AEK-906 Nosorog

     Notes: It is not known when design work began on the AEK-906 Nosorog (Rhinoceros) began, but it was first observed by the West in the mid 1990s at arms shows.  The AEK-906 as an unusual design: unlike most revolvers, where the barrel is aligned with the top of the cylinder, the AEK-906’s barrel is aligned with the bottom of the cylinder.  This unusual design improves the balance of the weapon as well as providing a stable platform on top of the revolver for the mounting of optics and other sights.  It also makes the AEK-906 a very strong weapon.  Since the AEK-906 is designed for the rimless 9mm Makarov cartridge, the AEK-906 is loaded using steel full-moon clips, which allow ejection of rounds using the ejection rod.  The AEK-906 may be fired in single-action or double action modes; despite the fact that the hammer does not protrude far, it is reportedly easy to use in single-action mode due to the wide hammer.  Though the AEK-906 is designed for 9mm Makarov ammunition, it is definitely not recommended that 9mm Hi-Impulse ammunition be used with the AEK-906; this has been tried, but generally results in cylinder damage and/or burst barrels.  Standard sights consist of a front fixed blade and a rear notch; neither are adjustable.  Construction is largely of steel, though it does have polymer wrap-around grips similar in appearance to those on the Udar-S.

     A variant of the AEK-906, the AEK-906-1, is designed to fire the 9mm Parabellum round.  As with the AEK-906, firing +P, +P+, or even the Russian-designed armor-piercing 9mm Parabellum ammunition now available are not recommended for use with the AEK-906-1.  As with the AEK-906, the the AEK-906-1 is loaded using steel full-moon clips.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This revolver does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Izhmash MP-412 Rex

     Notes: This revolver was originally designed for export to civilians, though foreign police forces were later also targeted for sales; in Russia herself, handgun ownership is generally prohibited.  (The name “Rex” in fact stands for “Revolver for Export.”)  the Rex was first shown at the IWS-2000 arms expedition in Nurnberg, Germany; however, shortly thereafter, the project appears to have been killed.  This is unfortunate, because the Rex has a number of western-friendly features that would be considered modern in the West. Such as ergonomic rubber wrap-around stippled grips (though they are ridged on the backstrap), it has a heavy-lugged bull-profile barrel, and an adjustable rear sight. It has an unusual top-break design; breaking the weapon open ejects all shells (or unfired rounds) in the cylinder.  The biggest probable reason for its withdrawal is the glut of .357 Magnum revolvers on the market; but another may be the prohibition of most Russian small arms to the US in the mid-1990s, due to an agreement between Clinton and Yeltsin.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Rex’s were often carried by high-ranking Russian officers, as much as a status symbol as a personal weapon.  Their number were never high in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

MOLOT DOG-1

     Notes: The DOG-1 was possibly at first designed in competition to the Udar, or perhaps for use by different troops; regardless of its origin, it is essentially a similar weapon using similar ammunition and used by the same sort of personnel.  As with the the Udar, the DOG-1 fires modified small-bore brass-cased shotgun shells (though the original caliber is unknown in this case).  The design is similar to the basic Udar, though larger and with a 3.5-inch barrel.  The cylinder is also conventional, with a swing-out cylinder with an ejection rod for case removal, and the DOB-1 uses rimmed instead of the rimless rounds of the Udar.  Also like the Udar, the DOG-1 may be fired in single-action or double-action mode.  The DOG-1 is largely of steel construction, with a checkered plastic grip.  The caliber of the DOG-1 is slightly larger than the Udar, but all rounds have the same length.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*These rounds cause mostly nonlethal damage, even to an unarmored target; the target of a rubber bullet will heal half the damage he takes at the rate of one hit point per hour, and rest as normal blunt trauma damage; the target of a baton round will heal 3/4 of the damage he takes at the rate of one hit point per hour, and the rest as normal blunt trauma damage.

