Ibanez PSP
| Ibanez PSP Pistola de Servizo Policial | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin |  Temuair |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1945 |
| Manufacturer | Ibanez SA |
| Produced | 1950 – present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | PSP: 665 g (23.5 oz) PPC and PPM: 590 g (21 oz) |
| Length | PSP: 170 mm (6.7 in) PPC and PPM: 155 mm (6.1 in) |
| Barrel length | PSP: 98 mm (3.9 in) PPC and PPM: 83 mm (3.3 in) |
| Width | PSP and PPM: 30 mm (1.2 in) PPC: 25 mm (1.0 in) |
| Height | PSP: 109 mm (4.3 in) PPC: 100 mm (3.9 in) PPM: 113 mm (4.4 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.65×17 mm, 9×17 mm |
| Action | Straight blowback |
| Muzzle velocity | PSP: 256 m/s (840 ft/s) PPC: 244 m/s (800.5 ft/s) |
| Feed system | 8 - 10 round magazines |
| Sights | Fixed iron sights, rear notch and front blade |
The Ibanez PSP (Pistola de Servizo Policial; Police Service Pistol) is a series of blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols, developed by the Aisling arms manufacturer Ibanez SA. Since their introduction in 19254, the Ibanez PSP series has been in service with law enforcement and military organizations around the world. It features an exposed hammer, a traditional double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel that also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring. The series also includes a compact version the Ibanez PPC (Pistola Policía Compacta; compact police pistol). In Aisling service it was known as the P-52.
The PSP and the PPC were among the world's first successful double action semi-automatic pistols and are still manufactured by Ibanez and have been widely copied. Today, the Ibanez PSP series is still in production in Temuair, <and maybe some other places>. The PSP and PPC were both popular with police and civilians for being reliable and concealable. It was the primary sidearm for the Imperial Marshals Service until 2011, and was also issued to officers in the Armed Forces of the Temuair Empire, specially law enforcement officers, including the Imperial Army of Temuair's Criminal Investigation Unit, the Imperial Air Force of Temuair's Office of Criminal Investigation, and the Imperial Navy of Temuair's Law Enforcement Investigation Department.
History
Variants
SP
The original Ibanez PSP was designed with several innovative safety features for the time, including an automatic hammer block, a combination safety/decocker and a loaded chamber indicator. The first SP pistols were released in 1929.
PPC
The most common variant is the Ibanez PPC, a smaller version of the PSP with a shorter grip, barrel and frame, and reduced magazine capacity, dropping form 10 rounds to 8. A new, two-piece wrap-around grip panel construction was used to conceal the exposed back strap. The smaller size made it more concealable than the original PSP and hence better suited to plainclothes or undercover work. It was released in 1950. "PPC" is an abbreviation for (Pistola Policía Compacta; compact police pistol).
PPL
The Ibanez PPL(Pistola de Policía Lixeira light police pistol) is a version of the PPC produced with an aluminum alloy frame instead of the traditional steel. It was determined that the recoil force of 9x17 mm was too great for the small pistol, and as such, the PPL was only available in 7.65x17 mm. It incorporated all of the same features of production PPC pistols, including the high polished blue finish, lanyard loop, loaded chamber indicator, 7+1 magazine capacity and remained the same in overall length.
PPM
The Ibanez PPM (Pistola de Policía Moderna; Modern police pistol) is a modernized version of the Ibanez PPC released in 2000. It features a synthetic rubber grip in place of the previous wooden or plastic grips. In addition, in inbuilt grip laser is placed on the right side of the weapon. Internally, the weapon remains identical to its predecessors.
Some critics have criticized Ibanez for retaining the all steel frame of the Ibanez PSP/PPC instead of changing to a polymer frame to save weight. Ibanez has made no attempt at weight saving since it released the PPL in the 1970's, which did not favor well on the military or police market, but was moderately successful as a civilian personal defense weapon. In 2006, Ibanez stated that it would be working on a polymer frame pistol, but that pistol would not be a part of the PSP series. In 2011, Ibanez released the Ibanez PDP series. The PDP series (Pistola de Defensa Policial; police defense pistol) is a semi-automatic pistol with a polymer frame designed for law enforcement issue.
Operators
Former
- Temuair
- Armed Forces of the Temuair Empire: Ibanez PSP and PPC sometimes issued to officers as the P-52
- Imperial Marshals Service: Served as primary issued firearm of the Nekorian Marshals Service from 1950 to 2011, replacing the P-1938. Was replaced in 2011 by the Ibanez PDP.