View source for FB PM-63

{{short description|Polish submachine gun}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = PM-63 RAK
| image              = Submachine gun wz63.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = The RAK submachine gun with stock and foregrip collapsed
| origin             = [[Polish People's Republic]]
| type               = [[Submachine gun]]
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged          = yes
<!-- Service history -->| service            = 1965–present
| used_by            = See ''[[PM-63 RAK#Users|Users]]''
| wars               = [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia]]<br>[[Vietnam War]]<br>[[Yom Kippur War]]<br>[[Sino-Vietnamese conflicts 1979–90|Sino-Vietnamese wars]]<br>[[Israeli-Arab conflict|Israeli-Arab wars]]<br>[[Iran–Iraq War]]<br>[[Gulf War]]<br>[[Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign]] <br>[[Iraq War]]<br>[[Russo-Ukrainian War]]
<!-- Production history -->| designer           = [[Piotr Wilniewczyc]]
| design_date        = 1950s
| manufacturer       = [[FB Radom]]
| unit_cost          = 
| production_date    = 1965–1977
| number             = Approx. 80,000
| variants           = See ''[[PM-63#Variants|Variants]]''
<!-- General specifications -->| weight             = {{convert|1.6|kg|lb|2|abbr=on}}
| length             = {{convert|583|mm|in|abbr=on}} stock extended / {{convert|333|mm|abbr=on|1}} stock collapsed
| part_length        = {{convert|152|mm|abbr=on|1}}
| width              = 
| height             = {{convert|145|mm|abbr=on|1}} (short magazine)<br /> {{convert|213|mm|abbr=on|1}} (long magazine)
| diameter           = 
| crew               = <!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
| cartridge          = [[9×18mm Makarov]]
| caliber            = 
| action             = [[Blowback (arms)|Straight blowback]]
| rate               = 650 rounds/min
| velocity           = {{convert|320|m/s|0|abbr=on}}
| range              = 75 and 150&nbsp;m sight adjustment
| max_range          = 
| feed               = 15 or 25-round [[box magazine]]
| sights             = Flip rear sight, front blade<br /> {{convert|153|mm|abbr=on|1}} sight radius
}}

The '''PM-63 RAK''' (often incorrectly referred to as ''Ręczny Automat Komandosów''—"commandos' hand-held automatic"; the name itself means cancer or [[crayfish]] in Polish) is a Polish [[9×18mm]] [[submachine gun]], designed by [[Piotr Wilniewczyc]] in cooperation with Tadeusz Bednarski, Grzegorz Czubak and Marian Wakalski.<ref name="woźniak 32">Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp32.</ref> The RAK combines the characteristics of a [[semi-automatic pistol|self-loading pistol]] and a fully automatic submachine gun.<ref>''Modern Warfare'', published by Mark Dartford, Marshall Cavendish (London) 1985</ref>

==History==
Development of the RAK dates back to the late 1950s when the concept was first proposed at the [[Warsaw University of Technology]] in response to a requirement for a light hand-held defensive weapon for rear-echelon soldiers such as gun crews and vehicle drivers. After the death of the chief designer Piotr Wilniewczyc in 1960, the submachine gun’s development was eventually resumed and completed by the state-operated [[Łucznik Arms Factory]] in the city of [[Radom]], where it was produced until 1977. After close examination, the PM-63 was accepted into service with the [[People's Army of Poland]] and police in 1965 as the ''9&nbsp;mm pistolet maszynowy wz. 1963''<ref name="FW">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/submachine-guns/pm-63-rak/|title = PM-63 "Rak"|date = 13 February 2013}}</ref> ("9&nbsp;mm submachine gun model 1963").<ref name="MF">{{Cite web|url=https://modernfirearms.net/en/submachine-guns/poland-submachine-guns/pm-63-eng/|title = PM-63|date = 27 October 2010}}</ref>

Small numbers of the weapon were exported to several Arab countries, [[Vietnam]] and the former [[East Germany]]. A slightly modified, unlicensed version of the PM-63 was produced by the [[People’s Republic of China]] as the '''Type 82''', who sold the weapon to politically allied nations in Asia.<ref name="woźniak 11">Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp11.</ref>

The PM-63 is featured on the logo of the [[Afghanistan Liberation Organization]].