Nagant Model 1895

     Notes: The Model 1895 is actually the brainchild of Emile and Leon Nagant, two Belgian brothers who also designed several other similar revolvers. The Model 1895 was originally produced for cavalry officers in the Tsar's army, and still sometimes can be found among Soviet general officers. Though it was officially discontinued in the 1930s, it remained in production throughout World War 2. An unusual user was North Korea, who used them during the Korean War. Recently, it has become somewhat popular on the military surplus market, particularly in the US. It uses a complicated gas-seal system, in which the cylinder moves forward, the chamber telescopes into the bolt, and the bullet is seated below the mouth of the case.  This complicated system was supposed to solve a revolver's problem of gas leakage around the cylinder, but in fact has no effect. The Model 1895 was produced in both single- and double-action versions; single-action versions were issued to enlisted men and as handguns were not common among enlisted men of the time, the single-action Model 1895 is relatively rare.  Finishes were primarily blued, with either walnut grip plates or later, plastic grip plates (usually black in color) and a lanyard ring on the butt.

     The standard Model 1895 used a 4.35-inch barrel, but an extremely rare version was built with a shorter 3.5-inch barrel, a smaller front sight and a simple trough rear sight, and a shorter grip.  These versions are always double-action, and less likely to be blued.  These versions were made during the Stalin regime for the KGB.  They are otherwise identical to the standard Model 1895.

     A third version, converted from standard Model 1895s, was re-chambered for .22 Long Rifle rounds.  These conversions were done between 1925 and 1947 as Model 1895s were being replaced by pistols; the purpose was to produce a training handgun.  These versions were always double-action.  Another rimfire variant of the Model 1895 was built for competition and target shooting; this version is for the most part similar to the Training model, but has an astounding 12-inch barrel and adjustable sights (and is very rare these days).

     A fourth version, built well into the 1990s, was not issued to standard troops, but only to those competing in marksmanship competitions (and therefore called the Target Model).  It was also sold on the export market, though it had little success there.  The Target Model has a 5-inch bull barrel and have been altered to operate only in single-action mode.  They have a target-type rosewood ergonomic grip, often tailored to a particular shooter.  They normally must have the team’s or shooter’s armorers rework the trigger action heavily – a Target Model off the manufacturer’s line could have a trigger with an astounding pull weight of 20 pounds!  The sights, however, are generally regarded as excellent, including a micrometer-adjustable rear sight.

OTs-01 Kobalt

     Notes: The OTs-01 Kobalt was designed by Igor Stechkin and Boris Avramov; it is a development of their first version of this revolver, known as the RSA, and is thus also often called the RSA.  The OTs-01 was designed for use by MVA troops, and was first issued to them in 1992.  The OTs-01 is meant to be a cheaper (in real-life terms) adjunct to the Tula R-92; in fact, the service life of the OTs-01 is shockingly low, said to be as little as 3000 rounds.  The Russian police quickly rid themselves of the Kobolt due to its poor barrel life, but found its second wind as a weapon for bodyguards and private security companies.

     The OTs-01 is largely a conventional revolver; however, loading is unusual.  The OTs-01 is loaded using 3-round half-moon clips, but the clips actually load every other chamber.  This means that when the OTs-01 is fully loaded, the two clips actually cover each other.  Unlike the R-92, it is not possible to load or fire the OTs-01 without these clips.  The OTs-01 may be fired using single or double-action, and in addition, the OTs-01 has something most revolvers don’t have – a safety catch, which locks the hammer and prevents the cylinder from rotating.  Construction of the OTs-01 is largely of low-quality steel with plastic grips, and the grip plates may be replaced with ones of several different shapes and sizes. 

     The OTs-01S is the same revolver, but chambered for .380 ACP instead of 9mm Makarov.  It should be noted that this is the only chambering allowed to be used for the Kobolt by the private sector.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The OTs-01 is in limited use by the KGB and Russian police forces; the OTs-01S does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

