The first hunting rifles began to be sold in the 80s of the 20th century. Initially, these were stripped-down copies of the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle, but later more elegant models appeared. Hunting rifled weapons are intended for hunting large animals (ungulates, fur-bearing or feathered animals) from a distance of 300 meters or more. This feature is provided by screw rifling, which is specially made in the barrel bore, giving the bullet a rotational movement and thereby ensuring a stable and predictable trajectory. In addition, with a rifled gun, the range of the bullet increases significantly.
“Help me choose!”
It would seem that this is a topic that has been chewed over “a hundred thousand times” on all (automotive, computer, women’s and, of course, hunting) forums.
Everything is laid out on the shelves, all the arguments are worn down to holes, but no: you go to the “Hanza”, and there are two or three topics hanging out under the terribly original title “HELP YOU CHOOSE YOUR FIRST GUN.” Every neophyte is sure that his requests are the most original, and he will certainly be advised of something special. Forum old-timers roll their eyes at the sight of such threads and don’t go inside - usually “specialists” are frolicking inside, whose experience, at best, is three to four years. This public wants not so much to help as to show off their wonderful “long gun” and outstanding success in mastering it. In the worst case, a schoolboy who has seen weapons in computer shooters rushes into such topics with Wise Thoughts; and then all hell breaks loose in the comments, and the readers’ eyes begin to bleed.
At the same time, the topic remains very serious: modern Russian legislation does not allow you to simply come to a store and leave it with a shooting purchase. Purchasing a gun in Russia is similar to some kind of sacred act: you need to collect a number of documents, go through checks, wait for the decision of the Russian Guard... And if the product turns out to be defective, or you simply don’t like it during use, the replacement/refund process will be long and tedious. Weapons are a very complicated product.
Well, we'll figure it out.
Review of popular domestic models
Domestic-made hunting barrels are very popular in Russia. Nowadays there are quite a lot of new rifled hunting weapons, but among the popular models of Russian hunting weapons it is worth highlighting several.
Carbine Elk
Self-loading carbine chambered for 7.62 caliber cartridges. The magazine is non-removable and can hold five rounds. The sight allows you to hit targets at a distance of 100 meters to half a kilometer. Optics can be used. The weight of the carbine is 3,200 grams. Designed for operation in the temperature range from -50 to +50 0 C.
Carbine Vepr
In fact, it is a slightly truncated version of the Kalashnikov light machine gun. Caliber - 7.62. Magazine capacity 3.5 or 10 rounds. Self-loading. Sight up to 350 meters. Optics can be used. Weight 4,000 grams.
Carbine Sobol
Caliber 5.6 millimeters. The carbine has three magazines of five rounds each. The sight allows you to conduct accurate fire at targets at a distance of 25 and 75 meters. Optics can be used. It weighs 3,000 grams.
Carbine Tiger
Created on the basis of the Dragunov rifle. Caliber 7.62. Has a magazine for 5 or 10 rounds. The sight allows shooting at a distance of up to 300 meters. Optics can be used. Weight 4,100 grams.
Saiga carbine
It has several modifications with calibers of 5.45, 5.56 and 7.62 millimeters, which allows it to be used for various types of hunting. Magazine for 5 or 10 rounds. The sight is possible at a distance of up to 300 meters. Optics can be used. The rifled carbine weighs 3,600 grams.
Foreign models are also represented on the Russian market. Unfortunately, hunting revolvers, popular in Europe and the USA, are not widely used in Russia.
A little information No. 1
“According to official data from the Russian National Guard, almost four million people currently own weapons in Russia. They have more than six and a half million (6,619,861) civilian weapons in their hands. Of these: 969,807 - rifled, 4,409,541 - smooth-bore, 925,447 units of limited destruction weapons, as well as 309,509 gas pistols and revolvers and 5,557 units of powerful pneumatic weapons subject to registration."
Through simple calculations, we can come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people out of these four (almost) million own only one gun, which suits them perfectly. Thanks to modern technologies, the current shotgun is capable of equally successfully “working” on game weighing from tens of grams to several centners, placing a heavy bullet in the killing zone at a distance of a hundred meters - what else do you need?
Guns are used for hunting, sport and self-defense, they are quite versatile; the main thing is to choose the right model. And to do this you need to answer the most important question: WHY?
