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Martial Pinups: PTRS-41 by Simonov

Martial Pinups: PTRS-41

Simonov

Origin: USSR
Year: 1941
Type: Semi-automatic anti-tank rifle
Caliber: 14.5x114mm
Weight: 20.3 kg (46 lbs)
Length: 2100 mm (83 in)
Barrel length: 1219 mm (47 in)
Capacity: 5 rds

In 1941, the Soviet Union was in desperate need of anti-tank weapons and ordered the production of two anti-tank rifles. The first of these designs was a single-shot designed by Degtyaryov. The other was this rifle, a magazine-fed semi-automatic designed by Russian weapons inventor Sergei Simonov. Chambered for the potent 14.5x114mm cartridge, the weapon proved effective against Germany's trucks and older, lighter armor such as the Panzer II; however, the rifle was quickly rendered obsolete with the rapid advancement and increased armor thickness of later German tank designs. This did not deter the Soviets from utilizing the rifle in their anti-tank defensive measures. Often anti-tank rifle teams were deployed alongside heaver guns and artillery pieces, picking off more lightly-armored vehicles and aiming for weak spots on the heavier ones. The PTRS was also utilized in a manner similar to the Barret M82 of the modern American military by being employed in an anti-materiel role, engaging such targets as trucks, grounded aircraft, and communications equipment.

The legacy of the PTRS was continued when Sergei Simonov scaled down the design and created the SKS rifle, a weapon with a long service record spanning the globe from Vietnam to East Germany to Syria. As for the PTRS itself, the rifle has recently appeared in the hands of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and rebel groups in Syria.

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