# QBS-06
The **QBS-06** (06式5.8毫米水下自动步枪, Type 06 5.8 mm underwater automatic rifle) is a Chinese underwater assault rifle developed for the combat divers of the [People's Liberation Army Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/peoples-liberation-army-navy), patterned after the Soviet APS underwater assault rifle and firing a dedicated 5.8 mm dart cartridge, the DBS-06.[1](https://www.imfdb.org/APS_Underwater_Assault_Rifle) • [2](https://californiadiver.com/the-dragons-fishing-spear-qbs-06-frogman-rifle-199/) It was design-finalized in 2006 and is the main underwater rifle of Chinese frogmen.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Underwater assault rifle for naval combat divers, derived from the Soviet APS[1](https://www.imfdb.org/APS_Underwater_Assault_Rifle) |
| Adoption | Design finalized in 2006 by Norinco[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) |
| Cartridge | 5.8×42 mm DBS-06, built on the PLA's standard lacquered steel 5.8×42 case and loaded with a long, needle-like fin-stabilized projectile[2](https://californiadiver.com/the-dragons-fishing-spear-qbs-06-frogman-rifle-199/) |
| Action | Gas operated, rotary bolt, firing from an open bolt[4](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/china-assault-rifles/qbs-06-eng/) • [3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) |
| Feed | 25-round detachable plastic magazine with drainage holes[4](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/china-assault-rifles/qbs-06-eng/) • [3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) |
| Dimensions and weight | 680 mm long with the stock collapsed; 3.15 kg[4](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/china-assault-rifles/qbs-06-eng/) |
| Rate of fire | Cyclic rate reportedly around 600 rounds per minute[5](https://www.twz.com/35578/watch-chinese-naval-commandos-fire-their-special-underwater-guns) |
| Users | PLA Navy frogmen, including the Jiaolong Commandos based at Sanya, Hainan[5](https://www.twz.com/35578/watch-chinese-naval-commandos-fire-their-special-underwater-guns) |
## Background
Conventional firearms perform poorly underwater. Water is about 772 times denser than air, so a standard bullet sheds its kinetic energy almost immediately, and the spin that stabilizes a rifled bullet in air causes it to yaw wildly in water.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) In the 1970s the Soviet Union addressed this with the SPP-1 underwater pistol and the APS underwater assault rifle, which fired long, smoothbore dart projectiles.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
According to Chinese accounts, after the collapse of the Soviet Union Russia sold the formerly secret APS rifle and SPP-1 pistol abroad, China acquired examples, and reverse engineering produced the QSS-05 underwater pistol and the QBS-06 rifle.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) A 2018 Chinese report likewise states the QBS-06 was made by measuring and copying an actual Russian APS.[6](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2018-03-09/detail-ifxpwyhw4416663.d.html?cid=65898&oid=152&vt=4) Western coverage describes the weapon more cautiously as "broadly speaking a Chinese equivalent of the APS" and notes that it is similar to the APS but not a direct clone.[5](https://www.twz.com/35578/watch-chinese-naval-commandos-fire-their-special-underwater-guns) • [2](https://californiadiver.com/the-dragons-fishing-spear-qbs-06-frogman-rifle-199/)
## Design
The QBS-06 is a gas-operated weapon with a rotating bolt, fed from a detachable 25-round plastic magazine, with fixed iron sights and a retractable steel-wire shoulder stock.[4](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/china-assault-rifles/qbs-06-eng/) It measures 680 mm with the stock collapsed and weighs 3.15 kg.[4](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/china-assault-rifles/qbs-06-eng/)
Several features adapt the AK-type mechanism to water. Like the APS, it uses a long-stroke gas piston and a two-lug rotating bolt, with excess operating energy to keep the action cycling against water resistance.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) It fires from an open bolt, with the bolt carrier serving as the striker, because a conventional hammer loses too much energy underwater and the receiver is too compact for a large hammer.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) The receiver is deliberately open, since the rifle works in an environment where debris cannot be kept out and drainage matters more than sealing.[2](https://californiadiver.com/the-dragons-fishing-spear-qbs-06-frogman-rifle-199/)
