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Before 1938, there weren't any production 85 mm guns in the USSR. That caliber was not in use at all. There were some projects of 85 mm caliber, but all of them remained experimental. However, in 1938, engineers from Factory #8 had decided to utilize the surplus margin of safety in the German Rheinmetall gun, which was used in the USSR under the designation "the 76 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun Model 1931." The engineers decided to re-bore the gun to increase its caliber. It could be re-bored up to 85 mm which was the maximum caliber which could be used without changing the barrel's diameter. After re-boring the new gun, it was tested and the following results were obtained (see table below). Before the war, in 1939, the new antiaircraft gun was put into the mass production. The gun was very powerful and, in general, was quite successful.

The 85 mm Gun F-30 (ZIS-12)

Familiar with the 85 mm anti-aircraft gun specifications, V.G. Grabin offered to construct a new divisional gun using the re-bored 85-mm barrel. After receiving permission from the GAU, he started his work. At that time, Factory #92 was already working on the 95 mm Divisional Gun F-28, so Grabin took its gun-carriage and mounted the 85 mm barrel taken from the anti-aircraft gun. The new gun was named the "F-30."

By the end of 1940, Factory #92 manufactured the first prototype of the F-30. In February and March 1941, the gun successfully passed factory trials and, in April 1941, it was sent to ANIOP for government trials. By that time, the gun was renamed the ZIS-12. However, the trials were delayed and postponed until July, but after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, all further work was frozen for several years: there were more important matters than developing new guns with questionable and unpredictable results. All projects concerned with new 95 mm and 107 mm guns shared the same fate.

The 85 mm Gun ZIS-S-8

In the fall of 1942, work on the 85 mm divisional gun resumed because of the increased protection of German tanks (Pz-IVs and Tigers). Soon, Grabin's design bureau developed the 85 mm ZIS-S-8 gun with ballistics similar to the 85 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun Model 1939. The first prototype of that gun was manufactured in Factory #92. The gun had a powerful double-buffed muzzle brake, a vertical breech-block, and a hydraulic recoil brake. The gun carriage had torsion suspension. For some reason, the ZIS-S-8 wasn't accepted for service.

The 85 mm Gun U-10

In 1941, the design bureau of the Uralmash factory developed the 85 mm Divisional and Antitank Gun U-10. The gun was developed by installing the barrel of the 85 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun Model 1939 onto the gun-carriage of the 122 mm M-30 Howitzer. In November 1941, the first test battery of five guns was formed. On the proving grounds, that battery showed only average results and the U-10 wasn't recommended for service.

The 85 mm Gun of the OKB-172

In 1944, the OKB-172 (OKB means regional design bureau) had developed the 85 mm Gun BL-19 (see tables for specifications and for expected armor penetration). The gun was not manufactured, and all work was canceled for unknown reasons. At the same time, the OKB-172 developed the 85 mm Divisional BL-25 gun. The gun had a muzzle brake, a semi-automatic vertical breech-block, a cast gun-cradle, a hydraulic recoil brake which was set up inside the gun-cradle, and the elevation mechanism was on the left side. The gun-carriage had torsion suspension with wheels from the GAZ-AA truck.

The gun could accept ammunition from the 85 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun Model 1939. The semi-automatic breech-block was taken from the 85 mm Tank Gun ZIS-S-85.

The very first prototype of the BL-25 was manufactured by Factory #172. From November 6, 1944, the gun was tested in factory trials. On January 16, 1945, the BL-25 was sent to government trials, which consisted of only 293 shots. Because of a failure of the elevation mechanism and some other defects, tests were halted. According to a report of the government commission (of April 4, 1945) the BL-25 gun didn't pass the trials and could not be accepted for service. Soon, all work on the BL-25 was cancelled.