Production Ready MOLOT Pistol That Was Never Produced
Russian Kalashnikov Gun Magazine has published several images of a semi-auto pistol that was designed by MOLOT Oruzhie, but because of the changes of Russian legislation was never manufactured. The pistol had a model designation VPO-514.
This pistol was designed in 2011. It was supposed to have two versions: a less-lethal and a 9mm. The less-lethal version was chambered in 10x28mm which is a dedicated less-lethal cartridge loaded with rubber projectiles. This version of the pistol was a direct blowback operated firearm. The 9mm version had a high rate of parts compatibility with the less-lethal one except it was a locked breech firearm with a rotating barrel lockup.
The VPO-514 was a striker fired pistol and featured a polymer frame. It had a magazine capacity of 10 rounds. The low capacity of the magazine was probably chosen to comply with the legislation restricting the capacity of civilian firearm magazines to 10 rounds. Looks like the magazine shown in the above-embedded image is a higher capacity double stack single feed magazine and it was probably designed for the 9mm version. According to Kalashnikov Gun Magazine, the pistol in the images lacks the trigger safety which was later added to the design. Note also that there is no manual safety and no accessory rails. The single large lever on the left side of the gun possibly combines the functions of a disassembly lever and slide release lever.
In Russia, the less-lethal (a.k.a. traumatic) pistols are extremely popular and available to the civilian customers. So that is quite a large market. The 9mm pistol would have a much smaller market basically limited to military, law enforcement, competition shooters and some special organizations. When the company was ready to launch these pistols, the Russian legislators passed a bill limiting the maximum amount of less-lethal handguns that a civilian can own. This legislative decision really constricted the less-lethal firearms market size and Molot considered it not to be economically sound to release the pistols. The decision to cancel the less-lethal pistol production meant the cancellation of its 9mm cousin as well.
Images by www.kalashnikov.ru, www.techcrim.ru
Managing Editor Being a lifelong firearms enthusiast, Hrachya always enjoys studying the history and design of guns and ammunition. Should you need to contact him, feel free to shoot him a message at Hrachya@TheFirearmBlog.com
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Fun fact: supposedly 5% of the population of Russia legally own firearms.
Fun comparison: 1% of the population of New York City legally own firearms.
https://www.nytimes.com/201...
Don't mean to be political. Just trying to add to the story some more legal context.
Pardon me, but the reason to drop project sounds a little hard to believe. Very, very few prospective buyers would have been hindered by two guns per person limit. Most would have had settled for exactly one.
What probably happened is consequence of Order 1020 by Ministry of Internal Affairs (specifically p.13). Clipped wings of anyone trying to develop new rubber-shooter.