**Magazine.** Both rifles use wide double-stack, double-feed curved magazines, but the APS magazine has an extra section for the magazine spring, while the QBS-06 uses a larger spring and a flatter magazine floor to shorten the feed stroke and reduce feeding malfunctions. As on the APS, the magazine has drainage holes on the sides and bottom.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
**Bubble control.** [Propellant](https://www.edgepedia.org/propellant) gas leaves the muzzle and ejection port as bubbles underwater, obscuring the shooter's view and revealing their position. The QBS-06 vents gas through holes in the gas tube to break the bubbles emerging from the ejection port into smaller ones, and adds a muzzle device that breaks up large bubbles at the muzzle, improving visibility and concealment compared with the APS.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
## The DBS-06 cartridge
The rifle's dedicated ammunition, the 5.8×42 mm DBS-06, follows the Soviet approach of a long, slender, fin-stabilized dart projectile fired from a smoothbore barrel, since spin stabilization is useless underwater.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) The case is the lacquered steel case of the PLA's general-issue 5.8×42 mm rifle cartridge, loaded with an over-long needle-like projectile intended for submersible use.[2](https://californiadiver.com/the-dragons-fishing-spear-qbs-06-frogman-rifle-199/) • [7](https://www.salw.lv/materials/catalogues/en/1.machine-guns-automatic-and-semiauto.pdf) The complete cartridge is 150 mm long and weighs 28 g, roughly twice the weight of two standard 5.8 mm rounds, with the added projectile weight raising terminal energy.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
The standard projectile is steel; a tungsten-alloy armor-piercing version exists for use against high-value targets such as small boats.[2](https://californiadiver.com/the-dragons-fishing-spear-qbs-06-frogman-rifle-199/) • [3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) The heavy steel dart can penetrate diving suits, face masks, and breathing tanks, and its nose-heavy, unstable construction makes it tumble in soft tissue, enlarging the wound.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
## Effective use underwater
Underwater range is short. A Chinese report gives an effective reach of about 30 m for the QBS-06, and notes that underwater visibility in field conditions is often so poor that a target is discernible only at around 20 m; frogman marksmanship competitions shoot at 15 m targets.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) Open-bolt firing, which slightly degrades accuracy, is considered acceptable for these distances.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) Observers of a 2020 training video noted that divers armed with such weapons must approach targets very closely to compensate for the strictly limited range.[5](https://www.twz.com/35578/watch-chinese-naval-commandos-fire-their-special-underwater-guns)
## Service
The QBS-06 equips PLA Navy combat divers and is described as their main underwater rifle.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html) It has been shown in the hands of the [Jiaolong Commandos](https://www.edgepedia.org/7th-marine-brigade-pla-navy-marine-corps), an elite naval special warfare unit based in Sanya, Hainan Island, whose stated areas of expertise include coastal infiltration, jungle patrol, and urban counter-terrorism.[5](https://www.twz.com/35578/watch-chinese-naval-commandos-fire-their-special-underwater-guns) The rifle also appeared briefly in the Chinese television series *Gulf of Aden*.[3](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
## References
1. [APS Underwater Assault Rifle, Internet Movie Firearms Database](https://www.imfdb.org/APS_Underwater_Assault_Rifle)
2. [The Dragon's Fishing Spear: QBS-06 Frogman Rifle, California Diver Magazine](https://californiadiver.com/the-dragons-fishing-spear-qbs-06-frogman-rifle-199/)
3. [水下开枪能打多远？中国这款能打30米的步枪最好用, Sina (2019)](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2019-03-20/detail-ihsxncvh4183460.d.html)
4. [QBS-06, Modern Firearms](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/china-assault-rifles/qbs-06-eng/)
5. [Watch Chinese Frogmen Fire Their Special Underwater Guns, The War Zone (2020)](https://www.twz.com/35578/watch-chinese-naval-commandos-fire-their-special-underwater-guns)
6. [中国特种轻武器终于领先世界 蛙人"超级步枪"问世, Sina (2018)](https://mil.sina.cn/sd/2018-03-09/detail-ifxpwyhw4416663.d.html?cid=65898&oid=152&vt=4)
7. [Small Arms and Light Weapons catalogue entry for the QBS-06, SALW Guide](https://www.salw.lv/materials/catalogues/en/1.machine-guns-automatic-and-semiauto.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Firearms and ammunition › Rifles and carbines › Battle and service rifles › Titles I to V*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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