NRS-2 Scout Firing Knife

NRS-2 Scout Firing Knife with sheath / wirecutter and chamber detached - 7.62x40mm SP-4

NRS-2 Scout Firing Knife, right side showing charging handle - 7.62x40mm SP-4. The push-button trigger is the drum-shaped silver part on the bulged base of the grip, with the safety directly above it.

The NRS-2 (Nozh Razvedchika Strelyaushiy (Нож Разведчика Стреляющий), "Scout Firing Knife") is a Soviet-era survival tool issued to Spetsnatz forces. The body of the weapon is a well-built survival knife with a serrated back that can be used as a saw (specifically designed for cutting detonator cord) and a high-carbon steel blade suitable for both utility and combat. The sheath also incorporates a wirecutter which can cut a 5mm thick cable and is insulated for up to 380 volts, and a flathead screwdriver blade.

The main oddity with this knife, and the reason it is here, was in the grip: the NRS knives contained a firing mechanism for a single captive piston 7.62mm SP silent pistol cartridge in a detachable assembly consisting of a breech and 60mm long barrel which is screwed into place and secured with a locking lever. The hammer is integrated into the grip and cocked by pulling back on a flip-up charging handle on the right-hand side: the safety and single-action push-button trigger mechanisms are at the base of the grip on the same side. Actually firing the cartridge was a somewhat unnerving proposition, as it required that the user remove the sheath, flip the knife over so the bulge at the pommel was facing up, and point the blade of the weapon at their own face using fixed iron sights mounted on the guard and pommel. However, the light recoil meant there was little actual probability of self-harm. Cartridge extraction was manual and performed with a U-shaped extraction tool incorporated into the end of the knife's guard not containing the iron sights.

The original variant, the NRS, was first produced in the late 1970s: it fired the older SP-3 cartridge and has a full-length saw along the spine of the blade and a Bowie-style curved clip-point blade similar to the old NR-40 fighting knife issued during the Second World War. When the SP-3 cartridge was withdrawn from service, the NRS was redesigned as the NRS-2: as well as the new cartridge, the blade was redesigned to make it more effective as a weapon, switching to a drop-point blade more suited to stabbing and reducing the length of the saw so it would not snag when the weapon was being used this way.

Both knives have a variant without the firing mechanism, the NR and NR-2: these still use the same grip design, but instead of a chamber have a compartment for stowing survival supplies in a similar way to the famed Spetsnatz UVSR survival machete. Neither was commonly used, as units authorised to use the NRS and NRS-2 tended to also be authorised to use the very effective MSP and PSS silent pistols.

Specifications

(1970s-1986 (NRS), 1986 - present (NRS-2))

• Type: Concealed firearm

• Caliber: 7.62x42 mm SP-3 (NRS), 7.62x40mm SP-4 (NRS-2)

• Weight: 570 g (1.27 lbs)

• Length: 11.4 in (29 cm)

• Barrel length: 2.4 in (6 cm)

• Capacity: Single Shot

• Fire Modes: Safe / fire selector on knife grip

The NRS-2 Scout Firing Knife and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Deserter (Dezertir)	Anatoliy Kotenyov	Capt. Igor Skvortsov aka "Skif"		1997

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty			Used only by Olga Gurlukovich	2001

See Also

• Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod - A list of all firearms manufactured by Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod.