Shpagin's Simplified Subgun: The PPSh-41

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After making the decision to mass produce a submachine gun, the Soviet Union adopted the Degtyarev PPD-38 and PPD-40, but this design was too expensive for the huge scale of production that the USSR intended. A new design was needed, and was put into development almost as soon as the PPD was entering production.
Shpagin won the design competition with the PPSh-41, a weapon which required virtually no lathe work at all. It was assembled from a combination of heavy-gauge stampings and simple milled parts, and it fit the Soviet requirements quite well. Shpagin retained the high rate of fire and large drum magazines from the PPD, and even had a semiauto selector switch in his submachine gun, a bit unusual in a weapon intended for minimum expense.
The drum magazines proved to be the weak point of the design, being only somewhat interchangeable between weapons and being rather complex to manufacture as well as bulky to carry and fairly easy to damage. A 35-round box magazine was introduced later on which ameliorated some of these issues, although not all of them. The PPSh-41 would go on to be deemed itself too complex, and supplemented by the PPS-43 submachine gun, although it was never fully replaced during World War Two. In addition to Soviet service, it would be copied and manufactured by several other nations.
Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their PPSh-41!
If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow

[@HaydenLau.]

In the factories where they built this gun, they test fired it by shooting out the windows... At the approaching Germans

[@kingpin76110]

Hayden Lau That is absolutely one the coolest stories I have ever heard about gun making. That’s is the definition of Boss. I’m not sure if it’s true, still a great story.

[@comradeglory4625]

I mean the tractor plant in Stalingrad did similar with the tanks. It's imaginable to happen with the gun factories too but I'd prefer to have a source before truly believing it.

[@kingpin76110]

Comrade Glory Yeah, the Russkies are pretty matter of fact about that type of thing. Didn’t have time for anything other the field expedient method. Pretty funny tho. I can just picture the last guy on the assembly line wiping some grease off racking the slide and handing it to some kid to walk over and spray the Germans hiding out across the street from the massive slab of brick that made up the manufacturing facility. Then taking the mag out matching the gun up with a fully loaded and kitted mag pouch and handing out the back door to some troops eagerly waiting for the new Papasha....

[@PyromaN93]

@@kingpin76110 also sometimes in besiged Leningrad guns produced by Kirovskiy zavod was firing from that plant, because front was in 2-3 km away.

[@bdrift107]

That's why they call me Big Papa!!

[@colinkelly5420]

Ian: '30,000 round endurance test, half semi-auto and half full auto' Me: the poor bastard(s) who had to shoot 15,000 rounds in semi auto...

[@ArtyTheta]

probably tested on dissidents

[@MikeDCWeld]

Colin Kelly I figured they just had 15,000 people fire 1 round apiece to test the semi-auto.

[@indiomoustafa2047]

One mans shitty job is another mans dream job. I would be happy to shoot one gun all day and record different observations.

[@indiomoustafa2047]

Michael Carnes True communism!

[@lukecarroll4052]

@@MikeDCWeld that would completely negate the reason for the test since its to see how it endures that many rounds

[@schokonugget9373]

'it is very easy to make something difficult, but its very difficult to make something easy' Georgi Semjonwitsch Schpagin

[@Annokh]

I think I'd rather translate this as "It's easy to make something complicated, but it's difficult to make something simple", but yeah.

[@doctor-atuti]

@Craig Koehler Huh? Annokh's one makes way more sense. A weapon can't really be "difficult", but it sure can be complicated in terms of design. The manufacturing process can be difficult. The words "difficult" and "easy" are more to do with actions, whereas "complicated" and "simple" can be either actions or objects.

[@shawnjohn5756]

@Craig Koehler that's a quote from Einstein sooooo....

[@johnlasley975]

​@@Annokh the wordplay would be lost

[@breadman32398]

I want one just because of how crude and simple it looks. Every piece of metal has marks all over and there's about 4 moving parts to the whole thing, makes an AK look like a Swiss watch.

[@steirqwe7956]

It's most likely because this particular gun is made during the war in some kind of factory not meant to make firearms at all, maybe even partually hand made and not by proficient turner but by housewife or infant. This was a harsh time for Russia during WW2, and quality control was simple- if it shoots then it's okay for the military. Later models may be much more fancy and polished.

[@breadman32398]

Even to make a gun that shoots and functions as well as this despite the tolerances speaks volumes to the design. I doubt there's too many other firearms that could be made like this and function well, if at all.

[@711jastin]

it has like less moving parts than a liberator LMFAO

[@jozseftoth9368]

It sprays like crazy, though. Like 1300 rpm the drum magazine was installed for a reason

[@ThatGuy-te9wh]

Look at his video on the Uru.

