In the late 19th century, in Germany, Austrian designer Georg Luger designed a handgun, which operated in a recoil mechanism using an internal hammer and a novel elbow mechanism. When fired, the barrel and the crank mechanism move backwards until they touch a camshaft linked to the elbow, pushing the cartridge out. Then a spring pushes the elbow to close and feed the next bullet into the barrel. The result is a handy sized pistol that holds up to 7 7.65mm Parabellum rounds in a removable cartridge. In 1904, this pistol was upgraded to accommodate the new 9x19mm cartridge, in 1908 it was used as the main gun of several German military units, officially known as P.08 or Luger. The Luger pistol has a beautiful design, smooth crank mechanism, and is a durable, quality gun, but the manufacturing process is complicated and time consuming. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were no modern equipment to produce parts with detailed precision, so each part of each Luger was machined by hand. Small variations in size and finish require skilled people to assemble each finished gun, ensuring smooth and reliable operation. This is a laborious process and when completed, each part of the gun will be serialized. The gun was then disassembled, and the parts were water-stained with blue steel and hardened for durability. Once completed, the gun will be reassembled based on the serial number to ensure that the parts match. That’s why a genuine Luger has a serial number stamped on almost every part and each gun is a finished work of German precision technology. But the Luger gun is not perfect. The mechanism for linking the trigger to the internal hammer is quite long and complex. The trigger is weak and inaccurate despite being light. The rear sight is mounted on part of the elbow, so when firing the elbow rises, blocking the target’s view for a while. However, the Luger worked well, and the elbow mechanism absorbed a lot of the gun’s recoil, making it easy for the shooter to keep aiming. The Luger barrel is a detachable part, with three different barrel lengths: 100mm, 150mm and 200mm. Also at the end of the 19th century, in America John Moses Browning was also designing a self-loading pistol. His first design was completed in 1897, it had a slide that pushed back by gas and ejected the cartridge. A set of springs then pushes the slide forward to load the next round into the barrel. This .32 ACP pistol proved to be extremely reliable and easy to manufacture. In addition to the safety lock on the left side, Browning’s new gun also has a grip safety device, meaning it can only be fired when the rear portion of the handle is compressed. So the gun will not explode if dropped. During tests held in 1910, the new gun fired 5,000 rounds in a single batch, and when the gun overheated, simply dipped in a bucket of water to cool. In 1911, the gun was chosen as the main pistol of the US military, with the designation M-1911, using .45 ACP ammunition. Like the Luger, the early M-1911 pistols weren’t perfect. The rear aiming point is quite small and some people find the reach to the trigger too long. Furthermore, for the first time, shooters learned what a “smasher bite” is, a condition in which the skin between the thumb and forefinger can be painfully clamped between the hammer and the barrel when the cap slides. backward. When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, two pistols faced each other in combat for the first time. The Luger may look like the ultimate weapon, a model of precision engineered advanced engineering. Compared to Luger, Colt looks a bit rough. Early M-1911s had a slide that didn’t fit into the body of the gun and could make a rattling noise if the gun was shaken. However, this also means that manufacturing tolerances are less stringent and the Colt can be manufactured cheaper and faster than the Luger. Luger does not perform well in sandy, dusty or muddy conditions. Small tolerances in the crank mechanism tend to jam the gun too easily. Worse still, if a Luger is damaged that cannot be repaired by taking parts from another Luger, it must be replaced with a brand new Luger. In contrast, the Colt M-1911 pistol can fire in all conditions. Its greater tolerance means it is less likely to jam, even after being dropped in the mud, the .45 ACP bullet has much stronger resistance than the 9mm Luger bullet. Parts are also interchangeable between Colts making field repairs much quicker. The relatively simple Colt proved superior to the complex, precision-built Luger. From 1938, the Luger was gradually replaced by the simpler Walther P.38. During World War II, only colonel officers were equipped with Lugers, due to limited numbers. However, the demand for pistols was growing at the time, causing production of the Luger P-08 to continue until 1944. The strength and raw simplicity of the Colt M-1911 allowed it to continue to serve long to date, while the Luger has long since become a historical relic. Image source: Pinterest. Close-up of the performance of the M1911 pistol. Source: Shwence.