Features of hunting
Many people, especially beginners, have a natural question: is hunting with rifled weapons allowed? Yes, such hunting is legal. Moreover, you can hunt all year round for game of almost all sizes and varying weights.
Since you can aim at a distance of up to 300 meters, the hunter's safety increases significantly.
Hunting with rifled weapons is carried out in various ways, up to a collective raid, in which a high rate of fire provides a number of advantages. The ability to install an optical sight is another undoubted advantage of a rifled weapon for hunting.
True connoisseurs of hunting treat their guns very carefully, since it requires its owner to have composure, calculation and restraint, as well as strict adherence to the rules of hunting with rifled hunting weapons.
Rule one - choose by profile
Why do they even buy weapons? The list is small: hunting, sports, self-defense (aka “just in case”, “just in case”, “for the zombie apocalypse”, recreational shooting, we also include all sorts of “tactics”).
Hunting
Ninety-five percent of all hunting “wants” are covered by the modern “turning point”. As a rule, this is a double-barreled shotgun with a vertical barrel arrangement 710 mm long, replaceable chokes and an ejector.
Double-barreled shotgun 12 gauge Browning B525
One trigger or two is a matter of taste; I prefer a two-trigger trigger, it is more reliable and technologically advanced. Your further choice depends only on the size of your wallet.
Nowadays, self-loading rifles are slowly replacing “breakthroughs”: less fuss with reloading, more firepower. But the double-barreled shotgun is still the most versatile option. All other designs (pump, lever reloading, bolt-action, revolving guns) are already exotic; I would not recommend taking them as your very first gun specifically for hunting.
Sport
There are not many sports where a shotgun is used. Sporting, skeet, trench - skeet shooting. Here in 90 percent of cases you need a decent double-barreled shotgun. If you have money, take the Perazzi; if you don’t have the money, take the MP-27 (although shooting sports is not a cheap pleasure; in my opinion, you shouldn’t mess with the most budget option).
Perazzi 12 gauge sporting double-barreled shotgun
Some connoisseurs of the genre are looking for (and still find) old, Soviet-era MTs 8 and other TsKIB products, seduced by the exceptional survivability of these weapons.
The second option for mass sports is practical shooting (IPSC). This is also quite simple, the main thing is to choose the class in which you will perform. Open - smoothbore AKMoids "Vepr" and "Saiga". Standard and modified - classic semi-automatic machines with an under-barrel tubular magazine and the possibility of extending it. You can start with the Russian MP-153/155, and with the budget “Turks”, and if you have some money, take the Benelli M2, you won’t go wrong.
Benelli M2SP semi-automatic shotgun
Class with manual reloading - the same requirements, but you will have to buy a “pump”. Domestic “Bekas”, used American or Italian “Supernova” - the question, again, is a matter of budget and your personal handiness. Regardless of how much money you spend on a weapon, you still have to polish it up. Whether you do it yourself or give the newly acquired “barrel” to a more experienced comrade is up to you...
Self-defense
Many people believe that a self-defense gun is a waste of money; we don’t live in the Wild West. But there is also a glorious tribe of home-grown paranoids who consider such a “trunk” to be the basis of home well-being. For all the time that I have been observing statistics on the use of “firearms” to protect a home/family/your loved one in the Russian Federation, it has turned out that yes, a shotgun can be used for this purpose - which people do with success, and even in compliance with the laws (Just don’t whine to me about the lack of law enforcement practice, I’m aware).
And if use does happen, it is advisable to have a weapon with a larger magazine.
Alexander Grigoriev's Mossberg 500 saved the lives of his entire family
That is, of course, “just in case” you can get by with a double-barreled shotgun - fortunately, “self-defense with a 12-gauge usually ends after the first shot.” But here, in my opinion, we must be guided by other principles: firstly, maximum compactness (working indoors is possible, and the width of the doorway is much less than the minimum permitted length of the weapon); secondly, maximum ease of use (because a self-defense situation is always stressful); thirdly, maximum reliability. And, like I said, the store is bigger.
So “fractures,” for example, despite all their reliability, do not meet these requirements - only one or two shots and too much manipulation with cartridges. A pump is already a good alternative, but loading a magazine “to capacity” requires skill and time, as does working with a movable forend; this is the choice of an experienced shooter. A semi-automatic machine of a classic design from a proven one, but loading also takes time.
Perhaps the best choice would again be a semi-automatic - but with a detachable magazine (pre-equipped). True, you will have to put up with serious recoil, a huge muzzle flash and the need to use only high-quality, proven cartridges with a heavy load of shot/shot. However, any choice is a compromise...
