Do you know that there are knives that can shoot pistol bullets? Surprisingly, they really are. Moreover, they are produced in Russia, at the Tula arms factory. In this article we will get acquainted with the most popular and technological of them - the NRS-2 knife. This abbreviation stands for "shooting reconnaissance knife." Such a specific type of weapon is intended for self-defense of reconnaissance fighters and some structures of the armed forces. The blade allows in case of loss of the main weapon to hit the enemy both in close (strike or throwing) and long-range (shot) battle. The word "distant" means a battle at a distance of no more than 25 meters. Targeted shooting at more substantial distances is impossible, since the product sits in the hand of the shooter much worse than firearms.
Now we learn how the NRS-2 shooting knife was created and what model was its prototype.
First developments
As the name implies, the subject of our conversation was not the first example of firing cold steel created in Russia, or rather, even in the USSR. In the 70s, the Ministry of Defense, together with the KGB of the Soviet Union, initiated the start of work to create a knife that could fire pistol cartridges. And so the LDC project came about. Its leader was the creator of the silent pistol SME - Rafail Hlynin.
The knife was designed specifically for the cartridge SP-3 caliber 7.62 mm. This silent cartridge, developed back in the 60s, was equipped with a bullet from the automatic 7.62-mm cartridge of the distant 1943 model and a telescopic pusher piston located inside the sleeve, between the powder charge and the bullet. When fired, the piston-pusher, giving energy to the bullet, stopped on the bevels of the liner, thereby cutting off the powder gases, as a result of which neither flame nor sound arose.
New complex
In 1983, the armament units of the Ministry of Defense and the KGB of the USSR received a new silent weapon system, including a PSS pistol with a caliber of 7.62 mm and an SM-4 cartridge. The PSS pistol replaced other quiet models operating on SP-2 and SP-3 shells. When a special cartridge SP-4 appeared, the question arose about the need to create a new shooting knife for it. The task was very difficult, because the SP-4 significantly exceeded all previous versions of silent cartridges in terms of its energy characteristics. Work on the modernization of the LDCs was carried out by the best engineers of TOZ: G. A. Savishchev, I. F. Shedlos and V. Ya. Ovchinnikov.
The firing device, located in the handle, was adjusted to a new cartridge. The front sight was made of metal and was able to adjust the height. Sheaths for crimping a detonator capsule appeared on the handle of shears mounted in a sheath. Simultaneously with the development of the NRS-2, on the instructions of the customer, the usual (non-firing) version of the knife, called the NR-2, was developed. In 1986, both models were adopted.
The NRS-1 reconnaissance shooting knife differed from the new model mainly in such parameters:
- The use of the cartridge SP-3.
- The blade is similar in shape to a bayonet-knife from AKM.
- At the end of the handle is a plastic ledge-front sight.
- There is no screwdriver on the sheath.
How is the knife NRS-2
This product is a knife, in the handle of which is mounted a single-shot firing device. It consists practically of the same elements as a pistol, namely: a volumetric barrel, a locking device, a box, a trigger, a cocking lever, a flag-type safety lock and a trigger.
Handle
At the rear of the handle is the barrel. The muzzle is located at the end of the handle and is covered by a split shutter made of rubber. At the crosshair-limiter (guard) is a slot that performs the function of a rear sight. Accordingly, there is also a fly, which is located at the end of the handle. It can be adjusted in height. On the other hand, there is a petal with a hole on the crosshairs, which is needed to extract the used sleeve from the chamber. The handle is made of green or brown (less common) color and has a large mesh corrugation.
Blade
The blade is made of 25X17H2BSh steel and coated with black chrome. The blade has a smooth bevel near the tip, popularly called a "pike." It allows you to pierce tight clothing and pierce a steel sheet 1 mm thick. A saw is located on the butt of the knife, which is able to cut a metal rod with a diameter of 1 cm.
Sheath
The sheath performs not only the main function - isolation of the blade during transportation - but also a number of auxiliary ones. On their side there are wire cutters that can bite a two-core steel wire with a diameter of 2.5 mm, which is under voltage of 380 volts, or a 5-mm telephone cable.
At the end there is a short flat screwdriver that allows you to unscrew the screws with a diameter of more than 6 mm. To make the blade more firmly fixed in the scabbard, a wide leaf spring is installed in them.
Knife complete set
The shooting knife comes with a number of accessories. The kit includes:
- Case for accessories.
- Insert for the handle. Replaces the firing device in the handle. Allows you to practice knife throwing techniques without worrying about the risk of deformation of the mechanisms.
- 2 pendants to wear. One is waist and the other is hip.
- Obturator. Serves to prevent the breakthrough of powder gases through the gap between the bore and the shell of the projectile at the beginning of the shot.
- Cartridge bag.
- Spring.
- Sheath.
