OZ-14 Grosa

OZ-14 Grosa
general information
Military designation:	OZ-14 Grosa
Country of operation:	Russia
Developer / Manufacturer:	ZKIB SOO: Valery Telesch and Yuri Lebedew
Development year:	1992
Manufacturer country:	Russia
Production time:	since 1994
Model variants:	OZ-14-4A ; OZ-14-4A-01 ; OZ-14-4A-02 ; OZ-14-4A-03
Weapon Category:	Assault rifle
Furnishing
Overall length:	610 (OZ-14-4A), ; 565 (OZ-14-4A-01), ; 500 (OZ-14-4A-02) or ; 720 (OZ-14-4A-03) mm
Total height:	294 (OZ-14-4A without grenade launcher), ; 266 (OZ-14-4A with grenade launcher), ; 350 (OZ-14-1A without grenade launcher) or ; 320 (OZ-14-1A with grenade launcher) mm
Total width:	60 (OZ-14-4A without grenade launcher), ; 75 (OZ-14-4A with grenade launcher), ; 70 (OZ-14-1A without grenade launcher) or ; 80 (OZ-14-1A with grenade launcher) mm
Weight: (unloaded)	2.7 (OZ-14-4A-01 and OZ-14-4A-02) or 3.6 (OZ-14-4A and OZ-14-4A-03) kg
Barrel length :	240 (Grosa-4) or ; 415 (Grosa-1) mm
Technical specifications
Caliber :	9 × 39 mm (Grosa-4) or 7.62 × 39 mm (Grosa-1)
Possible magazine fillings :	20 (Grosa-4) or 30 (Grosa-1) cartridges
Ammunition supply :	Change magazine
Cadence :	700 (Grosa-4) or 750 (Grosa-1) rounds / min
Fire types:	Single, continuous fire, bursts of fire
Visor :	Open sights / PSO / PSO-1 / etc.
Closure :	Turret lock
Charging principle:	Gas pressure charger
Lists on the subject

The OZ-14 Grosa ( Russian ОЦ-14 Гроза ) is a Russian bullpup assault rifle with multiple fire modes in caliber 7.62 × 39 mm and 9 × 39 mm subsonic. It was developed in the 1990s at ZKIB-SOO (Central Design and Research Office for Sports and Hunting Guns) in Tula . The weapon is colloquially known as OZ-14 or OZ-14 “Grosa” (“thunderstorm”). There is a variant derived from the OZ-14-4A "Grosa-4", the TKB-0239 (ТКБ-0239), also known as OZ-14-1A "Grosa-1" , for the caliber 7.62 × 39 mm .

history

Work on the OZ-14-4A project began in December 1992. The chief developers of the weapon were Valery Telesch, responsible for the GP-25 and GP-30 underflow grenade launchers, and Yuri Lebedev. The team should develop an integrated system that should combine all the benefits of weapons for the shortest combat distances in a single weapon based on the AKS-74U . The first prototypes were ready for testing within a year and the weapon was ready for series production in early 1994.

The weapon was presented to the public in April 1994 at the MILIPOL fair in Moscow and shortly afterwards it was put into service by the Russian Interior Ministry. The success of the OZ-14-4A in the hands of the Interior Ministry troops caught the attention of the Russian Defense Ministry, which was also looking for such a weapon. After a test phase, the weapon was added to the arsenal of the Spetsnaz , some paratrooper units and specialized combat units such as the pioneers . The weapon should originally be able to fire the four calibers 5.45 × 39 mm , 5.56 × 45 mm , 7.62 × 39 mm and 9 × 39 mm. This idea was abandoned and the assault rifle was designed for the 9 × 39 caliber to meet the Interior Ministry's requirements for a melee weapon for use in Chechnya .

Design details

mechanism

The OZ-14-4A is a handgun system based on the AKS-74U. The rifle offers several modes of fire, is air-cooled and is loaded with magazines. It is a gas pressure charger with a rotating head lock .

particularities

The components of the OZ-14-4A are 75% identical to those of the AKS-74U. The basic components of the weapon are borrowed directly from the AKS-74U and have only been changed slightly, simplifying the overall design and making the weapon significantly cheaper. The design of the weapon is modular, which allows one of the four weapon versions to be assembled according to the needs of the mission. The bullpup layout improves balance and makes the gun easier to carry. The handle is shifted forward which makes the assault rifle compact so it can be carried concealed and it is balanced so well that it can also be fired with just one hand like a pistol.