[@KhanGirey]

The PPSH. Heck of a shotgun

[@evanburke2766]

KhanGirey I know some firepower for a cheaply assembled smg

[@omegagarry8192]

Heck of a shotgun

[@lovecraftcat]

Only in crap fallout :^)

[@SamuraiPie8111]

i prefer two colts

[@chronicmilitarycollector9232]

hello /k/ t. /pol/

[@ethanhayward3696]

"Without the magazine, this isn't really all that useful." A good comrade is always ready to fight. Throw it at the enemies.

[@TroubleTwo]

Ethan Hayward I figure it would make a pretty effective club.

[@HaloFTW55]

No, they have things like shovels, bayonets, and combat knives for this.

[@samuelfrye7629]

"When kalash runs out of ammo can be used as club."

[@zerg9523]

TroubleTwo - Finally, a plus for heavier weapons... i’d rather get hit with an M16 than a BAR...

[@sskuk1095]

@@TroubleTwo Until you realise the German is probably wearing a helmet...

[@dimitarchanev]

It was 1977 and I was given one of those during my regular army duty. The date on it said 1942 - it had a very nice looking mahogany like stock. I was lucky to have a pouch with 3 stick mags. Drum mags were a curse, made the weapon even heavier and were known to beat You i n the kidneys when running and marching around. Shpagins had the reputaition of being very inaccurate, good enough to hit the target in front of You, as long as it is 100 yards away and as big as a mountain. All other units around had AK s - no comparisson at all. Hello from Bulgaria !

[@888nevik]

@CipiRipi00 well good luck finding yourself within that range in a modern battlefield

[@kestuita2478]

@@888nevik There's at thing called house to house fighting.

[@dekardkain5469]

@@kestuita2478 Yeah, and the Russians carrying this bad boy originally were doing a LOT of it, from Stalingrad and Leningrad, all the way to Berlin. Now that poor guy in '77? I feel for him.

[@geraldmahle9833]

@CipiRipi00 As a reference, Col. Thompson called his SMG a "trench broom". If the much more accurate Thompson deserved this label from its designer, then that tells you what the Shpagin was intended for- 50 yards or less. 200-yard sight? BWAHAHAHA.

[@geraldmahle9833]

@CipiRipi00 You're wrong again, amigo. Accuracy is ALWAYS paramount. There's a video elsewhere on U tube where a PPSh-41 is fired abt. 30 rounds at a metal target. The firer keeps all rounds in a group smaller than a basketball at about 30 yards. To me that's phenomenal accuracy for a "trench broom". Keep in mind the PPSh-41 barrel is a chrome-lined production item. Not exactly a target barrel.

[@miko886]

Commrade how big rate of fire u want? Stalin: Yes, and make it no recoil

[@alpharius6206]

Still not enough dakka

[@karateguy247]

Comrade: how many ak you want? Putin: all of them

[@thermaticus3250]

@@karateguy247 Comrade: you want silence gun? Putin: yes, but on all the guns

[@Breakaway-ic5gj]

I reflexively put on a Russian Accent reading this.

[@jefferyroy2566]

I had the pleasure of firing one of these buggers with a box mag. It had supposedly been collected by US troops from a seized weapons cache in North Korea during the war. The recoil is minimal in semi fire, but go full and it naturally starts to climb. My experience was limited to two full boxes, or 70 rounds. Being the only submachine gun I ever fired, there's nothing I can compare it to. It was solid and felt heavy in your hands. In the right hands, it could function as home defense weapon if it was just you and the intruders. Otherwise, the risk of collateral damage is a possibility unless the shooter knew what he/she was doing with it.

[@londonjolly9174]

"clean it, I guess" Truely the mind of Russian infantry

[@j_gibbon]

London Jolly with vodka.

[@steirqwe7956]

Jokes aside, vodka is actually good cleaning solution. I've heard a stories about German pilots suffered from coolant and cleaning solution in their planes freeze during the winter, render planes not able to take wing and Russians just used industrial alcohol for their birds.

[@magisterrleth3129]

J Gibbon Vodka is for drinking, silly capitalist! Some spit will do, besides it teaches you to be quick and get it clean before it freezes.

[@user-lm1gl5dg5y]

@@steirqwe7956 don't mix vodka and ethanol, while Russians can drink both, vodka still 60% water, quite a lot, don't you think? Though 95% ethanol (medical - clean, or factory - unfiltered) is incredibly good for cleaning.

[@steirqwe7956]

I personally use vodka for cleaning laser sensors and other optic devises at my workplace, clean ethanol is surprisingly hard to buy in Russia. PS vodka stays liquid at -30C, just become a bit viscous over time.

[@edm240b9]

The front sight is literally just an upside down screw... that’s a new kind of cheap

[@arclight7388]

EdM240B if it's stupid but it works..... it's not stupid

[@Sluxslol]

Simplified!

[@PMGF]

I don't think it's just a screw, it's probably threaded to make installation and zeroing the sights easier. But that's just my guess.

[@BigWheel.]

That's badass

[@MrInnerCircle]

More like: "If it´s stupid but it works, it´s still stupid. You just got away with it"

[@gary4014]

“Hey, should we make a gun that DOESNT rain hot brass on our soldiers?” “We could but this is so much cheaper!”