==Design details==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2021}}

===Operating mechanism===
The RAK is a [[selective-fire]] [[Blowback (firearms)|straight blowback]]–operated [[machine pistol]], fired from the [[open bolt]] position.<ref name="MF"/> Unlike most submachine guns firing from an open bolt, the PM-63 has a reciprocating external breech bolt, also known as a [[Pistol slide|slide]]. The slide is part of the fire rate-reducing device.

When the trigger is pulled the slide is released and driven forward by the return spring, stripping a round from the magazine and feeding it into the chamber. As soon as the cartridge is lined up with the chamber the extractor grips the [[wikt:rim|rim]] and the gun fires while the slide is still moving forward. The firing impulse retards the forward movement of the slide and drives it back. The extractor grips the empty case until the ejector pushes it through the ejection port in the right of the slide. The slide continues to the rear and the return spring, located under the barrel, is fully compressed. The slide rides over a retarder lever which snaps up and holds the slide to the rear. The rate-reducing device, an inertia buffer in the rear of the slide, continues rearward under its own momentum and compresses the buffer spring.

When the spring is fully compressed it throws the retarder forward and this pushes the retarder lever down out of engagement with the slide and, provided the trigger is still depressed and ammunition remains in the magazine, the slide goes forward to repeat the firing cycle.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

===Features===
The submachine gun consists of the following main components: the barrel, frame (containing the shoulder stock, pistol grip and forward grip), slide, return spring and spring guide rod and the magazine. The slide houses an inertia buffer and spring retarder mechanism, designed to reduce the weapon's rate of fire down to 650 rounds/min from a natural frequency of about 840 rounds/min. The slide telescopes around the barrel up to the muzzle and has an extension that serves as a recoil compensator which deflects muzzle gases upward to counteract the natural rise of the weapon when firing in automatic mode. The compensator is shaped like a long spoon and can be used to cock the weapon with just one hand, accomplished by pressing the compensator up against a rigid vertical surface until the slide locks back.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

A spring-loaded extractor is installed inside of the slide and a raised side wall of the seated magazine acts as the casing ejector. The striker firing mechanism has a firing pin fixed within the slide. The firing control mechanism does not have a fire selector but is instead equipped with a two-stage [[progressive trigger]] that enables semi-automatic fire (after pulling the trigger back to the first stop and releasing it rapidly) and continuous fire (pulling the trigger back completely to the rear and holding it back). The manual safety secures the firearm against accidental discharge by immobilizing the slide in its forward, rear and intermediate positions that the slide assumes when the weapon is being stripped or assembled. The safety toggle is located on the left side of the weapon's frame, behind the [[pistol grip]].{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

The retractable metal stock (made from strips of flat bar) is ended with a pivoting shoulder pad. The stock is pulled out and used with the folding vertical grip to provide a steady hold during automatic fire. The weapon’s barrel, which can be removed by the operator in field conditions has a [[Chrome plating|chrome-lined]] bore and 4 right-hand grooves with a 1 in 252&nbsp;mm (1:10 in) [[rifling]] twist rate.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

===Sights===
The flip rear sight (open type) provides two notches with range settings for firing at 75 and 150&nbsp;m.<ref name="MF"/> It and the front blade are fixed to the slide's top surface, making aiming the weapon and correcting the follow-up shot, particularly in rapid fire mode, very difficult.<ref name="woźniak 12">Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp12.</ref>

===Feeding===
The firearm feeds from two types of double-column box magazines: a short 15-round and long, 25-round magazine (the magazines are seated inside the hollow pistol grip).<ref name="FW"/> The magazine catch/release is at the heel of the pistol grip. After the last cartridge has been fired from the magazine, the slide is locked open on the slide catch.

The [[pistol grip]] covers and folding [[vertical forward grip]] are made from a synthetic [[plastic]] material.<ref name="FW"/>

===Accessories===
The weapon can be deployed like a regular pistol, one-handed. Additional equipment supplied with the submachine gun includes three spare long magazines and one short magazine, a holster, sling, magazine pouch and a cleaning rod and lubricant bottle.

An all-metal suppressor, design by Marian Gryszkiewic, can be used with the PM-63.<ref name="FW"/>

==Variants==
In 1971 a version of the PM-63 was developed in Radom for the [[9×19mm Parabellum]] round, designated '''PM-70'''. Several units of this version were built in a prototype pre-production batch but further production was abandoned due to lack of demand. A variant adapted for the [[.380 ACP|.380 ACP (9×17mm/9mm Short)]] cartridge (known as the '''PM-73''') and a silenced version were also built, but failed to gain orders.<ref name="woźniak uncertain">Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. page number uncertain.</ref>

==Users==
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->[[File:PM-63 Rak Operator Map 18.11.2023.png|thumb|Map with PM-63 operators in blue with former operators in red.]]

