A bit of history where space program met firearms history.
Space Gun
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WestKentucky
Member
The TP-82 is a really neat idea. It’s a shame that they haven’t been marketed to general public (at least in notable quantity). I cannot however hard I try imagine facing a Russian bear with one of these guns. It seems almost silly considering the size of the bruins that exist there.
OP
OP
Yep, 5.45 seems kinda the wrong caliber. OTOH, I haven't seen a discussion of what shells were carried and whether there was a combination of poppers, flares, or rounds intended to scare off a bear along with shot and slugs.
Tommygunn
Member
WheelGunMan
Member
That would make a nice nightstand gun.
lysanderxiii
Member
The 23mm Nudelman-Rikhter R-23M mounted in the Salyut-3/Almaz was a far more interesting "Space Gun".
entropy
Member
Al Ljutic covered it best:
That Soviet gun resembles the German LP-42 Flare Pistol:
That Soviet gun resembles the German LP-42 Flare Pistol:
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Ks5shooter
Contributing Member
I own a Ljutic Spacegun its cool to shoot and gets a lot of attention on the trapline.
Sovblocgunfan
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At one point the cosmonauts were supplied with a plain ol’ AKM for survival purposes after landing in the forest.
Carl N. Brown
Member
The story goes that two Soviet cosmonauts' capsule blew hundreds of kilometers off course and they spent the night holded up in the capsule during a blizzard in wolf-infested forest with just a 9mm pistol, not suited for bear or wolf (or foraging for that matter). (Alexei Leonov, Pavel Belyayev, Voskhod 2 Mission, 1965)
TP-82 Cosmonaut survival pistol - Wikipedia
The shotgun barrels are listed as 12.5x70mm or 40 gauge (about .50x2.3 inch). The survival kit machete in its sheath served as a detachable buttstock.
I believe by 2007 the flare ammo originally manufactured exclusively for the TP-82 was found deteriorated and rather than make new flares, they retired the gun from the survival kit and replaced it with a 9mm pistol and hand-held flare launchers.
(I have always been fascinated by air crew survival weapons and their use as backup in hiking, hunting, camping, boating, brush piloting.)
TP-82 Cosmonaut survival pistol - Wikipedia
The shotgun barrels are listed as 12.5x70mm or 40 gauge (about .50x2.3 inch). The survival kit machete in its sheath served as a detachable buttstock.
I believe by 2007 the flare ammo originally manufactured exclusively for the TP-82 was found deteriorated and rather than make new flares, they retired the gun from the survival kit and replaced it with a 9mm pistol and hand-held flare launchers.
(I have always been fascinated by air crew survival weapons and their use as backup in hiking, hunting, camping, boating, brush piloting.)
IIRC, John Glenn had a SW Model 39 with him. If I have this incorrect, let me know, it is just a memory.
BTW, the US did a whole lot of research on what would be edible if our guys landed in the rain forest. Classic studies on hitting bugs.
BTW, the US did a whole lot of research on what would be edible if our guys landed in the rain forest. Classic studies on hitting bugs.
Steel Horse Rider
Member
I have an old newspaper article that I recently ran across that spoke of the rescue capsule for the original International Space Station, it worked but it generally broke the spines of those inside when landing. Worrying about a bear is probably the last thing on your mind if you know your spine is broken....
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