[@sandels5805]

It dosent i have shot it. And btw the ppsh was THE best submachine Gun.

[@sandels5805]

Do some research

[@gary4014]

@@sandels5805 see the quotes? I was quoting a video called “Zach’s gun rants compilation”

[@sandels5805]

@@gary4014 Ah ok sorry for the inconvineince.

[@sumvs5992]

Mike said shrapnel not brass

[@ajmalshah934]

In Afghanistan they referred to this sub machine gun as the, “Paar Pashah” aka dragonfly, because when you fire the gun in full auto, it sounds like the wings of a dragon fly.

[@nejinaji]

That's pretty cool

[@HO-bndk]

Russians referred to it as a "pa pa sha". Apparently a convenient play on words.

[@AeSyrNation]

It's the other way around. Russians nicknamed it Papasha, meaning "Daddy", and the afghanis most likely nicknamed it because it sounds similar. Anything else is coincidental.

[@christianhamiltonskinner]

"Pull the bolt out, clean it, I guess" - so Russian. Where has this channel been my whole life?

[@Rafferty1968]

I'm reminded of that scene in 'Cross Of Iron', when Steiners captured PPSh runs out of ammo, he just throws it away and picks up another one.

[@dbmail545]

The Soviets apparently thought the human assets were not hugely important. "We make gun, conscript shooters as needed"

[@darykeng]

@@dbmail545 price for nazis win would far greater, so... why holding back? Throw everything, but stop them

[@awmperry]

My favourite bit of PPSh-41 trivia is the way it was used in the Tupolev Tu-2 as a ground attack weapon, with dozens of the things fitted in racks in the bomb bay pointing down. Brilliantly mad variant.

[@WhattAreYouSaying]

Austria-Hungary did something similar in WW1 with Mauser C96 pistols. But they only had 10 pistols. The Soviets had 88 PPSh's.

[@darrinscott6612]

This thing is like Warhammer 40,000 Ork levels of simple. You open it up expecting the internal components of a submachine gun and it's just a bolt and a spring.

[@stingingcashew2321]

It only works because the Russians BELIEVE that it'll work

[@tomaspabon2484]

Doesn't "a bolt and a spring" describe allmost all open bolt subguns?

[@jotarokujo4787]

@@tomaspabon2484 yes

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

The Laz Gun is basically a 40K version of an AK so eh not really unique to the setting.

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

PPsh-41, name fits the gun perfectly: PPPPHHHHHHSSSSSSHHHHH-emtpy mag.

[@javanbybee4822]

LazyLife IFreak hA

[@slendertale1186]

LazyLife IFreak this doesn’t make any sense.

[@javanbybee4822]

Slendertale wow

[@elisuaveci6289]

LazyLife IFreak haha I like dat

[@mister-v-3086]

a Russian would say Pe Pe Sha, as the SH sound is considered it's own, distinct, noise.

[@j4ff4c3ks1]

Whenever i watch Ian's videos of World War era weapons, i'm surprised by how simple these simplified wartime weapons are in their construction, making me feel that "man, I could build one of those in a garage," and now with the PPSh i've never felt it more.

[@dbmail545]

The PPS-43 was designed to be absolutely buildable in a garage workshop. The rifled barrel and the trunion are the only pieces that you couldn't easily make in a small shop.

[@Blondie-Actual]

@Justin Last I see you are a goon of culture as well.

[@Blondie-Actual]

Yeah, dont expect to be able to build this and still have a dog, sorry bro, the ATF is anti fido

[@BigWheel.]

@@dbmail545 you could try a pre made barrel and rifle it yourself with a tap and die. If you hate yourself of course.

[@raaston9761]

@@Blondie-Actual to quote dmx "fuck the atf"

[@adamkoch3424]

We had the Tommy Gun; and the Soviets answer? The "Commie Gun" :P

[@kurtbjorn3841]

The Thompson was a jewel of precision machining, cost a fortune to make. Think Rolex. Soviet subguns were sheet metal and tube, couple of springs. Timex. Yet, they worked, and worked well.

[@zombies4evadude24]

MP40: Jerrie Gun Type 100: Jappie Gun

[@TheBucketSkill]

@@kurtbjorn3841 Yea i'd prefer a soviet smg over the M1 Thompson. Now the 1929 or 1919 variants? those are beautiful and masterpieces compared to M1 tommy

[@TheBucketSkill]

@Onward Turtle Like i said, i love the original variants of the tommy from 1919 or 1929, but the ww2 M1 Thompson is meh to me.

[@enclave9614]

@@TheBucketSkill they are pretty but very heavy and drums magazine are unreliable

[@luckyalbanotti1741]

-Vasily, dont make it too complicated! -Just one more piece boss... -Vasily!!!

[@-----Alcatraz------]

8:46 You gota to love Soviet simplicity.

