The Shipka is a
9mm Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
n
submachine gun
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...
produced in 1996 by the Bulgarian company
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. The name is a reference to the famous
Shipka Pass
Shipka Pass ( bg, Шипченски проход, ) (el. 1150 m./3820 ft.) is a scenic mountain pass through the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It marks the border between Stara Zagora province and Gabrovo province. The pass connects the ...
, near Arsenal's
Kazanlak
Kazanlak ( bg, Казанлък , Thracian and Greek Σευθόπολις (''Seuthopolis''), tr, Kazanlık) is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountai ...
headquarters, in the
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
s where Bulgarian volunteers and Russian troops
defeated
Defeated may refer to:
* "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song)
* "Defeated" (Anastacia song)
*"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love''
*Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community
*''The Defeated
''The Defeated'', al ...
the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
during the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
of 1877, thereby liberating Bulgaria. The Shipka was developed for the Bulgarian police and military.
Design
The Shipka is a compact weapon originally intended for use by armored vehicle crews, pilots, and other shooters who might require either a close-quarter weapon or aimed shots at longer ranges.
The prototype and pre-production versions of the Shipka were chambered in
9×25mm Mauser
The 9×25mm Mauser (or 9mm Mauser Export) is a cartridge developed for the Mauser C96 service pistol around 1904 by DWM. Mauser pistols in this relatively powerful caliber were primarily intended for export to Africa, Asia, and South America.
The ...
and used a 30-round box
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
. Production versions were produced in
9×18mm Makarov
The 9×18mm Makarov (designated 9mm Makarov by the C.I.P. and often called 9×18mm PM) is a Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge. During the latter half of the 20th century it was a standard military pistol cartridge of the Soviet Union an ...
with a 32-round magazine. After Bulgaria's entry into NATO, a version chambered in
9×19mm Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge.
Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...
with a 25-round magazine was introduced.
The design is a straightforward blowback operation firing from open bolt. The lower receiver along with pistol grip and trigger guard is made from polymer, the upper receiver is made from steel. The simple buttstock is made from steel wire and folds to the left side of gun.
See also
*
Beretta M12
The Beretta M12 (Model 12) is a 9×19mm Parabellum caliber submachine gun designed by Beretta. Production started in 1959, the first users were the Italian Carabinieri, Italian State Police and the Guardia di Finanza, though in limited number, ...
*
Walther MP
The Walther MP (''Maschinenpistole'') series is a family of 9×19mm Parabellum machine pistols produced in West Germany from 1963 to 1985 by Walther.Hogg, Ian (2002). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. Jane's Information Group. .
History
In the lat ...
*
Interdynamic MP-9
The Interdynamic MP-9 is a blowback-operated, fully automatic 9 mm caliber firearm, classified by BATF as a submachine gun. It is made of inexpensive molded polymer and stamped steel parts. Ten-, 20-, 32-, 36- and 50-round magazines are availab ...
References
Firearms of Bulgaria
9×18mm Makarov submachine guns
9mm Parabellum submachine guns
Military equipment introduced in the 1990s
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