their "garrisons" as part of several armies, fought on the side of South Vietnam, special units were created. Fighters of such units, nicknamed "tunnel rats", could not always use standard army weapons and therefore needed some other means.
AT 1967 year, the US Army has formed a technical assignment for a promising sample of small arms, originally intended for underground operations. Vietnam's tunnels were rarely wide and high, because of what the weapon for the "rats" had to have small dimensions. The enemy found in the tunnel should have been eliminated in the shortest possible time., which led to special requirements in terms of firepower. Finally, special weapons were not supposed to make a lot of noise: the roar of a shot could stun the shooter and attract the attention of the enemy.
Development work started shortly after the issuance of the terms of reference.. The main developers of the future weapons were the Land Weapons Laboratory, worked at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, and AAI Corporation. Together, the two organizations quickly formed the appearance of the future product and presented it to the customer.. The army approved the proposed solutions, and soon experienced revolvers were tested.
Requirements analysis showed, that the required weapon must be crafted in a revolver form factor. In this regard, the project received the designation QSPR (Quiet Special Purpose Revolver - "Silent Special Purpose Revolver").
Revolver QSPR and cartridges of the same name.
Shortly before the start of the QSPR project, AAI offered several new ammunition for weapons of different classes., differing in the minimum volume of the shot. To reduce the noise of firing, it was proposed to use the already known principle of locking the powder gases in the sleeve. Staying inside the liner, hot gases could not come into contact with atmospheric air, heat it up and create a shock wave. Consequently, the volume of the shot should have dropped sharply. AAI has developed several cartridges of this kind at once.. These products were intended for existing smoothbore shotguns., special underwater pistol of our own design, etc.. As part of the QSPR project, a similar cartridge was created for a special revolver..
The main element of the AAI QSPR cartridge was a steel tubular sleeve with a diameter 10 mm. Its rear end was closed with a screw-in bottom, the front was sealed with a knockout cover. The central channel of the relatively thick bottom contained its own miniature drummer, outgoing. He had to interact with the capsule, placed inside the sleeve. The authors of the project considered, that such an arrangement of the means of ignition of the charge will increase the tightness of the cartridge and exclude possible leakage of powder gases. Further, after the start of serial production, it was decided to abandon its own drummer in the sleeve. It revealed, that the standard capsule is at the bottom of the case and independently excludes the breakthrough of gases outward.
A propelling powder charge of sufficient mass should have been placed at the bottom of the case, moreover, it was inside a metal piston cup. When assembling the cartridge, the piston was installed directly on the bottom of the sleeve, against the stop. Its head was in contact with a plastic detachable tray, which housed 15 tungsten buckshot weighing 0,5 g. When fired, the pallet had to leave the weapon and open, after which the striking elements independently flew to the target. Moving forward, the piston was inhibited by the thread at the muzzle of the sleeve and locked the powder gases inside.
Smith products & Wesson Model 29 different modifications.
The ground weapons laboratory and the AAI Corporation decided not to develop a completely new weapon for the original ammunition.. The QSPR revolver itself was decided to be made by some processing of serial weapons., available on the market. The Smith double-action revolver was taken as the basis for the special weapon. & Wesson Model 29 chambered .44 Magnum, produced since the late fifties. There were several modifications of such weapons., and a promising project used a revolver with the shortest 3-inch barrel.
To be used in a new role, the existing revolver had to be reworked taking into account the main features of the special cartridge.. According to the requirements of the new project, needed to change the frame, barrel and drum. At the same time, some parts were replaced., while others were planned to be redone and returned to their place.
Turning into a QSPR product, revolver S&W Mod. 29 kept the original architecture. It still had a one-piece frame and drum., reclining to the side by means of a lever system. The double-acting trigger mechanism has been retained, turning the drum, cocking and descent with one pull on the trigger. The open trigger stayed in place. The principles of the weapon's operation have not changed.
Diagram of a special cartridge type QSPR.
When converting one revolver into another, it was decided to abandon the sighting devices. In the tunnels of Vietnam, fighters would hardly have to shoot at long distances or aim for a long time. As a result, the top surface of the frame was now smooth.. In practice, the target was the frame itself., indicating the direction of flight of the pallet with buckshot.
To ensure full compatibility with the 10mm QSPR cartridge, the revolver received a new barrel. Instead of a standard rifled barrel at least 3 inches it was suggested to use a smooth caliber 10 mm. The length of such a barrel was reduced to 1,375 inch (35 mm), which made it possible to drastically reduce the size of the weapon as a whole. At the same time, it was necessary to significantly shorten the frame.. curious, that it was the reduced front part of the frame with a shortened barrel that actually became the only external difference between the QSPR and the base Mod.29.
The base model revolver used cartridges .44 Magnum (10,9×33 mm R). The new ammunition with gas cut-off differed in different dimensions., because of what the drum had to be redone. Six chambers of the standard drum were bored in accordance with the dimensions of the new cylindrical sleeve. After such a revision, the drum could be returned to its place..
