Shotgun IZH-43

The IZH-43 shotgun is one of the most popular smoothbore shotguns with horizontal twin barrels, manufactured by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant. The design of this model is based on the classic double-barreled shotgun IZH-58.

The IZH-43 double-barreled shotgun is considered one of the most common and is still produced under the abbreviation MP-43. The name MR appeared in the nineties for weapons produced for export. Mechanical Plant - Mechanical plant.

IZH-43 is a simple, reliable and relatively inexpensive weapon; its price in stores starts from 15 thousand rubles.

History of creation

The IZH-43 shotgun was created on the basis of the well-known IZH-58 shotgun, which in turn was created on the basis of a high-quality, but too expensive for a Soviet hunter, IZH-54 shotgun.

Design work to create a new IZH-43 gun began in 1984, and already in 1986 its mass production began.

By 1986, the IZH-58 gun had been in production for more than 30 years, so it was considered obsolete. The designers were tasked with reducing the cost of the gun and improving some of its components and mechanisms.

For the IZH-58 gun, locking was carried out using three under-barrel hooks; for the IZH-43 gun, the number of under-barrel hooks was reduced to two. Practice has shown that this amount is quite sufficient to securely lock the gun.

The protrusion on the barrel coupling of the IZH-43 gun was removed, which increased the tightness of the barrels to the gun block. The gun's safety mechanism has been improved.

The modification of the IZH-43 shotgun with the IZH-43E ejector mechanism had a seriously modernized ejector: the girth of the case flanges was increased, one ejector spring was replaced with two independent ones, and the cartridge extension was increased by 6 mm. All these improvements significantly increased the reliability of the gun's ejector, which previously had many complaints from the owners of the IZH-58MAE gun.

The reliability of the IZH-43 gun has increased significantly; the guaranteed firing of the gun according to the passport began to be at least 15,000 shots.

The IZH-43 shotgun was awarded the Gold Medal of the Leipzig Fair in 1986.

From 1986 to 1995, the plant produced about 300,000 IZH-43 rifles.

Since 2004, the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, under a contract with an American company, has been selling the IZH-43 shotgun in the USA under the name Remington Spartan 220 and the IZH-43-1S shotgun under the name Remington Spartan 210.

In the 90s of the last century, the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant decided to enter the international weapons market and new weapon models began to be designated by the abbreviation in Latin letters MP, which stands for Mechanical Plant. Since 2008, the plant decided to completely bring the weapon designation system to a single form and all models began to have the MP designation in their name. The IZH-18 and IZH-27 guns began to be designated MP-18 and MP-27, the IZH-43 gun was renamed MP-43.

The production of IZH-43 (MR-43) shotguns of various modifications and in the most variants continues to this day. The IZH-43 (MR-43) shotgun is the most popular horizontal rifle currently produced in our country.

Design features of IZH-43

The IZH-43 shotgun is double-barreled, the barrels are positioned horizontally. The breech and channels of this model are made of carbon steel alloy and do not have a protective coating. Inside the muzzle there is a section with a metric thread that allows you to install replaceable choke constrictions. The trunks are connected by a strip using the soldering method. The sight is represented by a classic bar, which has a recess and corrugation that does not emit glare, and a bronze front sight.

The barrel channels are locked with a pair of lower latches; the unlocking lever is located on top of the receiver. The extractor lever is mounted in the lower part of the chamber; when the block is broken, it extends.

The trigger trigger is internally located, with a release mechanism and safety cocking. The rebound springs and strikers with triggers are made one-piece. A separate removable block assembled on the rods consists of screw-type mainsprings and a stop fixed with a pin. At the moment the barrels open, the springs are compressed and the hammers are cocked.

The escapement mechanism is mounted on a separate cylinder with a pair of independent hooks with holes for the axle and a window for the springs. The fuse bracket is screwed onto the bottom. Another difference is that the triggers are spring-loaded to the heels of the sear, which made it possible to eliminate backlash. The front trigger was also spring-loaded for the purpose of protecting the finger from impact when firing with the left barrel, which presses the rear trigger. The protrusions on the triggers (located in front and on top) do not allow firing when the barrels are not completely closed. This feature increases the level of safety when operating domestic weapons.

The safety on the gun is automatic; it locks the trigger and sear hooks. You can smoothly release triggers that are cocked by switching them to safety. To do this, open the barrels completely and move the safety button forward, press the triggers with your fingers and smoothly close the gun.

