PP - 91 «Kedr» submachine guns

    In the early 1970s the USSR Ministry of Defence ordered the Buket research and development project, aimed at developing compact submachine guns, chambered for the standard 9x18 PM cartridges, as weapons for special operations units. However, back then not a single submachine gun was fielded. However, in the early 1990s the Russian Ministry of Interior, which wanted to fill the niche between the PM pistol and the AKS-74U short assault rifle, issued a request for compact submachine guns. Design bureaux turned to submachine gun prototypes developed within the framework of the Buket project These prototypes included the Dragunov design designated PP-91 or KEDR (Konstruktsiya Evgeneya Dragunova). developed by E. F. Dragunov, and the Klin submachine gun. The improvement and refinement at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant was headed by M. E. Dragunov, eider son of E. F. Dragunov. The Kedr entered service with the Russian Ministry of Interior. The Klin version was completely standardised with the Kedr as far as the basic design and design solutions were concerned. The submachine guns were put into production at the Zlatoust Engineering Plant in 1994. They are currently in the inventory of special operations unit of the Russian Ministry of Interior.
     The submachine guns feature a modular design. The trigger assembly includes a hammer and a cylindrical spiral hammer sprung. The firing pin is mounted in the bolt assembly. The submachine gun is fired when the breechblock is closed. The Kedr is chambered for the 9x18 PM cartridge, while the Klin can also fire 9x19 РММ high-velocity rounds. Just like the PMM pistol, the Klin submachine gun is fitted with spiral grooves in the surface of the chamber,, which delay extraction of a spent case, thus creating the required delayed blowback, which is a must given a high pressure of expanding powder gases inside the bore. In addition to that, the Klin is equipped with a slightly heavier bolt assembly than the Kedr. The recoil spring is mounted in the boltway. The breechblock lever is mounted on the left for faster readiness for action.
     The trigger assembly is a one-piece unit, accommodated in a separate case, inserted into the receiver and easily removed during field-stripping. The firing mechanism features a hammer and a cylindrical spiral hammer spring. The firing pin is mounted in the bolt assembly. The submachine gun is tired by the forward sear, i. e. when the breechblock is closed. The manual safety lever/fire selector, setting single-shot or automatic fire, is mounted on the right over the trigger guard. When the safety is engaged, it locks both the trigger and the boll, and the lever protrudes inside the trigger guard, thus, it is easy to determine the state of the weapon by touch. Besides, the safety catch/fire selector fixes the trigger assembly inside the receiver, when the submachine gun is assembled. In the automatic fire mode the automatic trigger, integrated into the trigger assembly. also serves as an automatic safety, which prevents a discharge if the bolt does not slide all the way back.

Field-stripped Kedr submachine guf: 1 — receiver cover; 2 — recoil mechanism; 3 — bolt assembly; 4 — barrel with the receiver sights, the pistol grip and the stock; 5 — safety catch/fire selector; 6 — trigger assembi; 7 — magazine.

PP - 9 «Klin» submachine guns

    The submachine gun is fitted with a plastic pistol grip, and a light metal butt-stock folding up-and-over the receiver. The butt latch is mounted in the butt-plate.
     The Kedr sights include a protected foresight on a triangular base in front of the receiver and a rear sight on its back plate. The sight radius totals 213 mm. The Klin submachine gun is filled with an adjustable protected foresight on a triangular base and a flip-type rear sight with a notch on one Socking shoulder and an aperture on the other locking shoulder. When the butt is extended, the rear sight flips so as to conduct more accurate fire with the help of the aperture sight, and when the butt is folded the submachine gun fires with its rear sight open.
     Ammunition feed is from double-column metal box chequerwise magazines. The magazine housing reliably holds the magazine in place, as well as serves as a handle for the second hand of the shooter. The magazine release button and the bolt stop5 which releases the bolt after a loaded magazine is inserted, facilitate fast reloading.
     When the Klin submachine gun fires standard rounds at a range of 25 m with the extended butt resting against the shoulder the bullet dispersion amounts to 68 mm in a single-shot mode and about 300 m in the automatic fire mode. High-velocity rounds fired at a range of 150 m in a single-shot mode feature a bullet dispersion of up to eight centimetres (the standard 9x18 PM cartridge has a bullet dispersion of 20 cm at the same range). High-velocity rounds penetrate a 3 mm steel plate at a range of 20 m. However, the Klin usually fires mostly standard 9x18 PM cartridges.
     The submachine gun can be fitted withy a laser target designator, which makes firing at close ranges easier. There is gear for concealed carrying under outer garments.

«Kedr - B» submachine guns

     The Kedr-B is a silent version of the Kedr submachine gun, chambered for the 9 x 18 PM cartridge and designed to silent fire at a range of up to 50 m. It primarily differs from the baseline model in its barrel and an integral muzzle suppressor, comprising an expansion chamber around the barrel and a detachable silencer. Expanding powder gases are bled-off into the expansion chamber via five rows of holes in the barrel walls (two holes each) and cool off by passing through rolled stainless-steel mesh. The suppressor is screwed onto the expansion chamber, and can be removed for carrying. The suppressor is internally divided by diaphragm plates into chambers, which slow down expanding powder gases.
     The Zlatoust Engineering Plant has put into production the Kedr-2 submachine gun. featuring the same design, but chambered for the 9x19 Luger cartridge. This submachine gun, boasting a cyclic rate of fire of 800-1,000 rds/min, is designed to fire busts at a range of up to 50 m and single shots with the butt resting against the shooter's shoulder at a range of up to 150 m„ The length of the submachine gun totals 312 mm with its stock folded and 540 mm with extended stock» The unloaded weapon weighs 1.6 kg. and the magazine capacity amounts to 20 or 25 rounds. It can be fitted with a muzzle suppressor and a laser target designator.
     In addition to that Zlatmash has developed self-loading variants of the Kedr submachine gun to be used as service pistols by security agencies: the PKSK version, chambered for the 9x17K cartridge and boasting a magazine capacity of ten rounds, was developed in 1995; the PST Kapral submachine gun. chambered for the 10x231 non-lethal rubber bullet cartridge, and the PDT-9T Esaul gas submachine gun, chambered for 9 m gas and non-lethal cartridge, made their appearance in 2005; and the PDT-13T Esaul-3 modification, chambered for the 13 mm non-lethal rubber bullet cartridge, was developed later.

	Specifications ПП 91 «Кедр» ПП 9 «Клин» «Кедр Б»   Caliber, mm......................................................................... ...........................9 .........................9 ....................9   Cartridge............................................................................. .................9х18 PM .......9х18 PMM, PM ..........9х18 PM   Weight w/o cartridges, kg................................................... .......................1,54 ......................1,54 ..................2,1   Weapon length, mm :         w/unfolded stock............................................................... ........................539 .......................539 ..................671   w/folded stock.................................................................... ........................305 .......................305 ..................443   Barrel length, mm................................................................ ........................120 .......................120 ..................120   Rate of fire, rds/min........................................................... ................800 - 850 ............1030--1200 ..........800 - 850   Bullet muzzle velocity, m/sec............................................... ........................310 .....425 PMM/310 PM ..................310   Effective rate of fire, rds/min.............................................. ...................40/100 ..................40/100 ..............40/100  Sighting range, m................................................................ .........................50 .......................150 ....................50   Magazine capacity, cartridge................................................ ...............20 and 30 ..............20 and 30 .........20 and 30

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