Osa (handgun)

OSA (ОСА, "wasp") is a family of Russian non-lethal pistols that can be also used as flare gun, flashbang gun or starting pistol. The system consists of the gun (2-4 cartridges, laser target pointer, electronic ignition capsule), and various ammunition types.

OSA was developed in the 1990s by engineer-constructor and weapon designer G.A. Bideev (Г.А. Бидеев). It was designed and is manufactured by state owned organizations Federal Center for Research and Manufacturing and The Institute for Science and Research in the Applied Chemistry. The pistol is available on the civil market.

Design details
The PB-4 is a four-barreled break-action gun of original design. It has two horizontal "8"-shaped chambers in its aluminum chambers block, each housing two rounds. There is no need for separated chamber for each round, because gas pressure is contained within thick cylindrical case (external case diameter is 18mm while bullet caliber is 15.3mm), thus chamber support is not needed. Would the round be unlawfully redesigned to increase its power, this will prevent normal use of the gun. The case also performs the function of the barrel, with the bullet positioned deep inside and accelerating within the case. The front end of the case is in level with front end of the chamber block when in firing position. There is a four-fingered extractor in the central channel of the chamber block. Cases are rimless and have an extractor groove. Extractor keeps cases from falling forward outside of chamber block. When action is opened, cases are extracted backwards for manual reloading. The trigger and trigger guard are fixed to lower side of the chambers block.

Chamber block is locked to the handle block with locking surface, firing button (pushed by trigger when chamber block is locked), pistol grip, battery and electronics. Primers are ignited electrically, so there are four circular contact plates on the locking surface (contacting with case bottom) and four contact pins in the center of each plate (contacting with primer). On the trigger pull an impulse is generated. Electronic firing mechanism is able to send firing impulses in sequence to the chambers from 1 to 4 and to skip chambers with malfunctioning rounds to avoid misfires. Weapon is only capable of single-shot firing mode. There are different modifications of PB-4, on some firing mechanism is fed by a battery, on others - by a sort of muscular generator similar with kitchen spark device (a spring is compressed during the trigger pull and electrical impulse is generated by its release).

There is a simple sight assembly atop the chamber block - a semi-cylindrical groove along it and white forward post at the front end of the groove. Some variants of PB-4 have built-in laser sight with laser window in the center of the "locking surface" and the beam following central extractor channel of the chamber block. Laser switch on the left side of the handle block is operated by the thumb. Laser is fed by a battery inside the pistol grip. There are no safety switches - locked and loaded weapon is always ready to fire (for some modifications battery should be live, though)

Non-lethality
A person shot from about 1 meter with an 18x45T OSA pistol to the temporal region of the head suffered a penetrative injury, with the bullet traversing most of the brain, reducing the victim to a vegetative state.

Variants

 * PB-4 "OSA" (ПБ-4 "ОСА") - first model, 18×45 mm cartridge, production started in 1999
 * PB-4M (ПБ-4М) - second model, 18×45 mm cartridge, production started in 2002
 * PB-4-1 (ПБ-4-1) - model with built-in laser sight, 18×45 mm cartridge, production started in 2003
 * PB-4-1ML (ПБ-4-1МЛ) - new model with built-in laser sight, 18×45 mm cartridge, production started in 2005
 * PB-4-2 (ПБ-4-2) - new model, 18.5×55 mm cartridge
 * PB-4SP (ПБ-4СП) - "service model", 18.5×60 mm cartridge, in 2005 adopted by Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation as service weapon for several categories of Russian law enforcement (Moscow Metropolitan post and patrol Militia unit, etc.), later it was adopted as service weapon for military police units
 * PB-4-3 "Compact" (ПБ-4-3 "Компакт") - new model, production started in 2013

Legal status

 * 🇷🇺 Russia - The use of non-lethal weapons in Russia is permitted to civil population, and it is also used by private security and law control forces.
 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan - The use of non-lethal weapons in Kazakhstan is permitted to civil population, and it is also used by private security guards
 * 🇩🇪 Germany - after exposition "Enforce Tac-2013" (Nurenberg, 7–8 March 2013) several OSA handguns were ordered for German police

Cartridges
A set of «OSA» consists of several types of cartridges, intended for self-defense (and traumatic light-and-sound) and illumination.
 * 18×45T (18×45T) - traumatic cartridge equipped 15.3 mm rubber bullet in aluminum case. The traumatic cartridge contains an 11.6 g bullet, made of rubber and having a metal reinforcing core. This bullet has an initial speed of about 120 m / s and a muzzle energy of about 85 J. The bullet causes a shock when it hits the target.
 * 18×45 O (18×45 O) - white flash (105 candela)
 * 18×45 S (18×45 С) - a signal cartridge in aluminum case with coloured (yellow, red or green) flare
 * 18×45 SZ (18×45 СЗ) - light-and-sound cartridge in aluminum case contains a special charge, providing an extremely loud and bright shot, produced since 2004
 * 18×45 I (18×45 И) - tear gas cartridge (capsaicin + CN), produced since 2005
 * 18×45 Pr. (18×45 Пр.) - inert version of cartridge in aluminum case used for education and practice during training
 * 18×45 SM (18×45 СМ, "патрон фейерверочный") - aerial firework cartridge in aluminum case
 * 18×45 RSh (18×45 РШ) - traumatic cartridge equipped 12 g rubber bullet, produced since 2010. The traumatic cartridge contains a 22 mm bullet, made of rubber without a metal reinforcing core in aluminum case and has a muzzle energy of about 100 J
 * 18×45 «A+A» - traumatic cartridge equipped 15.3 mm rubber bullet in plastic case. The traumatic cartridge contains a bullet, made of rubber and having a metal reinforcing core. This bullet has a muzzle energy of about 91 J.
 * 18×45 RG (18×45 РГ) - traumatic cartridge equipped rubber bullet in composite case. The traumatic cartridge contains an 11.6 g bullet, made of rubber and having a metal reinforcing core
 * 18.5×55T (18.5×55T) - traumatic cartridge equipped 15.7 mm rubber bullet in aluminum case. The traumatic cartridge contains a 13.2 g bullet

The pistol launcher itself generates an electric pulse to ignite the gunpowder charge.