VSS Vintorez

VSS
VSS Vintorez
Type	Special Sniper rifle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1987–present
Used by	see Users
Wars	Soviet war in Afghanistan, Chechen Wars, 2008 South Ossetia war, War in Donbass
Production history
Designer	Petr Serdjukov and Vladimir Krasnikov
Designed	1980s
Manufacturer	Tula Arms Plant
Produced	1987–present
Specifications
Weight	2.6 kg (5.73 lb)
Length	894 mm (35.2 in)
Barrel length	200 mm (7.9 in)
Cartridge	9x39mm
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	700 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	282–292 m/s (925–958 ft/s)
Effective firing range	300 m with iron sight, 400 m with PSO-1
Feed system	10 or 20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	PSO-1 telescopic sight, 1PN51 night vision scope and iron sights

The VSS (Russian: Винтовка Снайперская Специальная, Vintovka Snayperskaya Spetsialnaya or "Special Sniper Rifle", GRAU designation 6P29), also called the Vintorez ("thread cutter"), is a suppressed sniper rifle that uses a heavy subsonic 9×39mm SP5 cartridge and armor-piercing SP6 cartridge. It was developed in the late 1980s by and manufactured by the Tula Arsenal. It is issued primarily to Spetsnaz units for undercover or clandestine operations, a role made evident by its ability to be stripped down for transport in a specially fitted briefcase.

The overall operating principle and sound suppression system used on the VSS are derived from the AS assault rifle. The VSS is a gas-operated select-fire rifle. It has a long-stroke gas piston operating rod in a gas cylinder above the barrel. The weapon is locked with a rotating bolt that has 6 locking lugs which engage appropriate sockets machined into the receiver. The VSS is striker fired. It features a cross-bolt type fire selector switch located behind the trigger, inside the trigger guard; the safety lever and the charging handle resemble those used in AK-pattern weapons.

The weapon has an integral suppressor which wraps around the barrel. The barrel itself has a series of small ports drilled in the rifling grooves, leading into the suppressor which slows and cools the exhaust gases. The suppressor can be easily removed for storage or maintenance, but the VSS should not be fired without the suppressor. The weapon's integral suppressor has a length of 284.36 mm and a diameter of 35.86 mm.

The skeletonized wooden stock is a more rounded version of that provided on the SVD rifle; it has a rubber shoulder pad and can be removed when the rifle is dismantled for compact storage. The forward handguard is made from a high-impact polymer.

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Wikipedia