===Current users===
* {{flag|Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan}}<ref name=":0" />
* {{flag|China}}: PM-63 captured in [[Sino-Vietnamese conflicts 1979–90|Sino-Vietnamese wars]], locally produced as the {{Ill|Type 82 submachine gun|lt=Type 82|zh|82式衝鋒槍}}.<ref name="MT">{{cite web |url=http://www.military-today.com/firearms/pm63_rak.htm |title = PM-63 RAK Submachine Gun {{!}} Military-Today.com}}{{dead link|date=December 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* {{flag|Cuba}}<ref name="MT"/>
* {{flag|Iraq}}<ref name="MT"/>
* {{flag|North Korea}}<ref name="MT"/>
* {{flag|Syria}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/polish-pm-63-one-scary-ultra-compact-automatic-weapon-166088|title=The Polish PM-63 is One Scary Ultra-Compact Automatic Weapon|date=2 August 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|Vietnam}}<ref name="MT"/>
* {{UKR}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Przemysław |first=Juraszek |date=2022-09-26 |title=Rosyjski żołnierz ze zdobyczną bronią z Polski. Jest to broń typu PDW |work=Witualna Polska Tech |url=https://tech.wp.pl/rosyjski-zolnierz-ze-zdobyczna-bronia-z-polski-jest-to-bron-typu-pdw,6815435270376256a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118174213/https://tech.wp.pl/rosyjski-zolnierz-ze-zdobyczna-bronia-z-polski-jest-to-bron-typu-pdw,6815435270376256a |archive-date=2023-11-18}}</ref> Unknown amount donated by Poland and used in [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.]] One captured by Russian forces.
* {{flag|Russia}}: Captured from Ukraine<ref>{{Cite news |last=Przemysław |first=Juraszek |date=2022-09-26 |title=Rosyjski żołnierz ze zdobyczną bronią z Polski. Jest to broń typu PDW |work=Witualna Polska Tech |url=https://tech.wp.pl/rosyjski-zolnierz-ze-zdobyczna-bronia-z-polski-jest-to-bron-typu-pdw,6815435270376256a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118174213/https://tech.wp.pl/rosyjski-zolnierz-ze-zdobyczna-bronia-z-polski-jest-to-bron-typu-pdw,6815435270376256a |archive-date=2023-11-18}}</ref>

===Former users===
* {{flag|East Germany}}: Used by [[Volkspolizei]].<ref name="MF"/>
* {{flag|Poland}}<ref name="FW"/>
* {{flag|Afghanistan|1978|name=Democratic Republic of Afghanistan}}<ref name=":0" />

===Non-state actors===
* {{flag|Palestine}} – Used by [[Arab Liberation Front]].<ref name="Arabs2">{{cite book|title=Arab Armies of the Middle East Wars (2)|series=Men-at-Arms 128|first= Sam |last=Katz |date=24 Mar 1988|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9780850458008|page=45}}</ref>
* [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|Tamil Tigers]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2007/11/lttes-rare-infantry-weapons.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210216122633/http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2007/11/lttes-rare-infantry-weapons.html|archive-date = 2021-02-16|title = LTTE's Rare Infantry Weapons}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[MCEM 2]]
* [[MP7]]
* [[Mauser MP-57|MP-57]]
* [[MPA submachine gun|MPA]]
* [[PM-84 Glauberyt]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* ''Modern Warfare'', published by Mark Dartford, Marshall Cavendish (London) 1985
* {{cite book| last = Woźniak| first = Ryszard| year = 2002| chapter = p. 11-12| title = Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z| publisher = Bellona| location = Warsaw, Poland| isbn = 83-11-09312-1|language=pl}}

==External links==
{{commons|Wz.63 RAK|PM-63 RAK}}{{.38 Caliber}}
{{FB firearms}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pm-63 Rak}}
[[Category:.380 ACP submachine guns]]
[[Category:7.62×25mm Tokarev submachine guns]]
[[Category:9×18mm Makarov submachine guns]]
[[Category:9mm Parabellum submachine guns]]
[[Category:Simple blowback firearms]]
[[Category:Submachine guns of Poland]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1965]]