The MP-443 Grach (Russian: MP-443 «Грач»; English: MP-443 Rook; GRAU designation: 6P35), also known as the PYa (ПЯ, Пистолет Ярыгина, Pistolet Yarygina; Yarygin Pistol), is a Russian pistol designed for Russian 9x19mm 7N21 and 7N31 overpressure rounds.
History[]
Designed by Vladimir Yarygin over a span of seven years from 1993 to 2000, the MP-443 pistol was designed under the designation of Grach (English for rook) in response to Russian military trials. The Grach has been adopted in small numbers as of 2008 by selected special force units, which are assumed to be the ones based in North Caucasus. In October that same year, Rashid Nurgaliyev, the then-Russian interior minister, had planned to equip more units with the Grach; this did not come to fruition because of a massive stockpile of Makarov pistols and financial problems, so the Makarov remains the current police service pistol in Russia. Mass production only began in 2011, and a few thousand have been made as of 2016.
Design Details[]
The Grach is a double-action short-recoil pistol, with barrel and slide locking of the Grach being a simplified version of the Colt-Browning design as seen in many modern pistols like the Glock. The breech end of the barrel is rectangular and fits into matching locking grooves in the slide, near the ejection port. The slide stop lever can be fitted on either side of the Grach to fit left- and right-handed users, while the manual safety is completely ambidextrous. The hammer of the Grach is partially concealed within the slide in order to avoid it catching on clothes, equipment and the like. The base of the trigger guard on the left hand side of the Grach is where the magazine catch is located, where it can be manipulated with different fingers depending on the user's handedness. The front sight is fixed while the rear dovetail sight can be adjusted for windage, and both have white contrast elements for easier aiming in conditions without much light. Adjusting the rear sight requires a tool.
Variants[]
- MP-446 Viking
Civilian version with some differences such as being made out of polyamides as opposed to steel, a slightly longer barrel, a barrel that was intentionally weakened to prevent the safe use of high-powered Russian armor-piercing military rounds and uses a different magazine among other things. A second variant of the Viking was also made, the MP-446C, which is a sporting version of the pistol.