The PP-919 submachine gun is produced in the Republic of Belarus by a company “Kidma tec” Ltd. This submachine gun is officially adopted by the Belorussian military, and it represents an interesting international collaboration project.
The PP-919 submachine gun is based on a VPO-185 semi-automatic pistol caliber carbine, which is a product of the Russian “VPO Molot” factory. The PP-919 also sports a modified lower receiver, produced in Russia by a company L.A.C. (Leikom Armory Customs), plus some local modifications, including a select-fire trigger unit.
PP-919 submachine gun uses a simple blowback action, and fires from a closed bolt. Its hammer-fired trigger unit is based on a traditional Kalashnikov AK design, with many trigger parts being interchangeable with an AK. The three position safety-fire selector levers are smaller, though, and are located on both sides of a lower receiver for ambidextrous handling.
Both upper and lower receivers are made from aluminum alloy. Gun uses 30-round plastic magazines, compatible with Russian-made Vityaz-SN submachine gun and Saiga-9 pistol caliber carbine. As such, there is no last round bolt hold-open device. The charging handle reciprocates along with the bolt, and can be easily installed on either side of the gun according to the users’ preference.
Interestingly enough, instead of the original fully retractable stock, found on the VPO-185 carbine, the PP-919 is fitted with a partially retractable M4-carbine type stock, making the gun bulkier. On the other hand, the M4 style stock is more comfortable to fire than the original VPO-185 stock. Gun is provided with an integral Picatinny rail on the top of an upper receiver. Various sights (iron, red dot or any combination) are mounted on the Picatinny rail. The barrel is threaded at the muzzle to accept a sound suppressor.
PP-919 submachine gun, basic specification
Special thanks to Ruslan Hooke.