PPSh41Submachine gun (Pistolet-Pulemet Shpagina). It has a half stock made of wood and a steel barrel and barrel jacket which extends beyond the muzzle to act as a muzzle brake. The trigger and trigger guard are steel. Blowback mechanism. Fitted with a 71 round magazine and peep sight. The barrel has four grooves and a right-hand twist. The calibre is 7.62in. Inscribed on the barrel is the serial number 'K 3683' and on the barrel jacket is a shield within a star within '1945'. 'K 3683' is inscribed on the magazine, stock and trigger guard. Designed by George Shpagin in 1940, the PPSH41 met the need for an easily mass produced submachine gun. The barrels were mainly salvaged from quantities of obsolete M1891 rifles, each rifle barrel providing two sub-machine gun barrels. Although the PPSh41 is now obsolete in Russia, over five million were produced during the Second World War alone.