The strange story of the cosmonaut shotgun


Story here: http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/11/russian-spacemen-carried-shotguns-and-axes-into-space-5057966/

Up until 2007, Russian spacemen carried short barreled, three-barrel drilling guns in their survival gear. The shotgun barrels were 12.5mm and the rifle barrel underneath was 5.45x39. The gun's removable shoulder stock contained a machete. Remember that the Rooskies use ground landings for their capsules and this gun starts to make sense. Come down in a remote area and you may need some survival gear beyond a scout knife and a fire starter. A suitable firearm is a fine enhancement to your survival gear just about anywhere, providing meat for the pot as well as protection. The Cosmonaut gun also launched signal flares.

What the Russians worked out here is really rather clever. Reports elsewhere say that the gun is no longer in service because the peculiar shotgun ammunition that it uses is no longer readily available. The crew gun is now just an ordinary automatic pistol, which, while it may be adequate, is certainly not as imaginative.









"TP-82" by One half 3544
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
photo: Business Insider

Comments

  1. steveJuly 23, 2015 at 12:08 AM

    This is really good shotgun and its features are impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  2. M.ElhFebruary 22, 2016 at 2:23 PM

    I like this story and i think the most peoples whom are famous in producing the guns and all weapons are Russians , even alot of accidents happened there.
    best reloading press reviews

    ReplyDelete
  3. adamFebruary 22, 2016 at 2:28 PM

    I like this story and i think the most peoples whom are famous in producing the guns and all weapons are Russians , even alot of accidents happened there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tom BradlyNovember 11, 2016 at 3:17 AM

    Wow, another mysterious and interesting piece of history! Thanks for sharing the insights. And I am still wondering how they keep the machete inside, though. Looked pretty long to me!

    ReplyDelete

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