Tango01 | 04 Feb 2015 9:26 p.m. PST |
"To this day, the Russian Federal Space Agency refuses to talk about the weapon—though it's an open secret. Astronauts heading to the International Space Station have trained with it, and some have even talked about it. And in case there's any doubt about its existence, there's one on display in a Russian museum. It's the TP-82 survival pistol. There was a time when Russian cosmonauts regularly traveled to space with the gun in tow. But calling it a pistol is slightly misleading—the TP-82 more like a small shotgun. The Soviet Union included the weapon in Granat-6 survival kits stashed inside Soyuz capsules between 1982 and 2006. The odd weapons also found their way into military aircraft survival kits…" Full article here link Amicalement Armand |
Lion in the Stars | 04 Feb 2015 9:52 p.m. PST |
Interesting piece! If I'm translating things correctly, it's a 28-gauge side-by-side shotgun with a 5.45x39mm rifle bore underneath. American firearms laws make pistols with no rifling rather expensive and a pain in the butt to acquire. They're classed as an "Any Other Weapon", so pay Uncle Sam $200 USD for the privilege of being allowed to purchase one, and wait a year before he says "yes". But I could totally see making a more modern version, like the M6 Survival Rifle (.22 rimfire and .410 shotgun, one barrel of each). Dunno where you'd find 28-gauge ammo, and most modern flare pistols are 12-gauge, so it'd probably have to be a 12-gauge shotgun. And I'd probably go with .223 for the rifled barrel. |
Tango01 | 04 Feb 2015 10:22 p.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed it my friend. I follow your reasoning and concurr. Amicalement Armand |
M1911Colt | 05 Feb 2015 10:42 a.m. PST |
If I remember correctly its not a normal 28 gauge shell. Its, its own beast. That's why they discontinued carrying it. Because the ammo for it is no longer produced, and the stocks of ammo are old, and not considered reliable. They replaced it with a conventional handgun. I forget which one. |
latto6plus2 | 05 Feb 2015 12:20 p.m. PST |
Pretty thin cover story – that pistols meant for close encounters, commanders going crazy and talking bombs that develop consciousness.Bears indeed! |
capt jimmi | 05 Feb 2015 5:23 p.m. PST |
Hehehe…might find that this was the "backup propulsion" plan if everything else went wrong. Imagine having to steer your re-entering space capsule back to earth by firing your shotgun out the door (?) . …that's likely why they never talked about it . Hahahaha. |
cosmicbank | 05 Feb 2015 7:44 p.m. PST |
Of course all space explorers should carry a side arm. You never watch 1960's movies. |
Coelacanth1938 | 05 Feb 2015 10:26 p.m. PST |
Weird. In the movie Outlands the weapon of choice was the shotgun. |
Jo Jo the Idiot Circus Boy | 06 Feb 2015 1:25 p.m. PST |
If you think about it, a shotgun would be a good choice as a defensive arm on board a spacecraft. The ranges are going to be short, so that's not an issue. Also (and perhaps more importantly) the lower penetration power of the shells means that the danger of blowing a hole in the side of the ship and thus causing some kind of de-presurization accident is reduced. Of course you could always just take a cue from Warhammer 40k and pack a chainsword instead! ;-) Martin |
Legion 4 | 06 Feb 2015 3:18 p.m. PST |
Well if "ET" turns out to be "AlienS" … you got to have some firepower … Of course you could always just take a cue from Warhammer 40k and pack a chainsword instead! ;-) LOL !! Everytime I see GW 40K model with a chainsword or other silliness. I want to fly to the UK and slap the whole GW crew … repeatedly … about the head and shoulders … |
Los456 | 15 Apr 2015 8:34 a.m. PST |
"Granat-6 survival kits stashed inside Soyuz capsules" So if the capsule lands thousand miles from nowhere a survival rifle is a common sense thing. Hardly a sinister plot. |
Weasel | 15 Apr 2015 10:22 a.m. PST |
Better to have it and not need it, right? |
Mako11 | 15 Apr 2015 12:22 p.m. PST |
Perhaps, though if someone goes "space-happy", like in some of those SciFi movies, a shotgun in a spacestation, or capsule could be very, very bad. Given all the instruments and circuitry inside of them, not to mention air and water tanks, etc., there's a lot more at risk in firing off a round. I'm also not convinced one, or more rounds wouldn't penetrate the hull, leading to decompression and/or loss of air. Perhaps the Russians produced special loads to prevent that, but I suspect they're probably more for use vs. bears and wolves, when back on Earth, than on fellow astronauts/cosmonauts. |
Oberlindes Sol LIC | 19 Apr 2015 10:34 a.m. PST |
Specialized ammunition was a mistake. What if, while you're in orbit, the world is destroyed by a zombie apocalypse or something? When you get back on the ground, you're going to want guns for which it's easy to find ammunition. |