Once again let's return to our air pistols. Mostly gas-cylinder models were described here, and then I remembered our native air pistol IZH-53M. We will devote some time today to this development of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant.
IZH-53 has become one of the most famous air pistols in Russia, its low price (about 2000 rubles) made it almost a pistol within walking distance (if you don’t have it, then your neighbors have it). Of course, it is far from ideal, and now it has been well replaced on the market by foreign models in this niche, but still, I consider this pistol to be a classic; we used to shoot with such a toy even in pre-hardball times.
A little history
The IZH-53m air pistol has been produced since 1990 and is the direct successor to the IZH-40 pistol. This is where we will finish the review of the story itself.
But let’s look a little at the pistol markings. Since 1992, modernization has given it an addition to its name - IZH-53M. Modifications affected the anatomical handle for right-handers (replaced with a symmetrical one for both hands) and sighting devices (in particular, the dovetail was removed). Some people still divide this pistol into MP and IZH. We will assume that the MP-53M and IZH-53M air pistols are the same, because they are still 53e.
And here are the classic tactical and technical characteristics of the pistol.
Shot speed, m/s:
Platoon by “breaking” the barrel
Lead bullets, caliber 4.5 mm
Option 1
Option 2
In practice, from what I have seen, the IZH-53m air pistol is delivered in a box (at best, if it has not been lost along the way). The kit includes a cleaning rod (again, if you haven’t lost it). Well, the gun itself is more or less assembled.
Standard equipment
See photo:
Pistol IZH 53M included
When buying a new air pistol IZH 53M, you will find a rather meager set of equipment in the box. The manufacturer supplies with the weapon only a screwdriver, a cleaning rod (for oil), a trigger spring and a passport with technical data.
But it should be noted that modernization of the IZH 53M is possible. In particular, you can replace the spring (with a more powerful one), as well as the sight, since a dovetail mount is used (in models released in 2011 and later, this feature was excluded. Now only the standard sight can be used).
It’s worth reading the article about the PKSK submachine gun Kedr.
Internal structure and principle of operation
Those who like to study diagrams with the expectation of the need for future disassembly are offered the internal structure of an air pistol from the same passport.
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According to the operating principle, IZH-53 is a classic spring-piston pistol. It is cocked using the method of breaking the barrel, just like another breaker like the MP-512 and others. When cocked, the lever pulls the piston back, the latter cocks the spring and is fixed in the extreme position. The trigger discharges this entire mechanism.
Appearance
I would like to say that the IZH-53 is the most ordinary pistol in appearance, but for some reason I can’t resist. Yes, its contours were clearly not created based on rifle motifs, but the dimensions take this barrel out of the classic range of pistols. The handle was made symmetrical, now it is suitable for both right-handers and left-handers. But some may still find it inconvenient.
The body is made of durable and black plastic. The entire interior of the mechanism is made of classic steel. The mass of the entire product is 1.2 kg, again heavier than most representatives of the world of gas-cylinder pneumatic pistols. Apparently that’s why it’s a PPP (spring-piston) - if the MP-654k could already be used as a percussion tool, then here the power of the hammer is even greater.
Functional
The shot speed is not prohibitive - approximately 100 m/s on a half-gram bullet (2.5 J). But like any other domestically produced pneumatic design, this model can be considerably tuned.
The barrel is rifled. The lead bullet is fed into the breech of the barrel when it breaks. Here's a single-shot air pistol, again a reference to rifles.
The pistol has an automatic safety lock - the shot will not fire unless the barrel is completely closed. Not the same, of course, as the Colt 1911, but for some reason it’s called that here.
Sighting devices include rear sight and front sight. The rear sight is adjustable in two planes, but its performance does not leave the user in admiration. The wide slots do not allow this pistol to be used for ideal sport shooting.
Opinions vary in terms of accuracy - from admiration for the owners of a successful model to complete frustration over defective pistols. In any case, here you need to remember about the price category of the pistol, in which it completely outperforms all competitors in its class.
