PPSH-41 – Iconic Ugly “Burp Gun”

Have you heard of the “Burp Gun”?, no not the Grease gun.
This Russian gun is rich with history. The sub-machinegun was used as a close-quarter gun during WWII by the Russians against the Germans.
The Russian PPSh-41 was known to many as the “Burp Gun” due to the sound it made when fired. With an incredibly high cycling rate of around 1,000 rounds per minute, this submachine gun is incredible.
The PPSH can fire from a stick magazine that holds 35 rounds or a drum magazine that holds 71 rounds. The light, recoiling cartridge allows for very controllable firing despite the high rate of fire. Misfeeding is likely to occur with more than about 65 rounds.
In addition to feed issues, the drum magazine is slower and more complicated to load with ammunition than the later 35-round box magazine that increasingly supplemented the drum after 1942. While holding fewer rounds, the box magazine does have the advantage of providing a superior hold for the supporting hand. Although the PPSh is equipped with a sliding bolt safety, the weapon’s open-bolt design still presents a risk of accidental discharge if the gun is dropped on a hard surface.


Ian from Forgotten Weapons takes this PPSH-41 for a spin, take a look.

This baby fires well at a high rate with great control, however has its problems.
As Ian stated this gun can use a stick magazine (35) and a drum (71). However, seems that the mag or drum has an issue fitting into the gun. You would have to find the gun that aligns well with the mag/drum.

Brief History
The PPSH-41 is a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgy Shpagin as a cheap, reliable, and simplified alternative to the PPD-40.
The PPSh is a magazine-fed selective fire submachine gun using an open bolt, blowback action. Made largely of stamped steel, it can be loaded with either a box or drum magazine and fires the 7.62×25mm Tokarev pistol round.

The PPSh saw extensive combat use during World War II and the Korean War. It was one of the major infantry weapons of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II. Around six million PPSh-41s were manufactured. This firearm was also used by the Viet Cong as late as 1970.
The development of the PPSh came partly from the Winter War against Finland, where the Finnish Army employed the Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun as a highly effective tool for close-quarter fighting in forests and built-up urban areas. Its 71-round drum magazine was later copied and adopted by the Soviets for their PPD-40 and PPSh-41 submachine guns.

The PPSh-41 is a classic example of a design adapted for mass production (other examples of such wartime design are the M3 submachine gun, MP 40, PPS submachine gun, and the Sten). Its parts (excluding the barrel) could be produced by a relatively unskilled workforce with simple equipment available in an auto repair garage or tin shop, freeing more skilled workers for other tasks.
After the German Army captured large numbers of the PPSh-41 during World War II, a program was instituted to convert the weapon to the standard German submachine gun cartridge in 9mm.
The Soviet Union also experimented with the PPSh-41 in a close air support antipersonnel role, mounting dozens of the submachine guns in forward fuselage racks on the Tu-2sh variant of the Tupolev Tu-2 bomber. Here’s Youtuber MoreFPSRussia running their fully restored PPSH-41.

Sources: Wikipedia, ForgottenWeapons