Production of the new weapon, officially adopted as the Pistolet-Pulemyot Sudayeva (PPS) of 1942, began in late 1942 in besieged Leningrad. It was noticeably less expensive to make, much more controllable because of its lower rate of fire, and lighter and more comfortable to carry. The Sudayev was superior to the PPSh-41 in many respects. It was simple, reliable and controllable when fired. By mid-July of that year, the prototype designed by Alexei Sudayev was selected as the best weapon overall. Several designers submitted prototype weapons to the new trials that began in February 1942. Other requirements included less weight and a reduced cyclic rate of fire of 400 to 500 rounds per minute. In late 1941, the Red Army requested development of a more compact weapon with a folding stock for tank crews and other military personnel for whom the wood-stocked PPSh-41 was too bulky. This new weapon was officially adopted for Red Army service in December 1940 as the Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagina (PPSh) of 1941. Recognizing those shortcomings, Georgy Shpagin began developing a simpler and less expensive weapon in early 1940. It was expensive to manufacture and somewhat complicated in design. However, despite its merits, the PPD had several shortcomings. Several months later, the PPD was further updated with changes in the stock, magazine housing and drum magazine to become the PPD-40. To better match its Finnish rival, Degtyaryov copied the Suomi’s 71-round drum and modified it for the PPD-34/38. Consequently in January 1940, the PPD was officially adopted as a standard infantry weapon for the Red Army. Executive orders for resuming mass production of the PPD were issued in late December 1939. The change in attitude toward submachine guns was almost instant. The Finnish Army fought with fierce strength and courage, and for the first time, the Red Army discovered the military usefulness of submachine guns, as its troops were on the receiving end of the Finnish Suomi guns. The Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland, which started in late 1939 because of a territorial dispute, brought a big surprise to Red Army commanders. Production was also stopped, but not for long. After internal political struggles, early in 1939, all submachine guns were recalled from active Red Army units and put into storage. The PPD was a sound design, but its adoption met serious resistance from top brass who envisioned newly developed full-power, self-loading rifles as the future for Red Army infantry and considered submachine guns to be police or even gangster guns. Limited numbers were also procured for the border guard troops of the NKVD. After initial field experience, the design was slightly revised in 1938 to become the PPD-34/38. Furthermore, it was intended for arming officers and non-commissioned officers. Early in 1934, the Trials Commission recommended the new Degtyaryov, and in mid-1935, it was officially adopted by the Red Army as the Pistolet-Pulemyot Degtyaryova (PPD) of 1934. PPD-34/38īetween 19, the Red Army tested more than a dozen new 7.62x35mm submachine guns.
That allowed for significant savings on equipment and let workers remanufacture rejected rifle barrels into handgun barrels. More importantly, the round was similar in diameter to the infantry rifle caliber, allowing the same barrel-making equipment to work for pistols, subguns and rifles. One critical reason for choosing the 7.63x25mm Mauser was its popularity thanks to previous purchases of German-made Mauser C96 pistols in that caliber. In 1930, the Red Army finally standardized the slightly modified 7.63x25mm Mauser as its official ammunition for pistols and submachine guns. The Degtyaryov subgun used a top-mounted pan magazine that was bulky but well suited for feeding rimmed 7.62mm Nagant ammunition. Developed by Vasily Degtyaryov, it bore some resemblance to his new light machine gun, the DP-27.
The second submachine gun of Soviet design appeared in 1929. Soviet Pistols: 5 Combat Handguns Used by the Red Army