The fuse is represented by a flat part, fixed with an axis on the shank of the receiver and spring-loaded in the direction of movement of the clock hand. The push-button axis moves in a shaped safety groove and is secured by a pin from below through the holes. A distinctive feature of the production of the new gun from previous modifications is the additional fixation of the automatic safety, which locks the triggers, with a ball.

The butt is attached to the center, located between the shank of the receiver and the cylinder. Its front end is tightened with a screw to the oblique surface. The hole for the screw in the end is covered with a butt plate secured with a pair of screws.

Specifications

The IZH 43 hunting rifle has the following performance characteristics:

production is established in two calibers - 12 and 16 mm;
chamber length, mm – 70 and 76;
gun weight – within 3.6 kg;
trunk length, mm – 660, 720 and 750;
fired - from 15,000 shots;
assembled gun length, mm – no more than 1,300.

The IZH 43 barrels are removable type, with a horizontal arrangement, their connection is made by means of a sighting and lower strip. The breech of the head is connected by a coupling and pressed into place with an incoming pin.

Double closing of the barrels is carried out by a locking bar on two under-barrel hooks. Shotguns are available with or without selective ejectors. In the second option, the ejector does not work; the cartridges are removed by hand.

If you compare the IK-43 with the IZH-58, then in general you can see that it has become much more convenient to load and remove cartridges from the gun. The reliability of the IZH-43 has increased significantly, now firing at least 15,000 rounds.

The detachable forend is attached to the hinge post using a lever-type latch. Both the latch and the hinge are secured in the grooves of the forend with screws. Since the IZH-43 does not have a groove on the upper plane of the forend, the contact area of the cutout to the hinge post increases.

Double locking of the barrel occurs by sliding the locking bar onto two under-barrel hooks. The locking lever itself is secured with a screw on the head of the locking bar lever. A special spring acts on this bar through a cam. When you turn the locking lever to the right, the gun barrel is unlocked.

The trigger mechanism IZH-43 is hammer-type with an internal arrangement of hammers, which have a release mechanism and safety cocks. Both the firing pins and the rebound springs are inseparably connected to the triggers. The screw mainsprings and stop are assembled into a separate block, which is secured with a pin and is removable. The trigger mechanism itself is located on a separate cylinder. It is equipped with two triggers that are self-contained. A trigger guard is attached below the hooks. Since the triggers are spring-loaded to the heels of the sear, they have no play. There are protrusions on the triggers that prevent a shot from being fired when the barrels are not completely closed, which makes using the IZH-43 safer.

An automatic safety locks the triggers and sears. In order to perform a shockless release of the triggers on the safety cocks, you need to perform the following manipulations:

Fully open the barrels;
The safety button must be moved to the forward position;
Using two fingers, simultaneously press two triggers;
Close the gun with a smooth movement.

The fuse itself is a flat-shaped part that is mounted on the shank of the receiver. It is spring-loaded and secured to the box by an axle. If you compare the IZH-43 safety button with the IZH-58 safety button, then on the 43 model the safety button is locked with a ball in the upper position.

Since the stock of the IZH-58 was not ergonomic enough, they decided to modernize it a little in the new model. The radial end of the IZH-58 butt was replaced with a new contour end, which had a right angle and an internal radius. Thanks to this change in the shape of the butt, the movement of the weapon during shooting was noticeably reduced.

Characteristics of a hunting rifle

Two barrels, which are placed in a horizontal plane, are coated with chrome, which prevents corrosion. This can be called a major plus.

The aiming device is the sighting bar, which has a small corrugation and groove, and at its end there is a bronze front sight.

Choke constrictions are presented in two versions. The first of them has constant choke constrictions with a choke for the right barrel and a choke for the left.

The second option is equipped with a thread for screwing in choke tubes, which makes it possible to choose a specific narrowing depending on the tasks at hand.

The locking system is double and occurs using two hooks that are located under the barrel. The chamber length can be 70 mm or 76 mm.

The length of the gun barrel itself can range from 510 to 750 mm. In terms of calibers, the model is available in 12, 16, 20, 28, 32 and .410 calibers.

If we talk about the firing mechanism, it is equipped with internal triggers for the base model, but there is also an option with external triggers.

The presence of an automatic fuse increases the safety of weapon operation. The strikers are located separately from the hammers. The spring is installed twisted in the shape of a cylinder.

There are two triggers, but there is a modification option with one, on which there is a button for switching the order of shots.

The gun can be equipped with a straight or pistol stock. Made from walnut, birch or beech. Particular attention can be paid to the butt neck, which is very powerful. Some hunters cannot even fully grasp it.

The weight of the weapon ranges from 3.1 kg to 3.65 kg, so some options are considered very heavy, which are suitable for real men with great strength.