[@phamanhtai2824]

Usability Simplicity Sensitivity Reliability

[@anunc]

Also known as the U.S.S.R.

[@leonidandreev1171]

Shpagin: Here's a *simplified* submachine gun! Sudayev: Hold my kvas... ( _bangs on some sheet metal with a piece of steel pipe_ )

[@bl3ck1111]

this is not a forgotten weapon, this is a classic

[@kurtbergh]

This is just so beautiful. The rate of effectiveness/simplicity is amazing.

[@Kowalski089]

In Soviet Russia, quality controls you.

[@panzerkampfwagenvi1252]

Joseph Boccarossa lol

[@volvo1354]

quantity has a quality all its own

[@miniyurc]

In Soviet Russia at that time was the war. Its a not USA behind the ocean.

[@COIcultist]

scott szabo. Too right. Great quote from uncle Joe,

[@volvo1354]

COIcultist i also thought that quote was made by Stalin, but surprisingly, it was actually Lenin who made that famous statement.

[@user-hx7fu3hh1r]

It is one of the symbols of the Great Patriotic War (ww2) for us. P.S. Hello from Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

[@kcchan8213]

Здраво на Сербия

[@user-hx7fu3hh1r]

Dan Tallsten You're wrong, but let's agree to differ, I don't want to argue with you. And I congratulate you on the centennial of independence of Finland, anyway.

[@GeorgeSemel]

It was a hard war, and Russia paid a horrific price.All the allies paid a price in there own way! America we fought on two fronts.Europe and the Pacific, and keep everybody afloat with lend-lease aid. As a kid I played with a lot of surplus stuff, it was all over, we even have some 3 million M-1's never issued in storage, you can even buy one from the CMP (Civil Marksmanship Program) My first centerfire rifle my dad gave me in 1963 was an 1891/30 Mosin Nagant from the Tula Arsenal 1938 was the year made. I still have it. If that rifle could talk it would be a story, of how it end up in a rack of guns at Western Auto in Colchester, Ct in 1963!!

[@fus132]

Dan Tallsten Sweden first, Finland is next.

[@MrEpic325]

Anti Russian Refuter aka 'ARR' reminder Finland lost the continuation war and the Soviets didn't press too hard in the peace deals and let Finland be independent even though they could have easily crushed the Finns especially after the war without Germany's support. Russia also attacking during a time of great political instability and an extreme lack of competent leadership, so Finland got it easier at least, but they fought hard and showed the Soviets they were to be respected, which the Soviets held to. also you sound like no Finn I know, probably some edgy American that likes to call himself Finnish

[@jean-loupdesbordes4833]

Simplicity is mother of reliability. This gun is damned good for the low ressources they had for mass producing by that time.

[@Weaponsandstuff93]

The info on the mags makes a lot of sense, I have a deactivated PPSh-41 (Because UK) and it's almost impossible to actually pull the drum mag out and shove it back in, you almost need lube for the thing to fit. So the mag wells being a bit shoddy would make a lot of sense. Thanks as always for the informative video.

[@xmm-cf5eg]

Drum mags are a liability anyway, 35 rounds is more than enough, especially with how hard 7.62x25mm hits even though it's a pistol round.

[@JerresYouTubular]

In Soviet Russia 'Deactivation' only happens to Political Activists who oppose the current government.

[@Heksu99]

The rate of fire is so fast that you need big magazine so in trenches you don't need to worry about running out of ammo in the magazine during the firefight all the time

[@luciferomega605]

7.65 tokarev ? or 7.63x29? or 6.35x28?

[@Russkiman96]

not when your fire rate is more than a 1000 rpm thats why ppsh was not a great weapon in the hands of people who had bad trigger control and that is also why it had a semi auto fire mode

[@Upsetkiller456]

It's later incarnation "The Reaper" is quite effective at decimating hordes of the undead.

[@TragicTester034]

"alright one last time OORAH" - "Tank" Dempsey the slayer of meat sacks

[@ronaldraygun5089]

It’s now the “Grisly Reaper”

[@SentimentalBadger]

Soviet utilitarianism at its finest.

[@nguyenming1987]

well if that is the case you will love the PPS-43

[@interstellarlapisthecccp4946]

I've watched this like a million times already but I'm watching it again since I bought a PPSH-41 today. Hopefully Ian gives me some really salient arguments for why I didn't just waste thousands of dollars on a piece of scrap metal and plywood.

[@alexm566]

update? did you get to shoot it?

[@robertwilkinson8421]

The Simplicity in design is Brilliant. In as rough as the finished product is, it is a nice looking Weapon and easy to maintain.

