Type Semi-automatic pistol In service 2003–present Designer Vladimir Yarygin | Place of origin Russia Used by Russia Designed 1993–2000 | |
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The MP-443 Grach (Russian: MP-443 Грач, English: rook) or "PYa", for "Pistolet Yarygina" ("Yarygin Pistol"), following traditional Russian naming procedure (Russian: Пистолет Ярыгина), is the Russian standard military-issue side arm.
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The development was headed by the designer Vladimir Alexandrovich Yarygin (Russian: Владимир Александрович Ярыгин).
It was developed under designation "Grach" in response to Russian military trials, which began in 1993. In 2003, it was adopted as a standard sidearm for all branches of Russian military and law enforcement, alongside Makarov PM, GSh-18, and SPS.
Design details
The PYa is a high-capacity, double-action, short-recoil semi-automatic pistol. Barrel/slide locking is a simplified Colt–Browning design, similar to that found in many modern pistols (for example the SIG Sauer and Glock families of pistols); the breech end of the barrel is rectangular in shape, rather than rounded, and fits into matching locking grooves within the slide, near the ejection port. The slide stop lever can be mounted on either side of the weapon to accommodate both left- and right-handed users. Likewise, the manual safety is ambidextrous, with safety catches on both sides of the weapon, where it is manipulated by the thumb. It is mounted on the frame, below the rear slide grooves, and directly behind the slide stop lever. The hammer is partially concealed at the sides to prevent catching on clothes and equipment. The magazine release catch is located in the base of the trigger guard on the left side, where it can be manipulated with the thumb (right-handed users) or index or middle finger (left-handed users). The front sight is formed as a fixed part of the slide and is non-adjustable. The back sight is drift adjustable for windage (dovetail type), but this requires a tool. Both feature white contrast elements to ease aiming in low-light conditions. The standard magazine capacity is 17 rounds, fed from a double-column, single feed magazine. Magazines with an 18 round capacity were produced after 2004.
Though the grips of the pistol are polymer, the weapon is largely made of metal (stainless steel for the barrel, carbon steel for the frame and slide).
It is chambered for the 9×19mm 7N21 cartridge, the Russian loading of the ubiquitous 9mm NATO pistol cartridge, which is broadly equivalent to NATO standard loadings, loaded to comparable pressure specifications. The 7N21 features a semi-armour-piercing bullet with a tempered steel core. The weapon can also use standard 9×19mm Parabellum/9mm Luger/9×19mm NATO cartridges, including civilian loads such as hollowpoints for law enforcement (only full metal jacket bullets are permitted for use in military weapons).
Adoption in Russia
As of 2008, it was supplied only in small numbers to selected special forces units, presumably those in the North Caucasus.
In October 2008 the Russian interior minister planned to equip more Russian police with PYa pistols. But due to financial problems and the fact the Makarov pistol is so plentiful in Russia, the Makarov remains as primary police service pistol in Russia.
Mass production started in 2011. Officers of the Western Military District received weapons in 2012. Scouts of the intelligence compound, belonged to the Central Military District and stationed in Siberia, fully rearmed on Yarygin pistols in early 2015.
The massive deliveries of PYa pistols to the Russian Armed Forces started in 2012. As of early 2016, several thousand of such handguns have been supplied. Officers are training to master the new firearms. Nevertheless, the PM pistol have not been brought out of service. It supposedly will have been finally replaced by PYas by 2019.