OTs-20 Gnom

     Notes: Similar in concept to the Udar and AEK-906, the OTs-20 Gnom (Gnome) is larger than either of those two weapons, with a 5.5-inch barrel.  The Gnom uses a sturdy steel frame with checkered plastic grips.  There is a mount under the barrel and forward of the cylinder for a laser pointer sight (not included in the cost of the weapon), the design of this laser pointer sight is exclusive to the Gnom and will not fit on other known weapons without some tinkering.  The grip of the Gnom has a pressure switch for use when the laser pointer is mounted.  Like the Udar and AEK-906, the Gnom may be fired in single-action or double-action modes; it uses a wide exposed hammer and a cylinder that swings out for reloading.  Only three types of rounds are available for the Gnom, but the longer barrel length makes them somewhat more effective. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Gnom is an extremely rare weapon in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Tula R-92

     Notes: Developed specifically for use by undercover officers of the MVD (the inheritor of the KGB’s job in Russia), the R-92 is designed for concealed carry, with an almost-totally shrouded hammer (only a grooved surface protrudes slightly above the frame when the hammer is forward), smooth profile, sights consisting of a tiny bump at the front and a groove recessed into the frame at the rear, a small cylinder, and textured, wrap-around rubber grips to give the shooter a good hold on the R-92.  The R-92 fires rimless 9mm Makarov rounds; normally, these are loaded using full-moon clips, but they may be loaded and fired without using the clip.  If this is done, however, the spent shells must be removed individually by rotating the cylinder one shell at a time, and then using the ejection rod to eject each round.  The R-92 may be fired in single-action or double action modes, though single-action fire is reputedly quite difficult due to the low profile of the hammer when it is forward.

     The R-92KS is virtually identical, but is chambered for the .380 ACP round instead of 9mm Makarov.  (Note: 9mm Makarov Hi-Power rounds should NEVER be fired from the R-92.)

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Udar

     Notes: The Udar (Blow) is an unusual revolver firing an unusual cartridge.  It fires a special cartridge based on brass-cased 32-gauge shotgun shells.  The Russians describe the Udar as a “multipurpose revolver,” specifically designed for use by riot police, SRT-type teams, and by civilian, police, and military security forces.  It has also seen limited use by Spetsnaz and the Ministry of the Interior’s Alpha Teams.

     There are currently three known models of the Udar: the basic Udar, which has a shrouded hammer, sharply-raked grip and dehorned exterior, allowing it to be more easily carried in a concealed manner and drawn without snagging; the Udar-S, a service model with an exposed hammer and a more conventional grip angle; and the Udar-TS, which is a training version which can fire only blanks, soft rubber bullets, or paint-pellet bullets.  The Udar-TS cannot fire the rounds used by the Udar or Udar-S (the cylinder of the Udar-TS is too short); however, a conversion kit allows either the Udar or Udar-TS to be converted the Udar-TS (and vice-versa).  (The Udar-TS will not otherwise be covered here.)

     The Udar and Udar-S are otherwise quite similar; they are built largely of steel, with a polymer wrap-around grip.  Both may be fired in single-action or double action modes (according to Russian literature; I can’t personally figure out how one fires a revolver with a shrouded hammer such as the Udar-S in single-action mode).  The trigger guard is large and bulged at the front, helping the index finger of the nonfiring hand to steady the revolver.  The rounds are loaded into the Udar using full-moon clips; in addition, the cylinders themselves are completely removable, allowing an Udar to be reloaded as quickly as a magazine-fed weapon.  The barrel, a mere 2.5 inches long, along with the light weight and large caliber of the Udar, unfortunately leads to a revolver with considerable recoil, barrel climb, and muzzle flash.

     An incredible variety of cartridges are available for the Udar, ranging from simple ball rounds to irritant gas rounds to what are essentially very small buckshot rounds.  Though the cylinder of the Udar and Udar-S are of fixed length, the cartridges themselves come in a variety of lengths, ranging from what is essentially a low-recoil cartridge 22mm long to the standard ball cartridge, which is 50mm long.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Udar and Udar-S are rather rare weapons; the ammunition is even rarer.

*These rounds cause mostly nonlethal damage, even to an unarmored target; a the target of a rubber bullet will heal half the damage he takes at the rate of one hit point per hour, and rest as normal blunt trauma damage; the target of a baton round will heal 3/4 of the damage he takes at the rate of one hit point per hour, and the rest as normal blunt trauma damage.