FSB SR-2 Veresk

The SR-2 Submachine Gun, also known as the SR-2M Veresk SMG, is a Russian model, designed on behest of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB). It has been under production since the mid 90s. The FSB's appetite for advanced firepower was whetted by the high capacity SR-1 9 mm self loading pistol, whose SP-10 (9x21) with AP steel core bullets could penetrate 30 Kevlar vests at 150 meters. They now wanted a submachine gun to fire this kind of ammunition and the Spetsialnaya Razrabotka 2 (read Special development #2) was precisely that. The FSB is known to involve itself in any number of situations that require the efficient termination of human life. The SR-2 submachine gun was precisely what they needed in a world that had taken to body armor with a will.

A submachine gun is basically a happy medium between the automatic fire capability of a machine gun and the convenience of a handgun. It employs ammunition actually designed for pistols and designers usually get quite innovative in making their creations adaptable to both hand-held and shoulder-supported firing. This is important in situations where the weapon might have to be carried for extended periods of time without being in actual use, such as in law enforcement situations. For this reason, they also need to be light enough not to become a burden and still robust enough to do some significant damage when they are needed. The Russians are extremely fond of this format of firepower. Post World War II, their armed forces featured entire battalions that were issued with almost nothing but submachine guns.

The SR-2 submachine gun, relatively lightweight despite its devastating stopping power, has been in use by Russian elite forces such as the FSB since 2000. It finds its highest rate of use in Russia's counter-terrorist operations and the country's escalating war against drug smuggling and organized crime. The SR-2 SMG is gas operated, with a long stroke gas piston. This is itself quite unusual in submachine guns but seems to work beautifully in the SR-2 SMG, whose receiver is made from stamped steel while the body is polymer. Some of its features are similar to the AK 47, with levers on either side of the gun operating the safety switch and fire mode selector.

It fires 9 x 21 mm Russian SP10/SP11 rounds, can operate in single shot and fully automatic mode and has a magazine capacity of either 20 or 30 rounds. It comes with nine magazines and four extra ammunition magazines. The SR-2 SMG package also includes a sound suppressor and the gun can accommodate a collimating red-dot sight. The entire weapon weighs 1.65 kilograms in unloaded condition. The SR-2 SMG is accurate at 100 meters, after which matters become chancier. However, as already stated, this deadly weapon can pierce body armor at quite a bit longer than that, and with a fully-charged 30 round magazine at the shooter's disposal, the margin of error is greatly reduced.

The SR-2 SMG has a stamped-steel shoulder stock that folds up and forward when it is not required. This makes it ideal for transport in a shoulder harnessWhen the stock is folded, the SMG measures 367 mm in length - the length increases to 603 mm when it is fully extended. With a firing rate of 900 rounds per minute, this SMG is a formidable beast to encounter under the wrong circumstances and it is not surprising that Russian elite forces swear by it. In fact, even more improvements have been made on the SR-2 SMG of late. At the MILIPOL QATAR-2002, in which the Rosoboronexport State Corporation organized the Russian exposition, the SR-2 Veresk 9 mm submachine gun was displayed with highly upgraded features. For instance, it had increased resilience against adverse weather conditions and has also been adapted to withstand a higher temperature range of ±50°C. In short, the SR-2 Veresk is now firmly entrenched as one of the most efficient submachine guns ever invented and there is a huge demand for it on the black market. Nothing is known about what such a unit actually costs but it is most definitely a prized collector's item.