[@ouberfox5898]

the gun is so simple yet brilliant and pretty reliable and also beautiful all around my my favourite gun

[@pyr0maan0]

Have you heard the story about these drum mags being used as a seat by soldiers, and the guns jammed after it because of deformation, and they couldnt find this issue for a long time

[@therideneverends1697]

pyr0maan0 no because slavs squat, a mag would be a terrible seat

[@dj1NM3]

There is at least one photo of some twit actually doing that: www.ppsh41.com/049_tanke.jpg

[@Piromanofeliz]

Jeff NME Lol. I know russian guns are known to be strudy, but this is just ridiculous. Who thought that was a good idea? Oh, yes, a tired soldier.

[@weisthor0815]

well, i guess they developed slav squat so that this would never happen again ;)

[@Tombombadillo999]

pyr0maan0 stereotypical russian behaviour... theyve been “vine” masters since always... XD

[@riegen.]

The ppsh is such a beautiful sub machine gun truly one of my favourites next to a thompson

[@DeepOneBill]

>Calling cosmoline nasty. Steel yourselves, the mosin fans are coming.

[@xmm-cf5eg]

CONSCRIPT REPORTING *_REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE._*

[@HaloFTW55]

What?! No! You must embrace the cosmoline!!

[@thedoctorwillseeunow2233]

Bluehawk2008 nyet, tovarisch, Mosin use delicious grease, not filthy, American “Cosmoline”.

[@ethanblevins1116]

M O S I N N A G A N T

[@ashj8186]

URAAAAAAAAAAA

[@user-pq8ys1lc7u]

Hey from Russia! My grandfather served in the Soviet Army in the early 1950s. It had a 71-cartridge disc magazine. Apparently, the advantages of a direct magazine are debatable with large losses in firepower.

[@meatbyproducts]

This is one of my favorite Firearms ever made and I had two while I was in Afghanistan. Not that I carry around in Afghanistan. Got to take the range a couple times after I acquired ammo and absolutely love this thing. I mean the Russians made something like six million of them 4 years or something

[@dbmail545]

And the Germans grabbed them up at every opportunity. However, that was to keep them out of the hands of partisans primarily.

[@jonugalde1275]

That weapon has an excelent wood grain orientation. I don't know if it has been done by purpose, but it it is it shows very good material selection in wood too.

[@RMoribayashi]

Great thing about being a latecomer to the channel... I get to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon watching old Forgotten Weapons videos I've never seen before.

[@JoshQuake]

This video is an awesome source of reference images for 3d modelling. Thanks for the extremely detailed look at all the parts!

[@Dave.S.TT600]

Just watched both your ppsh-41 vids. Brilliant work. THANK YOU. Great videos, very well-filmed and narrated!

[@sanjuuyonsai]

Funny how I keep hearing him using the word "unorthodox" only when talking about russian guns.

[@zusty9589]

Funny how?

[@talknight2]

Finding a mag that works with your gun is something I can relate to even today, having used an M16A2. There are several models of mags in circulation for these rifles and the cheap aluminum-ish ones are so flimsy that just dropping one on the ground might bend the spring out of shape (and possibly eject bullets all over the floor).

[@quadroninja2708]

Yes, PPSh's were made by women and children without any quality control, so chambers were just fitted with a file

[@konyina]

*Germans and Russians during WW2* A: Yeah, the PPD 40 (Mg34) is a great weapon. Too expensive tho, let's make it worse but cheaper. B: Sir, I am sorry, but i think we unintentionally made them cheaper and better.. A: *NNNNYYYYEEAAAAAAANNNYH*

[@AndrewVasirov]

A was a Japanese spy xD

[@kingofhogwarts9499]

Mg42 is not realy better than 34 though. I mean you can realy call it bad, but there is nothing that makes it better than the mg34

[@colin.k6263]

@@kingofhogwarts9499 but it maintains the same story of the PPSH and it is arguably better, higher fire rate, easier and faster production, more efficient in mud and snow compared to MG34, etc, all up to debate at the end

[@PieAndChips]

MG-34 suffered from reliability problems, hence the development and adoption of the MG-42

[@allenrosales9738]

king ofhogwarts the MG42 has a higher fire rate than the MG34. The MG34 has a fire rate of 900 rounds per minute, while the MG42 has a fire rate of 1200-1500 rounds per minute, depending on the sources, but it’s still a stupidly high number. Also the MG42 was cheaper. The Germans used both weapons up until the end of the war because when the MG42’s barrel over heats, taking out the barrel to replace it is a pain inside a tank, while the MG34’s barrel made it considerably quick. Both guns are excellent weapons either way

[@s1phor]

This channel is awesome, even if you dont have any knowledge in engineering if you watch them all, you get the sense what the manufactureres did and what do all the different guns do and so on, really love your description and the historic content. A well balanced mix between popular science and real science, all delivered in simple and understandable mix between complicated and dumbuser description in the use and actually describing how and why in the workings about the gun. Keep it up man, and merry christmas !

[@alexdelarge209]

I teach, & I can't imagine a better, detailed, explanation with extraordinary manufacturing, faults, modifications & historical perspective.

[@123456gordon]

Tovarich Ivan is simple person, he sees Soviet weaponry, he leaves like.