Shot preparation
To charge the LDC (shooting reconnaissance knife) you need to move the locking device and, turning the barrel, take it out of the handle. Then a cartridge is inserted into the chamber. After that, holding the barrel with the chamber up, you need to insert it back into the handle so that the protrusions on the barrel enter the grooves carved on the box of the firing device. Then you need to turn the barrel and return the locking device. It remains only to cock the trigger. To do this, turn the cocking lever all the way up and release it. The fuse box must be put in the "fire" position.
Shot
To aim, you need to take the shooting knife with the blade towards you so that the index finger of the right hand is on the trigger lever. The blade is clamped between two palms, and the crosshairs (guard) rests on the thumbs. In this case, the palm of the left hand is superimposed on top of the palm of the right hand. In no case should you put your fingers on the muzzle, for obvious reasons. Aiming takes place using a slot on the guard and front sight at the end of the handle. Now you can make a shot by smoothly pulling the hook.
The shot has a return, but its strength is not greater than that of a PSS pistol. In this case, the reconnaissance knife firing makes a quieter shot, since there are no moving parts in it, and the spent sleeve does not fly out.
Cooldown
After firing, you need to again remove the barrel from the handle of the knife and pull out the used sleeve using the hooks on the guard. During the shot, the sleeve is heated and pressed against the walls of the chamber. Then everything goes the same way as described above. An experienced user of a shooting knife can reload it in 20 seconds.
Cartridge SP-4
The cartridge was created specifically for silent fire from PSS pistols and other types of special weapons, including knives. It is considered an ammunition of a closed type, since the powder gas is locked in the sleeve after the shot thanks to a special piston pushing the bullet. Full gas cut-off and a subsonic muzzle velocity of the bullet ensure silent operation. The cartridge is equipped with a cylindrical bullet that weighs exactly 10 grams and has a brass lead belt. Its hardness is from 53 to 58 units on the Rockwell scale, which provides high ability to penetrate. The cartridge itself has a length of 42 mm, of which 41 mm is occupied by an extractable sleeve.
Western counterparts
In the western special forces, such knives are also widely used. Moreover, there are quite a few manufacturers who produce them, starting from the simplest products of the EK company and ending with the high-tech products of the companies Ka-Bar, Puma and Cold Steel. Knives are of the highest quality and quite solid cost. At the same time, they are presented in a large number of executions, from stylet versions in which the cutting properties are practically reduced to zero, to hunting blades, which are of little use as a firearm, but are convenient in domestic needs.
Today, there is a tendency to simplify shooting knives and give them more unified functions. The blade becomes longer and wider, and the guard gradually disappears as a separate part and is increasingly replaced by the protrusions of the blade or by the extensions of the handle. The rear top also obsolete, yielding in practicality to the protrusion of the shank.
Blade knife
In addition to the gunshot, there is also a knife that shoots with blades. This type is simpler to manufacture and operate, but less suitable in combat conditions. He shoots with his own blade, after which only one handle remains in the hands of the fighter. How to make a shooting knife of this type? Very simple. A spring is mounted in the hollow handle on which the blade is placed. Then the blade is fixed with a part resembling a pin of a grenade, and the knife is ready. If necessary, the check is pulled out and the blade flies out.
The use of the knife NRS-2
Before talking about the practicality of this type of product, we give a full range of its combat and operational characteristics. Shooting knife NRS-2 has the following parameters:
- The mass of the product with a sheath, without suspensions - 570 g.
- The mass of a knife without a sheath is 360 g.
- The dimensions of the product in the sheath are 330/64 / 32.5 mm.
- Dimensions without scabbard - 285 / 52.5 / 32.5 mm.
- Blade length - 160 mm
- The width of the blade is 28 mm.
- The thickness of the butt is 3.4 mm.
- The force of extraction of the knife from the sheath is 4-15 kg.
- The length of the sighting line is 10.5 cm.
- Sighting range - 25 m.
- Bullet speed - 200 m / s.
- Rate of fire - 2 rounds per minute.
Thus, the NRS-2 (second-generation reconnaissance knife) fully lives up to its name. It is really suitable for reconnaissance operations due to its small size and wide functionality. With the help of such a knife you can:
- Cut or plan wood.
- Saw steel rods with a diameter of up to 1 cm.
- Cut the wire.
- Cut live electrical wires.
- Unscrew and tighten the screws.
- Compress detonator capsules.
- Effectively strike in a knife fight.
- Shoot close targets with a powerful cartridge.
Conclusion
Shooting knives, the photo of which is given above, are a rather specific type of weapon that is constantly evolving. They are interesting, but completely impractical in a real military conflict. Given that the NRS-2 knife, which has become the main subject of today's conversation, can fire at best twice a minute, it is designed for an accurate shot and does not give the right to make a mistake. Preparation for the shot and the shot itself takes too much time to conduct active fire resistance. The use of such knives as firearms is possible only in emergency cases when the fighter has lost the ability to fire from a pistol or in partisan operations, when there is a need for conspiracy.