SPSh-44
The SPSh-44 is a Soviet signal pistol.
History
The gun was designed by G. S. Shpagin as a replacement for the previous models of the Red Army signal pistol.In 1943 he made first version of the gun - 26mm SPSh-43 flare pistol. In January 1944, The second version of this pistol was made - SPSh-2.
After tests and trials, in 1944 SPSh-2 flare gun was officially adopted as the new standard Red Army signal pistol. In May 1944 it began mass production as SPSh-44 signal pistol.
Later it became the standard flare gun in all Warsaw Pact countries.
In the mid-1970s, experimental cartridges for immobilization of wild animals for SPSh-44 signal pistol were made and tested.