[@colinray5755]

For those who don’t know Tovarich-Comrade If I am not mistaken

[@VendPrekmurec]

@@colinray5755 Tovarish or Tavarish, not "Tovarich". Term "Tovarna" remained until today in slavic languages as "factory"

[@treyichabod5840]

Let me take a moment to praise Forgotten Weapons channel. And offer my thanks for giving us so many great videos. As a history lover, it is great to have a channel dedicated to teaching people about so many of history's most iconic weapons. And teaching us in a way that is interesting to watch and easy to understand even for somebody who doesn't have much experience with weapons. In a medium dominated by reverse baseball cap wearing, spec ops wannabee guys and their "I'm da maaaaan I shoot guuuuuns" attitude, it's nice to have a normal and likeable person teach you about guns, without stroking his ego every 2 seconds. So thank you for everything.

[@troy9477]

Definitely a solid, simple design. Certainly the barrel shroud helps with cooling. I didn't think those large openings at the muzzle would have much compensating effect, but i guess they do. The one thing that surprises me is the skinny spring and guide rod. So many older smg's seem to have large diameter springs in the receiver housing, often located by an extension attached to the bolt. This is much more like a pistol guide rod and spring. It must work fine, based on the shooting video. I wonder what the life of the spring, guide, and buffer were, and if spares were issued with the guns. Great video as always. Thank you

[@Camboninja94]

I was actually searching for a Forgotten Weapons video about the PPSh just yesterday. I watched the videos on the other WW2 Soviet submachine guns. I was kinda surprised and a little bummed out that you didn't have one on this particular gun itself though. Then I woke up this morning and it was the first thing I saw when I clicked on KZbin. You really know how to treat your subscribers.

[@peterwilson5528]

I really like this guy he gives a very well thought out video of some really interesting weapons and his knowledge is superb. Thanks very much :)

[@JDX28]

My SMG of choice when playing WW2. Absurdly high fire rate, moderately heavy, works better with box mags compared to the drum mag. Handsome design n silhouette even with it using stamped metal on much of it. Passable sights with a heat shield covering the barrel. The PPS is well designed too, it being a barebones version.

[@A333A343A346]

I have a soft spot for the PPSH. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a “new” one in the Angolan conflict in 1975. It was solid, reliable and worked. It was a far more useful weapon than our SADF issued FN 7.62 “R1”. A big advantage over the FN was the magazine size. It wasn’t accurate and pretty much useless beyond 100m but if I was in a jam, I’d take the PPSH over the R1 any day. The weight of the R1 was a big issue too.

[@marcm4268]

I love the cavalier box magazine finger flip. Gun Jebus pulls it off flawlessly of course. At 4:05

[@chancearden7803]

Ian I think you got a slight crush on Finland don't you?

[@borisbuliak3626]

Chance Arden, I know of a lot of Russians that respect what the Finns did to some Russian designed weapons. They also made their stand alone weapons but more often than not they copied the Russians not the other way around. No Russian I know will dispute that the Finnish Mosin is better, it's just a fact. Also like Ian said they weren't making the same amount of guns as a country with over 200 million people.

[@mashamylaramu]

No Russian I know has ever heard of "Finnish Mosin", this is a myth, the Finland has never really mass produced Mosins, they did upgrade and tuning on original Mosin, I can agree this was super duper upgrade and tuning, thumbs up! But speaking of some kind of "Finnish Mosin" is a nonsense . Tell me: if Finland was so advanced, why wouldn't they use rimless cartridge for their Mosin, which would make much more sense for "developed" county?

[@borisbuliak3626]

You of know that Finland was part of Russia? If you do it should answer why they chose to keep the 7.62x54R, a cartridge that's been proven. Why all of the sudden go and change cartridges when in a middle of the war? Nothing you're saying makes any sense, they didn't mass produce them? huh..? maybe not in the quantities of mother Russia but they did produce their own stand alone model. They're worth more than the Russian one(with few exceptions, rarity and specificity as to who owned a certain model, but that's it) because of higher quality an lesser production. It's called capitalism

[@mashamylaramu]

Ok, i was exaggerating, Finland has produced some, most likely it was re-chambering. There are not too many Russians who ever track the clones of original Mosin, and those "Russians" who look for "Finnish Mosin" they are either not exist or just some neo-nazis or just living in the "west" and drinking cool-aid daily. Don't get me wrong: I was born in Soviet Union and going through whole process of "communist brainwashing" have never heard a bad word about Finland. I love Nokia brand as it reminds me childhood - in my city the underground telephone cables were mostly "Nokia", I was so glad to use nokia phones when it wasn't ms, and still consider them one of the best pieces of hardware I've ever handled. I have 2 finnish made puukko knives in my collection as I appreciate traditions of Finnish people and have respect for them. But I would never ever even touch Finnish-made Mosin.

