The official English language press release for the new Kalashnikov Concern PL-14 pistol arrived late, after we have already blogged about it, but I thought I would share it with you all anyway. Here it is …

Kalashnikov Concern revealed the prototype of a new 9mm pistol “PL-14” (Pistol designed by Lebedev) at the International military-technical Forum «ARMY-2015» from June, 16 to June, 19 in Kubinka (Moscow region). The concept of the pistol was developed jointly by the experts of the Russian special forces and IPSC competitive shooters.

The distinguishing feature of “PL-14” is its enhanced ergonomics and balance that meet modern notions of human biomechanics and modern pistol shooting techniques in the best way. Special attention was paid to the unique aesthetics of the new pistol.

“The versatility of our new pistol allows to use it not only as a military weapon for the military forces and police, but also as a pistol for different shooting competitions – said Kalashnikov CEO Alexey Krivoruchko. – We intend to produce different variants of the pistol, for example, with certain characteristics of the trigger mechanism for special forces units, as well as a civilian version with trigger that would be suitable for practical shooting competitions as well”.

The gun is very thin in comparison with its counterparts: the thickness of the grip is 28 mm and 21mm is the thickness at the front of the slide. All controls on the pistol are ambidextrous, so it could be used by right- and left- handed shooters effectively. The pistol has Picatinny rail integrated in its construction.

Automatic calculation methods applied during the creation of the gun, will ensure great reliability. With its improved ergonomics pistol has minimal recoil and muzzle rise which makes speed shooting very effective.

Particular attention is paid to the safety of this pistol: trigger mechanism ensures that there will be no mechanical accidental discharge, even after falling from a great height onto a hard surface. In addition, the basic version will have longer and heavier trigger to prevent accidental discharge if shooter keeps his finger on the trigger. On another version of the pistol for highly skilled users (special forces and competitive shooters), trigger will be lighter.

In addition, the increased safety of the new 9mm pistol is provided by loaded chamber indicator, which allows checking the weapon even in gloves and during low light situations. In addition, the indicator has an additional function: coupled with a modified geometry of the chamber it allows shooting with defective ammunition when brass size does not meet the specs.

Caliber,  9×19
Length 220mm
Height 136mm
Thickness 28mm
Barrel length 127mm
Magazine capacity, 15 rounds
Weight without ammunition, 0.8 kg
Weight with ammunition 0.99 kg