The cartridges are ejected from the chambers using an extractor, but can be ejected automatically thanks to an ejector found on some models.

Modifications

For more than thirty years of production of the IZH-43 (MR-43) gun, the plant produced the gun in various modifications and designs:

IZH-43 (MR-43) is a basic modification of the gun, produced since 1986, since 2008 it became known as MP-43.
IZH-43E (MR-43E) - modification of the gun, equipped with a selective ejector,
the basic version, equipped with a switchable selective-type ejector, which, when opening the barrels, removes only the spent cartridge case, the entire unfired cartridge remains in the barrel, which is convenient when you need to quickly reload the gun;
IZH-43M - a modification of the gun produced by the plant for some time, identical to the basic modification of the gun
IZH-43EM - version of IZH-43M with an ejector
IZH-43-1S (MR-43-1S) is a modification of a shotgun with a firing mechanism with one trigger, the shot sequence switch is located in the upper part of the trigger.
IZH-43E-1S (MR-43E-1S) is a modification of the gun with a firing mechanism with one trigger and an ejector.
IZH-43K (MR-43K) is a modification of the gun with false triggers, which are cockers for internal hammers, popular among fans of historical guns.
IZH-43KN (MR-43KN) - version of IZH-43 with full external triggers

All modifications are manufactured in serial, piece and export versions. Weapons in export version have markings on the gun itself and a passport in English.

The piece-made gun was assembled with finishing of every detail, engraving, and installation of side decorative plates.

Currently, the plant produces souvenir guns MP-43 series: “Prestige”, “De Luxe”, “Exclusive”, “Collectible”. Souvenir guns are decorated with hand engraving and decorated with precious metals.

Gun modifications

The MP-43E is identical in appearance and design to the base model, but only has an ejector.

The MP-43-1S has one trigger in its mechanism, where you can switch the order of shots. The spent cartridges are pulled out using an extractor.

The MP-43E-1C is an absolute copy of the previous model, but it has an ejector that ejects cartridges.

The MP-43KN is a gun with external hammers and gold-plated triggers, and the box itself is embellished with engraving.

Modern modifications of MP-43

Currently, this model of gun is marked MP-43 and is produced in the following modifications:

MP-43M - basic model (without ejectors);
MP-43EM - modification of the base model with a selective ejector (throwing out only the spent cartridge case);
MP-43-1C - model with a single trigger mechanism, changing the sequence of shots is carried out by a switch located on the trigger;
MP-43E-1C - modification of the base model with a single trigger mechanism, provides alternate shots from both barrels in a certain sequence, selective type ejector;
MP-43K is an original design of the basic gun with manual cocking of the percussion mechanism using external cockers, hammer-shaped cockers and decorative locking boards give the model the appearance of a classic hammer-fired gun, and is characterized by reduced opening force and increased safety in operation.

Hunting rifle IZH-43 (MR-43)

—> The IZH-43 hunting rifle produced by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant replaced the IZH-58 series shotguns produced since 1958. Currently, this double-barreled shotgun with horizontal barrels is produced under the marking MP-43

The history of the creation of the IZH-43 hunting rifle

IZH 43 was created on the basis of the IZH-58 MA model. At the same time, the problem of improving the automatic ejection mechanism and its operation was solved. This is how guns appeared, which were assigned the indices IZH-43M and IZH-43EM. Their serial production at IzhMekh began in 1986.

When creating the new model, the main attention was paid to improving the quality of the safety mechanism and improving the fit of the barrels to the box, which significantly increased the reliability of the modernized model. In shotguns of the IZH-43M type, the barrels are locked using a locking bar on two under-barrel hooks (the third lock, which was available on the IZH-58M model, is missing). Practice has shown that this locking option completely ensures the safe operation of the gun. Eliminating the protrusion on the barrel coupling improved the fit of the breech end of the barrels to the box and contributed to a tighter connection. A modification of the gun under the symbol IZH-43EM has an ejector mechanism.

Compared to the IZH-58MA model, its design has been significantly improved: the girth of the sleeve flange has been increased, two independent ejector springs have been introduced instead of one; unfired cartridges extend further by about 6 mm than in the IZH-58MAE model. All this increased the reliability of the ejector mechanism, which caused a number of complaints about the IZH-58 MAE model.

Characteristics of the hunting rifle IZH 43

Caliber: 12, 16;

Chamber length: 70, 76;

Barrel length: 660, 720, 750;

Bore diameter: 18.4;

Gun weight: 3.6 kg.

