The Ukrainian Inform Napalm OSINT community has published a report from the "Lynx" detachment of the Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR), a spetsnaz unit of the National Guard of russia. The document details the experimental operation of the Lebedev Modular Pistol (MPL) and provides a comprehensive review of this handgun, once considered as a potential replacement for the standard russian Makarov pistol.
Contrary to the Kalashnikov Concern's official message from March 2021, where russian gunsmiths reported successful state tests and recommended this gun for adoption by Rosgvardia, the recent report exposes various shortcomings in the new russian pistol. These issues shed light on the capabilities of the russian federation in developing such weaponry.
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The most interesting thing is that it is impossible to aim fire with a Lebedev pistol. The developers tinkered with mechanical sights so much that with standard aiming, based on aligning the front and rear sights, bullets consistently fall below the aiming point.
The Lebedev hit 10-12 cm lower than Glock-17 when fired by the same marksmen (and we are talking about elite forces' marksmen, after all) at a 50-meter shooting distance.
The report includes a photograph of the target after a 30-successive-shot exercise from 50 meters in three positions: standing, kneeling, and prone, conducted over 180 seconds.
Notably, the Lebedev pistol features standard mounts for a collimator sight, tactical flashlight, laser sight, and a proprietary silencer named "device for reducing the sound of gunfire" (PSSZ). However, using the native suppressor causes powder gases to blind the collimator, rendering aimed fire impossible.
Furthermore, Kalashnikov has traditionally introduced its own fastener-and-mount system for attached equipment, so that Western collimators can be installed only with adapters. But the problem turned out to be even deeper, as the screws tend to loosen after 20 shots.
Additionally, the Lebedev gun exhibits issues with the barrel bushing, that unscrews arbitrarily when silencer is attached. After 160 shots, the silencer sticks to the bushing and starts unscrewing alongside.
This is reminiscent of the solution Kalashnokov found to the ejector axis problem in the 2021 version (that one that successfully passed official tests), where it could fly out on its own. Now it's tightly welded to the structure, and thus cannot be pulled out for cleaning.
The report highlights concerns about the safety's soft stroke, posing a risk of inadvertent switching, although the gun can be re-assembled without it. Real operational drawbacks include a multitude of small parts which makes it less reliable and requires not only "special skills," but also "a bright room and additional tools" for complete assembly and disassembly.
According to operating documentation, such assembly should exclusively occur in repair shops and after every 384 shots.
Even ordinary cleaning is challenging due to "mud deposits," and magazine loading poses a risk of finger injuries due to sharp edges of the magazine well.
In conclusion, the russian National Guard recommends considering the adoption of the Lebedev pistol only after addressing these identified shortcomings.
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