TP-82 Cosmonaut survival pistol
| TP-82 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Combination gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1986–2007 |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Igor Aleksandrovich Skrylev |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2.4 kg (with stock) |
| Cartridge | 5.45×39mm (below) and 12.5×70 shotgun shells (above) |
| Barrels | 3 |
| Effective firing range | 200 meters |
| Feed system | Break-open |
| Sights | Iron |
The TP-82 (Russian: ТП-82) was a triple-barrelled Soviet pistol that was carried by cosmonauts on space missions.
It was intended as a survival aid to be used after landings and before recovery in the Siberian wilderness. The TP-82 was the result of cosmonaut Alexei Leonov's concerns after being stranded in the Siberian wilderness when his Voskhod capsule malfunctioned. He feared that the 9-millimetre pistol that was provided in the survival kit would be ineffective against the Siberian wildlife, namely bears and wolves.[1]
The upper two shotgun barrels used 12.5×70 mm ammunition (28 gauge), and the lower rifled barrel used 5.45×39mm ammunition developed for the AK-74 assault rifle. The TP-82 has a large lever on the left side of the receiver that opens the action and a small grip-safety under the trigger-guard that resembles a secondary trigger.
The pistol could be used for hunting, to defend against predators and for visible and audible distress signals. The detachable buttstock was also a machete that came with a canvas sheath. TP-82s were carried regularly on Soviet and Russian space missions from 1986 to 2007. They were part of the Soyuz Portable Emergency-Survival Kit (Носимый аварийный запас, Nosimyi Avariynyi Zapas, NAZ). In 2007,[2] the media reported that the remaining ammunition for the TP-82 had become unusable and that a regular semi-automatic pistol would be used on future missions.
See also[edit]
- Soviet laser pistol
- Combination gun
- M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon
- M30 Luftwaffe drilling
- List of multiple barrel firearms
- List of Russian weaponry
References[edit]
- ^ Simpson, James (2015-02-03). "Soviet Cosmonauts Carried a Shotgun Into Space". War Is Boring. Archived from the original on 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ^ "TP-82 : Russian space pistol / shotgun / carbine / flare gun no longer being carried into space". The Firearm Blog. 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
External links[edit]
- Russia has the corner on guns in space - MSNBC, updated 2:09 p.m. PT, Tues., Feb. 12, 2008
- TP-82 : Russian space pistol / shotgun / carbine / flare gun no longer being carried into space (with photos) - The Firearm Blog
- Soviet cosmonauts carried a shotgun into space
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