The removable barrels are located in a horizontal plane, connected to each other using the lower and aiming strips, in the breech - by a coupling, where both barrel tubes are pre-pressed and locked with a pin. The sighting bar is guilloted on top, and the front sight is screwed into the front. The sling swivel is attached to the bottom bar with two screws. A hinge post with a tooth for the forend latch is soldered between the barrels.

In the through hole of the barrel coupling there is an ejector, consisting of a cylindrical guide rod with a head welded at the back. A pin is pressed into the upper part of the head and fits into the blind hole of the coupling. The ejector is kept from falling out of the barrels by a limiting screw. The expulsion of spent cartridges from the chamber is carried out by a common ejector, by acting on its front end of the feeder when opening the gun. The final removal of the sleeves is done by hand.

Unlike the previously produced model IZH-58MA, the upper small hook has been removed from the coupling, the main purpose of which is to eliminate rotation and ensure only translational movement of the ejector. The absence of a small hook increased the area of contact between the breech cut of the barrels and the box panel. The convenience of loading and removing cartridges has increased. The survivability of the gun is at least 15 thousand shots.

The forend is detachable and secured to the hinge post with a lever-type latch. The latch and hinge are secured with three screws in the corresponding grooves of the forend.

Compared to IZH-58MA, there is no groove on the upper plane of the hinge stem; the contact area of the front rectangular cutout to the hinge post has increased.

The barrels are locked in a double way, by sliding the locking bar onto the two lower under-barrel hooks. The locking lever is secured with a screw to the square head of the locking bar lever. It is acted upon by the locking plate spring through the cam. By turning the locking lever to the right, the gun is unlocked.

The impact mechanism is trigger, with an internal location. The triggers have a release and safety cocks. The firing pins and rebound springs are made in permanent connection with the triggers. A separate removable block assembles screw mainsprings and a stop secured with a pin on rods. Compression of the mainsprings and cocking of the hammers occurs when the barrels are opened.

The trigger mechanism is mounted on a separate cylinder with two independent triggers, which have a hole for the axle and windows for the springs. A safety bracket is screwed on the bottom. Spring-loading the triggers to the heels of the sear eliminates backlash. The front trigger is also spring-loaded in order to protect the index finger from being hit when firing from the left barrel, that is, when pressing the rear trigger. The front upper protrusions on the triggers do not allow firing when the barrels are not completely closed, thereby increasing the degree of safety of the gun.

The safety is automatic and locks the sear and triggers. It is possible to shocklessly (smoothly) release the triggers from combat cocks to safety cocks, for which it is necessary, with the barrels fully open, to move the safety button to the forward position, press both triggers with your index and middle fingers and smoothly close the gun. The fuse itself is a flat part, mounted on the shank of the box with an axle and spring-loaded clockwise. The axis of the button runs in the figured groove of the fuse. A pin is attached to the holes below. Compared to previous models, the safety button is additionally secured with a ball in the forward position.

The butt is attached to the middle, located between the shank of the box and the cylinder, and the front end is pressed with a tightening screw to the obliquely cut surfaces of the box. The hole for the tightening screw in the rear end of the butt is closed with a butt plate secured with two screws. The front radius end of the IZH-58MA stock is replaced with a contour end, with a right angle and an internal radius. This contour reduces the rolling of the stock during operation.

Making maximum use of the components of the IZH-43M gun, three more modifications have been developed that have increased technical and operational characteristics compared to the basic one.

The IZH-43EM model differs from the IZH-43M by the presence of a mechanism for automatically ejecting spent cartridges. The cartridge case is ejected from the barrel that fired the shot. The introduction of the ejector mechanism required changes to the barrel group, hinge, forend and feeder. Instead of one, two ejectors are placed in the through hole of the coupling. Two additional blind holes appeared on the coupling ridge for the ejector coil springs and the guide bends. The bends are fixed in the ejector heads. On the axis, in the groove of the hinge, the feathers of a leaf spring fix the left and right levers in two positions. Levers with side, top and rear protrusions interact at various moments with cockers, ejectors and feeder. The forend has additional grooves for levers and a lever spring attached to the hinge stem. The ejector springs are compressed when the barrels are closed.

The new ejector has a number of advantages compared to the mechanism of the IZH-58MAE shotgun: the rocking of the ejector heads in the guides is reduced and the girth of the shell rim is increased. The extension of unfired cartridges (from 2-3.5 mm to 8-9 mm) from the chambers has become significantly larger, which is convenient for manual removal. The contact area of the left and right levers with the working surfaces of the ejector has been increased. Two independent ejector springs instead of one common one, as in the IZH-58MAE, increase operational stability.