Cartridge and slotted dummy cartridge. For comparison, a coin is shown in 25 cents diameter 24,26 mm.
Changes in the frame and barrel led to a reduction in the total length of the weapon to 170 mm. for comparison, shortest of Smith & Wesson Model 29 with a 3-inch barrel was about 40 mm longer. The total mass of the AAI QSPR revolver with ammunition reached 1 kg. Despite this, the weapon was comfortable enough to handle and had to meet the customer's requirements.
The gunpowder charge in the case accelerated the pallet with tungsten buckshot to a speed of the order of 220 m / s. In this case, the total energy 15 striking elements reached 180-185 J.. In this way, individual buckshot, hitting the enemy, could have inflicted light or medium wounds on him. A certain expansion of the shot at a distance from the revolver increased the likelihood of hitting the target., and also ensured a high probability of simultaneous hitting of several buckshot at once. expected, that the destructive effect of buckshot will be sufficient for effective combat work in underground tunnels.
For the greater convenience of the "tunnel rats", a special holster was developed together with the QSPR revolver. The belt system provided the weapon to be carried under the left hand. On the chest strap of the system there were small rectangular pouches for cartridges.. The holster allowed you to quickly pull out the weapon or return it to its place, and the configuration of the pouches simplified and accelerated reloading.
Serial S chambers&W, re-sharpened for a new cartridge.
The first batch of AAI QSPR silent revolvers was manufactured in the middle 1969 of the year. 10 prototypes were intended to study new weapons in a test site and determine its real capabilities. Combat and technical indicators were studied, as well as performance characteristics. Last but not least, the testers were interested in the noise of the revolver, why the appropriate measurements were taken.
As part of the tests, it was found, that the QSPR cartridge with gas locking in the sleeve does not make the revolver completely silent. The weapon still made loud sounds. First of all, the source of the noise was the interaction of metal parts. However, on distance 1 m from the muzzle, the volume of the sound of the shot was 110 dB - noticeably less, than the base model revolver. In this way, the revolver of the new type corresponded in noise to small-caliber systems and was much quieter than weapons of similar calibers.
After field tests, In the middle 1969 of the year 10 existing QSPR products and a significant number of cartridges of the same name were sent to Vietnam for real-world testing. For three months, fighters of special forces used this weapon in operations to detect and destroy enemy underground objects.. "Tunnel Rats" were able to study the work of such weapons, and also compare it in the case with other models of small arms, previously used by them. For several months of trial operation, a large amount of data was collected. Besides, the operators of the new weapon have compiled a list of necessary improvements.
Preparing weapons for shooting.
Already in 1970 a new stage of the project started. Now the engineers of the AAI Corporation and the Land Weapons Laboratory had to improve the existing design, taking into account the proposals of the military. It was at this stage that the QSPR cartridge lost its own drummer., transmitting the impulse from the trigger to the capsule. Besides, certain modifications of the revolver itself were planned, technical, combat or operational characteristics.
The revolver modernization process continued until 1972 of the year, when it was decided to stop it. By this time, the military and political leadership of the United States had made a fundamental decision to withdraw from the war and gradually withdraw troops from Vietnam.. The Tunnel Rats continued their service and therefore still needed special weapons., meeting their special requirements, but the continuation of its development was considered inappropriate. An improved version of the AAI QSPR product - even in the absence of difficulties - could appear almost at the time of the end of hostilities. After the end of the Vietnam War, such weapons could be left "without work". As a result, the Pentagon ordered to stop work in advance..
During development work, lasting from 1969 by 1972 years, a certain number of prototypes were made, probably, differing from each other in different design features. The exact number of QSPR revolvers fired is unknown.. Different sources indicate completely different numbers.. Some states, that, taking into account the first batch, no more 20-25 revolvers, while others say and 200-250 products. Which of these numbers is closer to the truth is unknown..
Revolver AAI QSPR in a regular holster. Cartridge pouches are attached to the chest strap.
Apparently, certain fears of the command, at 1972 influencing the decision to close the project, fully justified. there is evidence, according to which military tests were the only episode in the combat career of AAI QSPR revolvers. There is no data on the use of such weapons after the end of the Vietnam War.. Besides, The US Army did not order new samples of this kind in the future.. The thing is, that the American armed forces no longer had to face the enemy, using narrow and cramped underground passages, which is why they no longer needed QSPR-type systems.
Special revolvers QSPR did not differ in mass, because of what a few units of such weapons have survived to our time. However, the market went to meet collectors and gun lovers. Various gunsmiths offered replicas of silent revolvers to their customers., converted from serial S&W Mod.29. For obvious reasons,, only modified revolvers hit the civilian market, but not special cartridges.
The QSPR Silent Revolver was created in response to the special challenge of the Vietnam War.. A specialized system could show itself well in specific conditions and increase the combat effectiveness of special forces. Nevertheless, project work dragged on, and by the time it was expected to end, the war should have ended. As a result, the original sample was no longer of interest to the customer.. "Tunnel rats" never received a massive and highly effective weapon, created especially for them and taking into account the peculiarities of their work.
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