Newbie based on the legend: Tiger TG3 smoothbore carbine for hunting and training

The KK TG3 carbine ideologically continues the line of smoothbore adaptations of the Kalashnikov Concern’s bestsellers, specifically the smoothbore version of the famous Dragunov sniper rifle, or rather its civilian version “Tiger”.

Its design differences with the original are minimal, and its shooting characteristics at distances of up to 250-300 meters are far superior to all smooth-bore analogues on the market.

Why TG3 is a unique product of its kind, read our review.

Design features of TG3

We have already written about all the differences between civilian Tiger carbines and the SVD military rifle; you can read about them here. Here we will mention the differences between the TG3 smoothbore carbine and the base on which it is made - the SOK5 “Tiger” rifled carbine.

The first and most important difference is the barrel in the Lancaster drill. We have a large article about what this is, you can read it here. Let’s just say briefly that such drilling allows you to get closer to the accuracy of rifled weapons at short and medium distances. The barrel is slightly thicker than that of a rifled carbine - this is due to the power of the 9.6/53 cartridge, which exceeds the traditional SVD 7.62x54: 4000 joules versus 3400.

The gas block has also changed a little - in the TG3 it is not adjustable, and is configured for automatic operation with a shaft cartridge.

The third major change is the weapons store. The carbine is powered by its own single-stack five-place magazines; Tiger magazines will not work. The single-row design is a necessary measure, since the 9.6/53 cartridge feeds poorly in a double-row arrangement. Also, due to changes in the design of the magazine, the bolt does not engage the bolt stop in the extreme position when the magazine is empty.

In all other respects, including weight, dimensions, body kit, design of the DTK and rear plate, the TG3 fully corresponds to the Tiger. By the way, due to the fact that the DTK and the butt plate are designed for a less powerful cartridge, they work poorly with the 9.6/53 cartridge, and the carbine kicks noticeably. Particularly amusing is the marking of the rear sight up to 1200 meters, which was done for the sake of the external authenticity of the carbine - of course, it does not shoot at any 1200 meters, and especially with an open sight.

Self-loading smoothbore shotgun Kalashnikov TG3 (Russia)

The TG3 smoothbore gun (official name Smoothbore semi-automatic carbine TG3 ) was developed by the Kalashnikov concern on the basis of the Dragunov SVD self-loading rifle. The gun was first presented to the general public in the summer of 2022 at the Army 2018 exhibition, its sales should begin in 2022.

Kalashnikov TG3 smoothbore gun at the Army-2018 exhibition

The TG3 shotgun is designed to provide Russian shooters and hunters with a self-loading weapon that is formally classified as a smoothbore weapon, but at the same time has ballistics at the level of serious hunting carbines with a rifled barrel. For this purpose, the gun has a barrel with an oval Lancaster drill and uses 9.6/53 Lancaster developed cartridges. These cartridges are created on the basis of a 7.62x54R rifle cartridge case, the barrel of which is turned to accommodate a bullet with a diameter of 10.3 mm (the nominal caliber of 9.6 mm is taken along the smallest axis of the ellipse that forms the cross-section of the barrel with a Lancaster-type drill).

trunk section with Lancaster drill

It should be noted that the nominal characteristics of the 9.6/53 Lancaster cartridge are very impressive - with a bullet mass of 14.8 grams, its initial speed is stated at 700 m/s, which gives a muzzle energy of about 4000 J. At a distance of 250 meters, this bullet will have an energy of about 1400 J , and when shooting with zeroing at 100 meters, the decrease in trajectory at 250 meters relative to the aiming point will be about 50 cm. The shooting accuracy of the TG3 allows you to confidently hit a steel 30-cm gong at a distance of up to 300 meters. Lancaster oval bore rifling, first proposed by the Englishman Charles Lancaster in the mid-19th century, is distinguished by the fact that there are no clearly defined riflings (fulls and fields) in the barrel. The cross-section of the barrel bore has the shape of an oval, the axes of which rotate around the longitudinal axis, creating a spiral that twists the bullet. This type of drilling was originally proposed for artillery guns and works well only with relatively large calibers and moderate projectile (bullet) speeds. According to Russian law, barrels with Lancaster drilling are formally considered “smoothbore”.

TG3 shotgun with a wooden stock, SVD type

The TG3 shotgun is offered in three versions. The basic version is made like a classic SVD rifle, with a wooden frame stock, a wooden fore-end and a removable cheekpiece on the butt. Option TG3 version 01 has a plastic frame stock and forend, and option TG3 version 02 has a metal butt folding to the side like an SVDS rifle and a plastic forend.

view of a single-row magazine for TG3 in the magazine body from SVD

The TG3 gun itself is similar in design to the Tiger hunting carbine, created on the basis of the Dragunov SVD sniper rifle. It uses gas-operated automatics with a short stroke of the gas piston and locking with a shutter port. The receiver is milled from steel, with a removable stamped cover. The cartridges are fed from detachable box magazines with a capacity of 5 cartridges with the cartridges placed in one row in the housing from the SVD magazine. A slotted flash suppressor is installed on the barrel. Standard sights are mechanical adjustable, SVD type. On the left side of the receiver there is a side rail for installing a bracket for an optical sight.