The IZH-43M and IZH-43EM models were mastered by the plant in 1986, and two years later the IZH-43 and IZH-43E were put into production.

The IZH-43 and IZH-43E shotguns are the first models with two universal triggers, mass-produced by the domestic industry. They differ from each other in the ejector mechanism described above, as indicated by the letter “E” in the model designation. The IZH-43 gun has two universal triggers, each of which works on both barrels; in this case, the front trigger provides the “right-left” barrel sequence, and the rear trigger provides the “left-right” sequence. In addition, the mechanism allows you to fire in the usual way, moving your finger from one trigger to another when firing the second shot. Very rare in stores!

The universal mode of operation of the trigger mechanism required the following changes: protrusions appeared on the middle part of the triggers, and protrusions with grooves and side bevels appeared on the sears. Additionally, a frame lever, a frame, two springs and two axles were introduced. Instead of a pin, the fuse has a weight attached to it with two pins. The IZH-43 mechanism eliminates the disadvantages of guns with both two autonomous triggers and one universal one, as it allows you to quickly select the firing sequence without diverting attention from the target to switch and fire shots from both barrels in a short period of time.

Since the mid-90s, guns have also been produced under the symbol IZH-43-1C, IZH-43E-1C with a firing mechanism that has one universal trigger, allowing alternate shots from both barrels in any sequence (similar to the IZH-27 guns -1S, IZH-27E-1S).

A modification of the gun has also been developed that has external cockers for internal hammers, marked IZH-43K (K-hammer). External cockers - false skins - are mounted on plates fastened with screws on the side surfaces of the gun box, so its appearance is somewhat different from the base model.

Modifications of the hunting rifle MP 43 (IZH 43)

Currently, this model of gun is marked MP-43 and is produced in the following modifications:

MP-43M - basic model (without ejectors);

MP-43EM - Modification of the base model with a selective ejector (throwing out only the spent cartridge case);

MP-43-1C - Model with a single trigger mechanism. Changing the sequence of shots is carried out by a switch located on the trigger;

MP-43E-1C - Modification of the base model with a single trigger mechanism, provides alternate shots from both barrels in a certain sequence. Selective type ejector;

MP-43K - An original design of the basic gun with manual cocking of the percussion mechanism using external cockers. Hammer-shaped cockers and decorative locking plates give the model the appearance of a classic hammer-fired shotgun. It features reduced opening force and increased operational safety.

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Advantages and disadvantages of IZH-43

Strengths of the gun:

The main advantage of the IZH-43 (MR-43) is the low cost of the gun with fairly good quality. A hunter can purchase either a new MP-43 gun at a gun store or a used gun in excellent condition for 6-9 thousand rubles.
The design of the gun is simple and reliable, the gun is unpretentious in operation, easy to disassemble, and easy to repair.
With correctly selected cartridges, the gun shows good accuracy and sharpness of the shot.
The gun has good balance, it is easy to throw up and has good grip.
Good safety of the gun is ensured by the presence of a safety lock and the design of the firing mechanism, which eliminates the possibility of an accidental shot.

Weak sides:

The production quality of IZH-43 (MR-43) shotguns is extremely unstable. The hunter can get either a specimen of excellent or disgusting quality. If you do not have sufficient knowledge and experience, then when choosing a gun it is better to contact a knowledgeable person.
Gun owners often complain about the quality of processing of the wooden parts of the gun: the butt and fore-end. This drawback can be eliminated both by the hunter himself and by a specialist to whom the owner of such a gun can turn. The wooden parts of the gun are sanded and then treated with a special impregnation.
On some shotguns, a poorly made safety guard causes damage to the shooter's fingers. This drawback can be eliminated by polishing its sharp edge or even slightly changing its shape.
The ejector mechanism of some guns does not work well; the problem can be solved by processing the ejector parts with a small needle file.
Blueing the barrels of the IZH-43 (MR-43) gun does a very poor job of preventing rust; to avoid its appearance, experienced owners recommend wiping the gun with a dry cloth and covering it with a thin layer of gun oil immediately after hunting.

The overwhelming majority of hunters believe that in terms of the quality of guns, ease of use and combat accuracy, a better specimen than the IZH-43 cannot be found. The guns are easy to use, can be quickly disassembled, are fully repairable and are capable of firing self-loading ammunition. In addition, even climatic conditions and changes in temperature conditions do not affect the performance of IZH-43.

The weapon deserved worthy attention, especially the first models produced in single-piece versions. They differed slightly from the basic version, but the design changes made aroused awe and respect among hunters.