Like many little boys growing up in the mid 70s and 80s, I watched a lot of movies about World War 2 and the Vietnam. It was height of the Cold War Era. All Eastern Bloc weapons were considered crude and junk pile material. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the USSR, a flood of surplus weapons came to the states. Despite the AWB of 2004, and the “mass shootings”, America remains the last bastion of freedom. As such, we were given a buffet of Eastern Bloc weapons to choose from to add to our collections. Mosin Nagants, AK 47 Variants, Makarovs, Tokarevs, SKS, anything that the Soviets mass produced and licensed their conscript countries to produce became available at bargain basement prices. But as supplies dried up, and demands increased, along with importation bans, the golden age of cheap surplus Eastern Bloc weapons are over.
However, while not as abundant or affordable as they once were, some affordable collectables are still available. One of which is the latest acquisition to my collection. The PPS 43c semi auto version of the PPS 43 Sub Machine Gun. It is considered by many historians to be the best machine gun of WW2. It is chambered in the 7.62 x 25 Tokarev caliber. Sending a 85 grain fmj projectile our of a 10 inch barrel at 1700fps, this round has been proven to penetrate soft body armor. The following link will give the details of manual of arms, as well as a full description.
http://www.pioneer-pac.com/…
The gun I purchased is made in Poland from 100% Polish kits, then imported to the United States by Pioneer Arms Inc. The fit and finish is quite impressive for what the gun is. There is very little machining done on this gun outside of the bolt. The entire gun is comprised of bended metal sheets, and rivited into place. It comes in a parkarized, flat black finish and the spring assembly for the stock has been removed. The stock is an overfolding version that has been spot welded. This is to comply with importation and ATF regulations. It is designated as a pistol by the ATF. It is possible to convert the gun into a SBR if one desires to register it as such. This is legal as long as your state allows Short Barreled Rifles. Submit your Form 1 Application, pay a $200 tax stamp, and wait 9-12 months and you can purchase the spring kit and pin for the folding mechanism and you are good to go.
The reason I purchased the gun is for collection purposes. The 7.62 x 25 round is relatively expensive, ranging from 41 cents to 50 cents per round. Because of the cost of ammunition, I don’t consider it to be an ideal SHTF application. However, I wouldn’t feel outgunned if this were the only weapon I had. It comes with 4 thirty five round mags!That’s very rare in today’s market. The gun is simple to field strip, similar to an AK. It is well built, and affordable by today’s standards. I was able to purchase it for $575 out the door. To me it has an amazing “2nd kind of cool, and is well worth the price of admission. I don’t like to do technical table top reviews. I prefer to connect with my readers like gun owners shooting the bull about their new toy over a beer. I have added links to shooting and table top reviews below for more detailed descriptions of this awesome piece of history.
Special thanks to the boys at MMP Guns in Phoenix AZ , Joe and Henry, for hooking me up. They are good friends of mine, and I support their business locally. They do business over the internet nationally as well . If you want a gun of any kind, give them a chance to compete for your business. Also check out this website for the latest in gun technology and what’s coming out on the market. https://justapewreviews.com
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