VSS Vintorez is one of the iconic Soviet/Russian special forces’ weapons. It is unique in every aspect – from the cartridge it is chambered in to the integrally suppressed design. No wonder why the demand for clones of this weapon on the Russian civilian market is also high. Who doesn’t want a Vintorez even if it has a fake suppressor and fires in semi-auto mode only? Here is a brief overview of the Vintorez clones that we saw at Arms & Hunting 2018 exhibition held in Moscow, Russia.

TOZ KO-VSS and KO-VSS-01

When I entered the Arms & Hunting exhibition hall, the first thing I noticed was the TOZ (Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod – Tula Arms Plant) booth where they demonstrated a variety of civilian VSS Vintorez rifles. Earlier we reported about the release of classic and railed Vintorez clones introduced by this company. During the show, we had a chance to take a look not only at these two models but also at the new, upgraded versions of these rifles.

As you can see, the upgraded versions come with several different camouflage patterns as well as a number of Picatinny rails on the top cover, handguard and under the fake suppressor. These new rifles are also compatible with AR-15 receiver extensions, stocks and grips. All civilian Vintorez replicas made by TOZ are chambered in the original 9x39mm caliber.

Molot Arms MA-Vintorez Series

Another company that has been working on civilian Vintorez replicas is Molot Arms (not to be confused with Molot Oruzhie – the manufacturer of Vepr rifles). Molot Arms offers Vintorez clones chambered in 7.62x39mm and 9x39mm. They also sell a deactivated VSS Vintorez.

Airsoft Vintorez Clone by 9×39

9×39 is the brand name of one of the companies exhibiting at the show. I saw the company name and the displayed OTs-14 Groza, AS VAL and VSS Vintorez rifles and thought how could I miss a new player in this market? When I started talking to the company officials I was amazed to learn that these are airsoft guns. They are so well made and look so authentic that I couldn’t tell the difference until they told me about it. Apparently, it is not just me – according to the folks over 9×39, even law enforcement and military personnel who actually use the VSS Vintorez, mostly can’t tell the difference even when these airsoft guns are placed next to the real ones.

And that’s the brief overview of the current civilian Vintorez market in Russia. We’ll keep following the developments and reporting the news to our readers.