SR-3M: The Ultimate Spetsnaz Rifle – Is it coming to the USA?

For a while, I was planning to write about the history of SR-3M, but I always found something more important to do. Frankly, I thought that few people were interested in those obscure Russian rifles. But recently, I was proven wrong – when the US company Roswell Rifle Works presented a US-made version of this rifle at the SHOT Show 2026. In this article, I will try to talk about the history of the platform and briefly compare the original SR-3M and the US-made clone.

Many people have heard about the VSS “Vintorez” and the AS “Val”, two integrally suppressed, short-barreled rifles designed for the Soviet special forces. Shrouded in mystery, these guns were made popular by video games like “Escape from Tarkov”, “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl”, and the Battlefield series.

Very few of those guns made it to the USA, mostly as outrageously expensive parts kits. Even in their country of origin, those guns were extremely valued by both soldiers and collectors, who would pay an insane amount of money to get one. And while VSS “Vintorez” and AS “Val” are well known, few people are aware that continued combat use of those rifles led to the development of another rifle called SR-3M.

Essentially, the SR-3M design includes all the best features from three different 9x39 rifles: VSS “Vintorez”, AS “Val”, and a less-known “covert carry” SBR called SR-3 (translated as “Whirlwind”). Let’s talk about it in a little more detail.

SR-3 is based on the AS “Val” and was developed in the early 90s for VIP protection teams who wanted a short rifle they could effectively conceal. SR-3 featured a low-profile charging handle above the handguard, a top folding buttstock, and a peculiar ambidextrous safety/selector lever. This gun is almost the size of an MP5K-PDW or any other similar submachine gun, but instead of pistol ammo, it is chambered in 9x39, a specialized subsonic ammo that can defeat most types of soft body armor.

After the development of this weapon was completed, the end user had one simple question: “What is the point in having three similar guns, VSS “Vintorez”, AS “Val”, and SR-3, when you can produce just one rifle with a detachable suppressor that will do both things equally well?” The answer to this question was the SR-3M, which essentially became “one rifle to rule them all”.

The development program of SR-3M had the codename –“Vnesenie”. At this point, you probably noticed that all those suppressed rifles have names starting with “V”: “Vintorez”, “Val”, “Vikhr”... It is not an accident, but a very specific code.

In Soviet Russia, if the official weapon name or the name of a weapon development program starts with “V”, it means it was made specifically for the KGB or its successor agencies.

SR-3M was officially accepted into service in 2004. Essentially, it was the combination of “Val” and SR-3. The controls on SR-3M are similar to “Val”: AK-style safety lever and charging handle on the right side of the receiver, and selector inside the trigger guard, just behind the trigger. Also, the SR-3M folding stock is identical to “Val” and folds to the left side.

However, the SR-3 M's handguard resembles the “Vikhr” and features a folding forward grip. The sights of SR-3M are also similar to “Vikhr”; the front sight is located on the dedicated front sight block, and the rear sight is on the receiver.

It is certainly a better solution compared to “Val” and VSS, which have iron sights on the detachable suppressor. Also, unlike “Val” and VSS, which had 10 and 20 round magazines, SR-3M is typically issued with 30 round magazines.

My personal experience with SR-3M was unforgettable. Every time I visited the shooting range of TsNIITochMash, the research facility that designed this gun, I always tried to shoot the SR-3M just one more time. I will never forget the first time I shot it.

That day, we fired a few magazines through the old VSS, amazed by how quiet it was. But once we heard the first shot of SR-3M, the difference was staggering. The SR-3M was significantly quieter. Looking back, I shouldn't have been surprised; 15 years of evolution in suppressor design is a long time.

Even though SR-3M has a very short barrel, only 6.1 inches (156 mm), I still managed to knock down silhouette targets up to 200 meters without much trouble (with an optic). The trigger was surprisingly light - single stage, without any wall, it didn’t feel like a trigger of a military firearm, more like a competition rifle.

Overall, the gun is pretty lightweight, 2.2 kg (4.8 pounds) without a suppressor, and with a suppressor and 30 round magazine attached, it weighs 3.2 kg (7 pounds).

At first glance, the US-made clone rifle presented at the SHOT Show looks extremely similar to the SR-3M. It is chambered for the same round and uses the same magazines. The difference is visible in the pistol version - it has a Picatinny rail on the back of the receiver, so one can install an arms brace. 

The other difference I noticed was the handguard; a US-made clone has two vent holes, while the Russian gun has three. But there is a reason behind that: vent holes on the US version are M-LOK compatible. Also, the guns are missing the full-auto selector that is normally located behind the trigger.

According to the press release, the company also changed the original Russian 3-lug suppressor mount to a modern 14×1 LH thread. I also noticed that the bolt and the bolt carrier are slightly different compared to the original, and there might be other internal differences I am not aware of. You can watch the TFB TV video and compare it to the photos in this article to decide for yourself.

The same company that presented the prototype is manufacturing 9x39 ammo and magazines, which is important, since all Russian ammo imports stopped in 2021. Magazine availability is also a problem - last time I checked, the original Russian AS “Val” magazine in the US was sold for $300, while Roswell announced that their mags will cost below $50.

Various companies over the years announced VSS and “Val” production in the US, and some files and incomplete data packages were available online for years. But I always thought those projects wouldn’t get anywhere. Frankly, the last thing I expected was to ever see SR-3M being produced and sold in the USA, but here we are.

We live in a society where making a gun from scratch is often far easier than importing it from another country, so I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised.