The Soviet APS Pistol and Its Silent Successor

Summary

This article details the history and design of the Soviet APS (Stechkin Automatic Pistol), developed by Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin and adopted in 1951. Chambered in 9x18mm Makarov with a 20-round magazine and selective fire, it was designed for specialists needing more firepower than a standard pistol. The article also covers its silent successor, the APB (GRAU index 6P13), a suppressed variant developed in the 1970s for Soviet security and intelligence units.