The PPS 43 submachinegun is the culmination of Soviet efforts to maximize pistol-caliber fully-automatic small arms manufacturing during World War 2. Initially developed by Alexei Sudayev as the PPS 42, modest production reportedly began in Leningrad in 1942 before several improvements were made resulting in the PPS 43. PPS 43 mass production started in 1943 and continued until at least 1946. The firearm, save the bolt, barrel, trunion and wood/plastic grips was constructed almost entirely of stamped and bent sheet metal, rivets and spot welds resulting in significantly less machining, skilled labor, raw material usage and overall production time. Despite its simple construction and crude manufacture, the PPS 43 is robust & reliable and requires very little maintenance. This reliability was, at least in part, due to its simple design which included a double-stack double-feed magazine, a recoil spring guide rod that functions as a ejector and full-auto only fire mechanism. Finland, China and Poland manufactured their own versions of the PPS 43 from the mid 1940s into the mid 1950s. Some sources state that the weapon remained in Soviet service until the mid 1950s, but it most likely remained in operational use for much longer.

Specifications:
Weight/Mass: 3.04 kg
Overall Length: 907 mm stock extended, 641 mm stock folded
Barrel Length: 243 mm
Cartridge: 7.62 x 25 mm Tokarev
Action: Open-bolt blowback
Rate of fire: 500 to 600 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity: 500 m/s
Effective range: Less than 200 m
Feed system: Double-stack double-feed 35 round box magazine

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