PP-19 Bizon

PP-19 Bizon
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
In service	1996–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Dagestan conflict[citation needed] Second Chechen War[citation needed] 2008 South Ossetia war[citation needed] 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine[citation needed]
Production history
Designer	Victor Kalashnikov, Alexei Dragunov
Designed	1993–1995
Manufacturer	Izhmash
Produced	1996–present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	2.1 kg (4.63 lb)
Length	660 mm (26.0 in) stock extended / 425 mm (16.7 in) stock folded (Bizon) 690 mm (27.2 in) stock extended / 460 mm (18.1 in) stock folded (Bizon-2)
Barrel length	195 mm (7.7 in) (Bizon) 230 mm (9.1 in) (Bizon-2 9×18mm Makarov) 225 mm (8.9 in) (Bizon-2-01 9×19mm Parabellum)
Cartridge	9×18mm Makarov 9×19mm Parabellum .380 ACP (9×17mm Short) 7.62×25mm Tokarev
Action	Blowback, closed bolt
Rate of fire	650–700 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	320 m/s (1,050 ft/s) (9×18mm Makarov) 380 m/s (1,246.7 ft/s) (9×19mm Parabellum)
Effective firing range	100 m (9×18mm Makarov) 200 m (9×19mm Parabellum)
Feed system	64-round helical magazine (9×18mm Makarov) 53-round helical magazine (9×19mm Parabellum) (Bizon-2-01)
Sights	Open front post, rear flip-up notch

The PP-19 Bizon (Russian: Пистолет Пулемёт Бизон, Pistolet Pulemyot Bizon, Pistol Submachine Gun "Bison") is a 9×18mm Makarov submachine gun developed in 1993 by the Russian company Izhmash. The Bizon was designed by a team of engineers headed by Victor Kalashnikov (son of engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov, creator of the AK-47) and including Alexei Dragunov (youngest son of Yevgeny Dragunov, the creator of the SVD sniper rifle).^[1][2][3]

The Bizon was developed at the request of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD)^[3] and is primarily intended for counter-terrorist and law enforcement units that need fast and accurate fire at close ranges. It features a distinctive helical magazine under the barrel that can hold 64 rounds. Prototypes were trialed by the Special Equipment Research Institute in 1995 where they outperformed several competitors, and the weapon was accepted into service on 28 December 1996.

The Bizon is issued to armed response units of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Ministry of Justice in Russia. It was used in combat operations against separatists in the North Caucasus region, namely Chechnya and Dagestan.^{[citation needed]} The Bizon has been largely replaced by the PP-19-01 Vityaz in Russian service, which was developed directly from the design of the Bizon, due to reliability issues with the helical magazine.