The pistol is quite reliable. When cared for, it withstands any weather, temperature and bullets. Tested in combat - it hits both friends and foes at minus 20 at a distance of up to 50 meters. But still, due to its strange position in the world of pneumatics, this barrel did not gain much popularity in hardball.
About the features of the model
The simple design of the Izh air pistol is liked by many. It consists of a trigger, a compressor with a spring, a piston and a barrel. The pistol handle itself is made of plastic, which can withstand impacts well.
In case of emergency, this weapon can be used for self-defense, but in general it is a sports model. Note that the speed of the bullet is sufficient to cause minor bodily harm to the criminal.
Having reviewed the air pistol, you can note that it has a long rifled barrel. This feature allows for future modernization and improvement of the model.
Having the simplest possible design, it is worth noting that the model also has disadvantages. For example, its power is 3 Joules.
Lead bullets are used for shooting. To load the gun you need to break the barrel. When choosing a bullet, you should give preference to models weighing up to 0.75 g.
As for aimed shooting, the pistol is equipped with a rear sight and a front sight. These parts are without fiber-optic threads, which could facilitate the aiming process.
There are two screws on the rear sight, with their help you can adjust the position vertically or horizontally when zeroing.
The model is not equipped with a rail for optics, but this is not necessary, since you can shoot accurately from this model at a maximum distance of not exceeding 15 meters.
If the pistol has the prefix M, then this means the presence of a sighting mechanism in the pistol. Since the caliber is 4.5 mm, you will not need to obtain permission from law enforcement agencies to purchase a weapon. This is a very reliable pistol. In order to reload, you need to break the barrel and manually install the lead bullet.
This weapon is not traumatic, but at a distance not exceeding 30 m, the bullet flies along a clearly defined trajectory.
The length of the rifled barrel is 215 mm. Note that the trigger mechanism is adjustable. The weight of the weapon is 1.2 - 1.3 kg, it all depends on the model. The shot speed is approximately 100 m/s.
It is not very convenient to adjust the length of travel of the trigger hook. The pistol is not equipped with a safety. Model with ergonomic handle. It is comfortable to hold in your hand.
Flaws
- Single shot
- Low power
- Large dimensions
This concludes this review. Maybe someone here had experience using the toy for entertainment, shooting range, or hardball purposes? Feel free to share below.
You are the owner of something very good, beautiful, say a car or a motorcycle - but you want to make it more beautiful or faster, and you have to resort to tuning and upgrading the engine in order to bring your brainchild to the ideal. It’s the same in weapons - true, in a certain sense you can’t make them more beautiful, but bringing your personal weapon to the ideal, sharpening it somewhere, changing the seal somewhere, in general, improving its tactical and technical characteristics or “upgrading” - that’s it Maybe! No stranger to the world of weapons and tuning!
The spring can be made by local uncle Vasya - the main thing to remember is that the outer diameter should not exceed the standard one (19.5 mm), and the pitch should be about 4 mm. Material – steel 65G, 50HFA (which is better), 51HFA-Sh, 60S2A, 51HFA, 65S2VA, 70S3A. Springs from 38 or 512 are longer - they need to be cut. I left 28 turns, but since IZh makes all pneumatics, if not drunk, then without drying out at all, just in case, calculate its length in accordance with your parameters: number of turns = space for the spring (with cocked bolt) / ( wire dia.+gap). There was a lot of discussion about the gap, but on average they came to the conclusion that it should be from 0, but not more than 1 mm. The smaller the more powerful, but the spring can shrink or even break due to inter-turn impacts (but for the 53rd, I think this is not so critical). The main thing is that when calculating, do not forget about the distance for cocking the pistol (about 3mm). It is advisable to sharpen the ends of the spring so that they are as rectangular as possible. Next - since you have already disassembled the gun, then at the same time take a look to see if the cylinder needs to be polished (or even sanded). Necessary? Toga forward! Denis Klimkov advised this: Cut a thread at the end of a steel rod, cut out several felt washers, and clamp them with nuts and washers at the end of the rod. The rod goes into an electric drill. Use sandpaper on the washers. And forward, at low speeds we make characteristic