The Russian Ministry of Defense is equipped with the most powerful pistol in the world. (Photo: RIA) Earlier, the Central Research Institute of Precision Mechanics of Russia (TsNIITOCHMASH part of the state-owned high-tech corporation Rostec) developed the most powerful ammunition model in the world for a 9 mm self-loading pistol. This ammunition for the Udav series of semi-automatic pistols has the ability to penetrate level 2 bulletproof armor and at a greater range than similar ammunition in the world. In addition to superior armor penetration, thanks to the special warhead design, the Udav bullet also has no explosion and no flash of the muzzle. According to Izvestia, the plan to purchase Udav pistols by the Russian Ministry of Defense includes two main versions: a mass-use version for the army with code number 6P72 and a specialized version with code number 6P72-1. The second version of the gun has a silencer and a laser targeting device. Lasers can work even in daylight, they emit infrared rays that are not visible to the naked eye. However, it is possible to see clearly if using the special force’s night sight. For both versions to order, delivery will begin this year and be completed by November 10, 2023. The estimated cost to buy this gun is $5,214 million. The main feature of the Udav is the use of some new ammunition with more powerful firepower, caliber 9×21 mm and with a range of up to 50-100 m. Like other military weapons, the 6P72 is designed and tested in temperatures ranging from minus 50 degrees Celsius to positive 50 degrees Celsius. Even a dusty atmosphere will not affect this gun. . According to General Director of the Central Research Institute of Precision Mechanics of Russia Albert Bakov, the secret of TsNIITOCHMASH experts lies in the fact that each Udav bullet carries an armor-piercing bullet core. Despite skepticism during the design process, it was later proven that the design of this cartridge did not affect the accuracy of each shot. According to the Rostec press center, the development of TsNIITOCHMASH has been recognized as an invention and has been officially patented by the Intellectual Property Office of the Russian Federation. TsNIITOCHMASH is one of the leading Russian weapons developers. The history of this research and production enterprise dates back to 1944. Over the past 75 years, TsNIITOCHMASH experts have produced more than 150 models of small-caliber guns, artillery, anti-tank weapons and ammunition. The most well-known products are the Ratnhik combat kit, underwater guns – SPP-1 pistols and APS automatic guns, as well as specialized weapons: SR-1M and PSS pistols, submachine guns SR-2 and SR -3M compact size. It is also possible to mention the anti-tank missile system “Kornet”, self-propelled artillery “Nona” and “Lotos”. Within the framework of the Army-2019 forum, Rostec Corporation introduced the 9 mm Udav self-loading pistol, developed at TsNIITOCHMASH. Some pictures of Udav pistols: (Photo: Rostec)

According to Izvestia, the Udav pistol purchased by the Russian Ministry of Defense includes two main versions: a mass-use version for the army with code 6P72 and a specialized version with code 6P72-1. Udav gun. Talking about the need for a new gun model, Albert Bakov, general director of the Central Research Institute of Precision Mechanics of Russia (TsNIITOCHMASH, part of the state-owned high-tech corporation Rostec) said that Udav first and foremost needs it. Essential for mobile forces, the users of the Makarov pistol (K-59) were no longer suitable both in terms of firepower and ammunition reserves to carry. “When bad actors have access to a weapon, even if it’s illegal, so there are situations like when a law enforcement officer encounters an 18-round gun object. while this employee only has 8 bullets,” said general manager TsNIITOCHMASH. In order to increase the power of each shot of the Udav, the company has now successfully developed the most powerful ammunition model in the world for the 9x19mm pistol – the caliber of the Udav. This ammunition has the ability to penetrate level 2 bulletproof armor and at a greater range than other similar ammunition. Reliability, ease of use, and power are the main advantages of Russian pistols, and the new 9x19mm pistol also converges these characteristics, but at a higher range, according to a review from the US site National Interest. The American newspaper said that, along with the new 9x19mm gun, most experts have recognized the Udav pistol of TsNIIITOCHMASH as an invention with a number of technical improvements applied in this project. The first improvement, the design features of the barrel ensures that the “closed shutter” cannot move backwards on its own, the trigger rod cannot be moved, and the trigger is locked. The second improvement, the frame of the gun is made in the form of a special stamping die. The result is an increased product life. Next, the fact proved the high accuracy of the gun. The next revolutionary of the gun is the opening of the safety pin that ensures complete safety when handling the weapon. Even if the loaded pistol is directly hit with the trigger, no “trigger snatching” will occur. In particular, the gun is very convenient in close combat, ensuring maneuverability and fast reloading. The gun can be held securely with wet hands, when wearing gloves and allows comfortable shooting with either right or left hand. The Udav gun reloads very quickly: as soon as the cartridge is empty, the barrel lock is retained and the empty magazine is ejected with the push of a button on the handle. As soon as the new magazine is inserted, the first bullet will automatically reload and can be fired immediately. In addition, special patents are granted for silencers with replaceable heat-absorbing modules (special forces version), for cartridges and ammunition. The Udav pistol is capable of using all 9x21mm ammunition.