Vepr-12
Oh yes, I also included zombie apocalyptic weapons in the category of self-defense weapons... You can have a long and tasteful discussion about the ZA offensive, and we have done this more than once - check out: recommendations for choosing weapons and ammunition.
And finally: for recreational shooting, of course, there can be no recommendations. Take whatever your darling wants, regardless of any reasonable arguments (except for safety, of course).
Fittings
Initially, rifled guns loaded through muzzles, which were used from the 16th to the 19th centuries, were called fittings. They were two to three times superior to smooth-bore weapons, and were also distinguished by good shooting accuracy, so they were widely used among the troops. In the middle of the 19th century, up to a third of the soldiers of the advanced armies fought with fittings. However, the low rate of fire and high cost limited the use of such rifles.
In the modern understanding, fittings are a special type of hunting weapon, a rifle with breaking barrels. Such guns are rarely chosen as the first rifled weapon; they are usually purchased after gaining experience in using a carbine. Many experienced hunters prefer them .
The main advantages of fittings:
- the second shot can be fired almost instantly, since all you need to do is move your finger to the other trigger;
- unions have better balance than bolt-on carabiners, although this is not true for all models.
At the same time, in terms of shooting accuracy, the fittings are inferior to bolt-on carbines.
In total, three types can be distinguished:
- with one barrel;
- with two barrels;
- combination fittings with two, three or four barrels.
A double-barrel fitting can have barrels of the same caliber or different ones. Combined models combine rifled barrels with smoothbore ones. The most popular are rifles and combination shotguns with two or three barrels. The nozzle barrels can be positioned vertically and horizontally. Vertical models provide better shooting accuracy and are therefore more preferable .
The initial speed of a fired bullet can exceed one and a half kilometers per second, while the firing range without changing the trajectory is about four hundred meters. Possible fitting calibers are from 6.99 to 15.25 mm. They are used primarily for hunting large and strong animals. The longest-range models are almost as good as carbines in their characteristics.
Examples of double-barreled shotguns and combination shotguns:
- MP-251;
- Finnsport 512;
- BRNO ZH 340;
- Antonio Zoli Express;
- Antonio Zoli Corona;
- Browning Express Erice;
- Beretta S689 Silver Sable;
- Blaser 95;
- Blaser 97;
- Merkel 2022.
Rule two - choose what you can afford
Having decided on the amount you are willing to spend on a new toy, you will immediately eliminate a lot of unnecessary options. For example, accept the fact that top models are beyond your means. If you have 50 thousand rubles, don’t look in the direction of Benelli, look instead for Turkish clones. And keep in mind that the original “fifty dollars” can melt away a lot even before the appearance of the gun: obtaining various certificates and the license itself, buying a safe, a case (a hard case for long-distance transport is also desirable), a belt, special lubricant, bandolier, etc. and etc. - all this can seriously undermine the budget. But then you still have to buy cartridges...
In general, up to a third of the planned costs can be made up of all kinds of “auxiliary aids”.
Rule three - don't trust the seller
“Take it, take it, it suits you very well - and the product is so good!”
Have you ever heard someone in a store try to tell you something different? The seller’s task is not to satisfy your requests as accurately as possible, but to sell the most expensive product and a bunch of “extras” for it. And sold from a weapons store is no different from the same individual from a chain store of household appliances. In addition to his salary, he lives from interest, so they will definitely try to sell you something as expensive as possible from your price category, even if you clearly indicate the amount you are ready to shell out: “Well, if you add just a little bit, then we have a MUCH more interesting option ! Plus, in the vast majority of cases, the typical gun dealer doesn't even own a gun.
The average maximum of secret knowledge that a seller can share is “take a three-shot shot for a duck” and “this is a real military weapon, the special forces have it!”
The same problem with cartridges: “You have a magnum chamber, you must only shoot 12x76 mm ammunition!” Don't listen to these fables, learn the materiel.
Better yet, look for a good specialist, a senior comrade who really understands weapons and has been using them for decades, and doesn’t just know how to “go around” with the air of a seasoned “babacher.”
Caliber
When choosing a caliber, you need to focus primarily on the size of the intended trophies. For rifled weapons, this characteristic is much more important than for smooth-bore weapons. The energy of the bullet when it hits the animal and its stopping power must be sufficient, then the number of wounded animals can be minimized. These important indicators increase with increasing mass and radius of the ammunition.