The weapon is shooting and has a hammer. She only has one print; a three-position fire mode selection and safety switch on the left side of the system box sets whether the trigger fires the rifle or grenade launcher, or whether it is on. The assault rifle has an open sight in the handle, which consists of a sliding rear sight, pre-calibrated for distances of 50 to 200 m, and a front sight. Aiming with the underflow grenade launcher is done with a fold-out visor. The weapon can be equipped with various optical aiming aids, such as the PSO-1 telescopic sight, which can be mounted directly on the carrying handle, or, as with early models, on a mounting option on the left side of the system box. The OZ-14-4A has a ridge for night vision optics on which all common night vision optics can be mounted.

equipment

The weapon is delivered in an aluminum transport case with equipment and accessories for a wide range of tactical situations. The transport case contains, among other things, two different handles and trigger groups, one for use with the modified GP-25/30 underflow grenade launcher and another for use without a grenade launcher. When the underflow grenade launcher is installed, the rifle / grenade launcher system is operated with a common trigger. A selector switch on the left side of the handle near the trigger guard allows the user to choose between the rifle barrel or the grenade launcher barrel. If the underflow grenade launcher is not mounted, it is replaced by a front vertical handle. Also included in the standard equipment are a muffler and a quick mount, shorter barrel for use with the muffler if maximum compactness is desired.

variants

OZ-14-1A Grosa-1 - main model in caliber 7.62 × 39 mm M43; uses the same magazines as the AK-47 / AKM assault rifle family. The weapon in this caliber, originally only used experimentally, was later introduced by the army in 1998 to paratroopers, engineers and Spetsnaz troops. It has a longer range and stopping effect than the subsonic version
and can use cheaper and already stocked ammunition.
- OZ-14-1A-01 - Carabiner variant with a short barrel and a front vertical handle.
- OZ-14-1A-02 - Special carabiner variant with a short barrel with a silencer thread.
- OZ-14-1A-03 - Special sniper variant with a short barrel, silencer thread and a mounting option for telescopic sights on the handle.
- OZ-14-1A-04 7,62 / 40 - grenade launcher variant with long barrel and a GP-30 underflow grenade launcher.

OZ-14-2A - Experimental model in caliber 5.45 × 39 mm M74. Was dropped because of the lack of stopping power compared to the M43 and 9 × 39 mm subsonic models.

OZ-14-3A - Experimental model in caliber 5.56 × 45 mm NATO. Did not go into production due to lack of interest from the military and the company's overseas customers.

OZ-14-4A Grosa-4 - main model in caliber 9 × 39 mm subsonic; uses the same 20- round magazines as the AS Wal assault rifle and the Wintores sniper rifle . Introduced in 1994 to the OMON Special Forces of the Ministry of the Interior.

OZ-14-4A-01 - Carabiner variant with a short barrel and a front vertical handle.

OZ-14-4A-02 - Special carabiner variant with short barrel and silencer thread .

OZ-14-4A-03 - Special sniper variant with a short barrel, silencer thread and a mounting option for telescopic sights on the handle.

OZ-14-4A-04 9/40 - Grenade launcher variant with a long barrel and a GP-30 underflow grenade launcher.

advantages

Compactness, relatively low weight and the bullpup layout ensure good balance and reduced tearing.
Just as reliable as the Kalashnikov assault rifle, as the interior is based on the same design.
9 × 39 mm -SP-5 and SP-6 subsonic bullets, together with the supplied silencer, enable very quiet shooting.
The heavy 9 mm bullet (16 g) has a high stopping effect.
Good precision, together with a high damage potential and good penetration power of the projectiles and a decent rate of fire enable reliable combat against targets with ballistic protective vests of class III and targets behind cover.
The modular structure makes it possible to convert the system into an assault rifle, a close combat assault rifle , a grenade launcher or a sniper rifle.
The subsonic speed of the 9 × 39 mm projectiles makes them surprisingly useful for close combat situations, with the Grosa being no exception.

disadvantage

The short distance between the rear sight and the front sight makes aiming difficult. The rapidly falling trajectory of the 9 × 39 mm projectiles makes it difficult to select the target point.
The bullpup layout makes changing magazines difficult.
The 9 × 39 mm subsonic version has only a small magazine capacity with 20 rounds.
Using a common trigger for both the assault rifle and the grenade launcher slows down the change between the two types of projectile.
The side mounting options for various optical aiming aids must be mounted separately.
For variants without a grenade launcher, the center of gravity shifts.
Left-handed shooting is impossible as the cases are ejected close to the face on the right side of the gun.
The center of gravity is in the pistol grip and loads the right hand, which reduces precision.

literature

Charlie Cutsha: The New World of Russian Small Arms & Ammo . Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado 1998, ISBN 0-87364-993-1 , pp. 21-26 .
Ilya Shaydurov: Russian firearms . Types. Technology. Data. 1st edition. Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-613-03187-6 .