Video of the TG3 shotgun from Kalashnikov.media

Shooting characteristics

Weapons with Lancaster drills occupy an interesting niche: they allow novice shooters to try their hand at hunting and precision shooting at a distance of 100-300 meters using a smooth-bore, “green” license; As people say, “it’s a good idea to while away 5 years while waiting for rifle training.” Indeed, in terms of medium-range ballistics, the TG3 is not much different from its rifled brother:

As you can see, at short distances of 100-150 meters its accuracy is almost no different from a rifled one, but at distances over 200 meters, in addition to a sharp drop in accuracy, the average point of impact also drops. This is especially noticeable at distances of 300+ meters - the weapon shoots almost along a suspended trajectory.

At the same time, the speed of the bullet along the entire trajectory drops slightly, and it retains its lethal energy even despite the drop in trajectory - in theory, this allows you to hunt at extreme distances, if you can quickly select vertical corrections.

Another drawback is that the amount of gunpowder is loose even inside one package of cartridges; the speed can deviate by 20 meters per second in both directions. Of course, this does not add accuracy, although overall the picture is quite good.

Advantages and disadvantages of modification

Serial production started at the end of 2022, so this left an imprint on the reliability of the description and the perception of the weapon: reviews are not yet enough to identify long-term shortcomings and features of the mechanism.

The main advantages of such a Tiger include:

1. Constructive perfection of the mechanism and maximum manufacturability of the firing process. Original products of the concern, unlike fakes, have almost no assembly defects.
2. Purchasing a “strong” smooth-bore gun under a license, which is almost equal in strength to more powerful prohibited models that are more difficult to acquire. By the way, the main idea of ​​​​creating TG3 as such is an attempt to impose strict domestic laws on weapons. Officially, the new Tiger can be purchased under a license for smooth-bore guns: formally, the barrel is not considered rifled, although it is made using similar technology.
3. Characterized by an impressive bullet speed (over 700 meters per second) and muzzle energy of about 4 thousand Joules.
4. High accuracy and shooting accuracy at a distance of over 400 meters.
5. Possibility of upgrading by installing a variety of optical sights.

However, even in the first stages of operation, shortcomings were identified.

Main disadvantages of TG3:

1. The cartridge used is characterized by high cost and difficulty of acquisition due to the only manufacturer (Tehkrim).
2. Compared to the classic SVD, the new hunting carbine is less reliable.
3. Not the best flatness of the ammunition flight path.
4. Relatively large mass of the gun.

For now, the main obstacle to purchasing a model is the cost. Such a Tiger smoothbore carbine costs about 90 thousand rubles, and now the price for a domestic development for hunting is objectively “biting”. The cartridge is also expensive, and the capacity of the magazine box leaves much to be desired.

What is TG3 suitable for?

Considering all of the above, we can recommend the TG3 carbine to all weapon enthusiasts who have not accumulated experience in rifled weapons - of all the “pseudo-rifled” weapons, the TG3 has one of the best ballistic characteristics due to the length of the barrel and the power of the cartridge.

It is suitable for all types of hunting, including predators and large ungulates - this is facilitated by the energy of the cartridge and good accuracy at short, “hunting” distances of 100-150 meters.

The relatively high price of a shot, almost twice as much as a rifled 7.62x54, does not encourage entertaining shooting with the TG3, but it is quite possible to practice accurate shooting with it. You can practice shooting at 30cm gongs at distances up to 250m.

Modifications of the TG3 carbine

At the moment, there are several modifications of the carbine.

Version 01

The basic version of the TG3 carbines fully corresponds to the Tiger SOK 5 carbine in appearance and body kit. It comes in versions with a polymer and wooden stock, which differ in price and comfort of use: plastic is more practical, but wood is traditionally more pleasant for the insert and looks more aesthetically pleasing.

Carbine KK TG3 isp 01 9.6×53 Lancaster 620mm pls 66,390 ₽

Carbine KK TG3 isp 01 9.6×53 Lancaster 620mm plc

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Carbine KK TG3 isp 01 9.6×53 Lancaster 620mm wood 77,751 ₽

Carbine KK TG3 isp 01 9.6×53 Lancaster 620mm wood

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Version 01 with 530mm barrel

Version of the standard carbine with a shortened barrel: 530mm instead of 620mm. Theoretically, such a carbine would be more convenient for hunting, since the short barrel allows you to spring up faster and make it easier to get through the thicket.

Carbine KK TG3 isp 01 9.6×53 Lancaster 530mm pls extended stock 66,390 ₽

Carbine KK TG3 isp 01 9.6×53 Lancaster 530mm plc extended butt

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