PTRS-41 | |
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PTRS | |
Type | Anti-tank rifle |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
In service | 1941-Present |
Used by | Soviet Union, North Korea, China |
Wars | World War II, Korean War, Chinese Civil War |
Production history | |
Designer | Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov |
Designed | 1941 |
Produced | 1941–1945 |
Variants | General specifications |
Specifications | |
Weight | 20.3 kg (46lbs) |
Length | 2100 mm (83 in) |
Barrel length | 1219 mm (47 in) |
Cartridge | 14.5x114mm |
Muzzle velocity | 1,114 m/s (3,320 ft/s) |
Effective range | 3,000 m |
Maximum range | 10,000 m |
Feed system | 5-round magazine |
Design
The PTRS-41 was produced and used by the Soviet Union during World War II. In the years between the World Wars, the Soviet Union began experimenting with different types of armour-piercing anti-tank cartridges. Finding the 12.7x108mm insufficient, they began development of what would become the 14.5x114mm armour piercing round. Famous Soviet weapons designers such as Vasily Degtyaryov and Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov designed rifles to accommodate this cartridge. In 1938, Simonov designed the PTRS-41, a magazine fed, anti-tank rifle.
The five round magazine was loaded into the receiver and held under pressure by a swing magazine underneath. On firing the last round, the bolt is held open, and the magazine release catch can only be operated when the bolt is locked back. The gas-operated PTRS has a tendency to jam when dirty, and the 14.5 mm cartridge produces significant residue, blocking the gas port. The 14.5 mm armour-piercing bullet has a muzzle velocity of 1012 m/s and good ballistics. It can penetrate an armour plate up to 40 mm thick at a distance of 100 meters.