[@borisbuliak3626]

@@mashamylaramu fine don't buy any "finish" naggants. I'll buy whatever u want. I also grew up in former USSR. I managed not to get brainwashed either, but am not a blind patriot. Credit were credit us due, the Finns elevated the mosin. Saying that doesn't offend my patriotism. Guess what the Germans also made great weapons, so did the Soviets too bad if somebody doesn't like it. But that's no reason to put ither designs down. That's what i meant to say.

[@jaredc.3508]

"You're not really gonna be cranking these things out on a little 20 ton Harbor Freight press" Calling out Harbor Freight I see.

[@electronkaleidoscope5860]

I totally love how this thing looks

[@carlbloomquist708]

MASH TV Series, Season 3, episode 2... Trapper: "Those are Russian Burp Guns, they fire 30 rounds a second...." Hawkeye: "Thank you , Dr. Morale."

[@gyurcikkk]

Beautiful

[@ivyssauro123]

Really cool, had never seen anyone field strip it, and it's really practical and handy! Great design.

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

A fantastic coincidence, as far as I'm concerned, as I was actually going to look up this particular gun tonight. Having only found Forgotten Weapons a month or so ago I'm trying to work through old videos. Sometimes I take them as they come, and sometimes I go looking, and the PP-SH 41 was on for tonight, along with the MP 18, the BAR, the Lewis Gun, Wembley Mk 6, and the Enfield No2 pistol, and whatever else pops up. Ian is easily one of the very best presenters on KZbin - knowledgeable, clear & concise, personable, witty, and it's rumoured that he can walk on water too.

[@maksimegaloman]

I've looked at this and pps43 videos like 20 times. The Russians are the best weapons designers ever!!! Truly love the guns, and Ian's videos!

[@zach344]

Why is it every time a gun releases in Cold War a Forgotten weapons video pops up for it

[@michaelpawluk6791]

Best presentation of any reviewer on youtube, and you make it a point that 1 dollar is enough for a donation. That’s why you are awesome

[@Airsoftplayer555]

You'll notice at 3:05 there is a small circle stamping in front of the serial #'s after the first vent hole with a 3 in it. that is the factory (forget which one it was )

[@BeingFireRetardant]

Half a company of defending SS Das Reich soldiers hear the incoming Katushya barrage and pop up long enough to load their MG42s, then they hear massed screaming as not one, but two full battalions attack their position. Out of the mist they see hundreds of Guards Division rifleman sprinting towards them, the drum magazines of their PPShs clearly visible against the snow. The Germans let loose a ferocious volley... But before the top cover was closed on the second belt of ammo, the hundreds who had not fallen had overwhelmed the grenadiers of Das Reich, and when they were overrun, the last thing they saw from 10 feet away, was a host of inverted flaming T-shaped muzzle blasts... It was over in 27 minutes. There were never going to be any prisoners. And thus, revenge eventually came, and it came in overwhelming numbers, with extreme prejudice, and with horrifyingly effective speed and firepower. PPSh 41, just one of the many reasons a two front war is poor chess, especially if one of those fronts is Eastern. Much blood has stained the snow every time that gamble was made. Better to bet against a Sicilian, when death is on the line, than to get into a land war in Asia.

[@Necromancer_88]

Is easy to fight when you attack on surprise and outnumber your opposants during 41 axis have numerical avantage 2 to 1 in battle for Moscow axis have 2x more forces but strike back but in battle for berlin 80% of this super profesionls axis soldier arre sourender 80% karl ! She start a war of extermination and a crussade against bolshevik but when bolshevik comme to berlin she dont fight to die like greks in 1453 but again 80% surerrender and abandon theirs womens ... Very brave mens

[@flaircraft]

As you wish!

[@neilwilson5785]

A ten and twenty metre sight would have been good in Stalingrad.

[@jmac3693]

I love this gun. Not only cause the whole full auto thing, but cause it looks cool as well. I would buy a semi version of this.

[@MrTyty4321]

That sks with the drum mag is so damn beauitful

[@andyraven]

one of if not the best example of keep it simple stupid.

[@JonJonGTA]

Sten series,the M56 a Yugoslav version of the MP-40 and the pps-43 are really simple compared to this gun. Compared to other guns its not as simple since the ppsh is milled and the others are made of stamped sheet metal. Plus needing skilled workers and longer finnish times. Edit: yes i messed up there is only one milled part but the other 2 guns i listed are much simpler when compared to this sub gun.

[@mordentus]

Did you miss the video? Ian shows the only one milled part of PPSh there

[@JonJonGTA]

mordentus yea i messed up on that one part. But i am still right about there are much simpler and cheaper and less time consuming guns. In the video Ian consistently states that for a gun that was supposed to be simple and manufactured quickly it still took a lot of time and money.

[@JonJonGTA]

mordentus and the rear buffer pad problem ian also stated. Making it hard to use other materials to substitute that particular part.