Small Game Hunting
Small game means large birds - black grouse, wood grouse, geese - or small animals like foxes. For hunting them with rifled weapons, the 5.6 caliber is well suited.
Calibers for an animal weighing 60-90 kilograms
When it comes to hunting animals up to 90 kilograms - wolf, roe deer, saiga and the like - the best choice would be:
An animal weighing 90-150 kilograms
These can be small and medium-sized wild boars, mountain sheep, reindeer or sika deer, small moose and similar animals. For such hunting you can use the following calibers:
Hunting for animals weighing 150 kilograms or more
Big game includes large deer such as red deer and wapiti, as well as moose, bear and wild boar. For such hunting you can use the following calibers:
There is no need to go small with the caliber: let the bullets be superior in energy and stopping power to the ideal ammunition for your conditions. If you make a mistake with the caliber on the smaller side, hunting can turn into complete torture.
There is also no need to chase cheapness when choosing a rifle . This is especially true for carabiners, which have a rather complex design - inexpensive models can be very unreliable. Do not forget that the choice of a hunting weapon is a purely individual matter; try to find a model that you like, and not someone you know, and that is best suited for your hunting conditions. A high-quality carabiner or fitting will serve you faithfully for many years and will bring only positive emotions.
Rule four - don't throw away used ones
The vast majority of the guns that I bought and actively used were “used” - and stable malfunctions were encountered only with MC 21-12 produced in the 90s of the last century. But here the point is not in “second-hand” condition, but in the general capriciousness of this semi-automatic and the disgusting quality of execution, characteristic of that period.
Yes, all these guns required a little fine-tuning - sanding, tinting, bluing, maintenance of the mechanisms, but otherwise they served me for a long time and honestly. Still, weapons, as a rule, are made with a large margin of strength and survivability; the average owner is simply not able to develop this resource. In addition, there is an opportunity to save a lot.
Hunting rifle 16 caliber IZH-58
Finally, you can purchase a weapon that has no modern analogues on the primary market - remember the classic IZH-58 (the shotgun is by no means as magnificent as its fans describe, but very solid and practical). But here the help of a specialist is required - to inspect the trunks, check for the absence of a shank, etc.
Seek and you will find.
Advantages and disadvantages of rifled weapons
A rifled weapon is a weapon in the bore of which, in one way or another, spiral grooves of a trapezoidal shape are made, each of which makes two or three full turns as it moves from the breech to the muzzle. Thanks to them, the bullet, passing through the barrel, twists and acquires a gyroscopic (rotational) moment, which, firstly, keeps it on a straight flight path, and secondly, does not allow it to chaotically change its position in space (tumbling).
Therefore, a projectile fired from a rifled barrel flies further and more accurately than from a smooth barrel, and retains more kinetic energy, which affects its stopping power. This is the main advantage of rifled weapons.
However, it also has disadvantages.
- For example, when shooting at short distances at small, fast-moving targets (a running hare or a flying duck), the probability of being hit by at least a few pellets from a shot scree is greater than by a bullet.
- In addition, smoothbore weapons, which have the same destructive power as a rifled rifle, usually weigh less. For example, a 16-caliber TOZ BM weighs 3.25 kg, and a Remington 770 rifle in .243Win caliber (6.2x52 cartridge) weighs 3.8 kilograms.
- One should not exclude the fact that cartridges for smooth-bore weapons are cheaper. Therefore, training with him at the shooting range will not seem like an unaffordable luxury, and inevitable mistakes will not be ruinous.
Below you will find a useful video about choosing your first rifled hunting rifle.
This video will tell you how to choose your first rifle for hunting:
But now you can go to the forum...
I hope that after reading this material you understand how to “ask on the Internet” correctly. The main thing is to clearly formulate the request. For example: “Good afternoon, I’m asking for advice. I have a “Zelyonka” in my hands, I want a shotgun, the purpose is hunting, the budget is up to 70 thousand rubles, I’m leaning towards light 12-gauge double-barreled shotguns. Does anyone know of a new one or a used one in decent condition?” The person who asked such a question will immediately cut off the answers from a bunch of inappropriate talkers and will at least arouse respect from future colleagues: it’s immediately obvious that the person knows what he wants.
In general, let your choice be correct, and the future “trunk” will please you.