[@konyina]

Jonathan The M56 and M49 are much more expensive and complicated than the Spagin. The M49 is a tehnically a Beretta M38 with a PPSh trigger group. The M56 is a copy of the Mp40, just oversimplified. The sten guns were cheaper to manufacture, yes, but they were also a blatant copy of the Mp40, again, oversimplified. Mp40 is a simple and design compared to, say, Thompsons, M38s, K31, PPD40s etc. But compared to a Spagin or Pps43, it's nuclear science.

[@johnnybobtrucker4416]

Thanks for the history gun jesus!

[@frankus54]

The lord of roar!

[@shiznitts]

I just had to revisit this video. Sometimes you get an itch to see beauty, art, and danger all rolled into one simple yet elegant package. And this is where you go.

[@JZ909]

Really remarkable piece of engineering. In my opinion, it stands head and shoulders above other emergency type of submachineguns (i.e. the Sten). You can clearly see that it was made to be cheap and easy to build, but not a whole lot was sacrificed in terms of function.

[@VK-zt6sw]

Another awesome video - thank you!

[@user-no2vy7hw2e]

Boris Shpitalniy, by the way, was one of the developers of the famous 1800 RPM ShKAS machine gun, widely used by Soviet aircraft in the 1930s and during World War II

[@HaloFTW55]

It’s Shpagin, not Shpotalniy. Shpagin worked on the DShk.

[@Alertacobra12]

The absolute simplicity of this gun is amazing, simple but effective design

[@usamamansouri7586]

Thumbs up again for a fun session about arms. Compliments and regards

[@robertverschueren9136]

good and clear explanation of all the parts. Thx !

[@bartwardenn555]

I got the privilege to hold one of these as well as a Tokarev when a Korean War vet presented at my high school a few years ago

[@p.garvey1822]

Failed to take over the world

[@shawnr771]

Preston Garvey He did fail. Everybody else succeeded in kicking his teeth in.

[@mclaine33]

Wow that's something special. I'm actually surprised he was able to get permission from the school and local government to bring in those weapons. I'm sure he had a huge amount of legal paperwork to fill out.

[@adamcochran1309]

No, just a loaded 71 round drum.

[@p.garvey1822]

Shawn R yeah no

[@samrussell4065]

Beautiflly- and brutally (I almost lost an eye neglecting the mainspring when stripping one (my own fault))- simple action. It's a heavy but seriously cool weapon, and the 7.62 round isn't something to laugh about if you're on the receiving end.

[@joshuahales7551]

Bullets in general aren't things to laugh at when you're on the receiving end. Haha

[@DetectiveJones]

8:47 I love the fact that there are kinder eggs that actually have more pieces to put together than this gun

[@alexvisser5913]

4:03 nice mag flip

[@JoacinoDaGona]

This gun is proof that you can turn even the dumbest conscript into killer, if you give him a gun that puts high enough volume of fire towards the enemy.

[@TyBowman117]

My personal favorite sub gun of WWII. One day I’d love to shoot one!

[@XSpamDragonX]

I always loved seeing people have to jiggle the drum around to get it in or out of the magazine well.

[@Diwana71]

One of the best documentaries on this subject.

[@ImperceptibleX]

What took you so long to do this weapon!!! And you gotta love Russian weapons : 8:45 "AND That's it. All you do, is pull the bolt out, and Clean it. I Guess." L0L, if you feel like cleaning it. Maybe later comrade, it's Russian... Great Videos, keep it up Ian! Can't wait to see you unload a drum full auto man.

[@dustinstewart1194]

Random person with this gun: “hmm it’s pretty good but it could use some attachments to optimize the gun” Everyone in this comment section: “Nyet comrade, sub machine gun is fine, if you run out of ammo simply use gun as club to defend motherland”

[@shinobuoshino2880]

Hey Ian. The peened block on top of the trunnion area of the receiver is actually what locks the trunnion into the receiver. The barrel is held in place in the trunnion by the bushing/split pin pivot pin. Swapping barrels on these is fairly easy.

[@loading...3197]

Great video Ian!

[@Burningnewt]

I love a fire rate so high you can't possibly shoot accurately at all!

[@SawyerKnight]

probably my favorite SMG. the economic build is part of its excellence

[@elliottfouts6790]

Shot one yesterday in Vegas. Very smooth.

[@nievesmares3179]

Interesting history lesson behind this guns. Very simple design and reliable.

[@torbjornlindberg]

my dream subgun

[@DemonixELT]

Lets just take a moment to appreciate that sick mag flip at 4:03.

[@johnnewcomer1293]

Great channel, always interesting information.

[@JoiZBoyz]

Ian. I loved this video. The only thing you left out was the caliber cartridge it shot. You may want to edit in a text overlay to cover that. Keep up the great work you do! I've learned more from your videos than anywhere else. Thanks

[@a.c.2499]

Yeah, I'd hate carrying and using drums for this gun. I would much rather carry a stick mag. It would be easier to grasp with both hands and use more comfortably, especially being able to hold it by the mag/magwell.