The IZH-57 horizontal smoothbore shotgun was produced at the Izhevsk Arms Plant and was very popular in its time. The main designer of this gun is L.I. Pugachev, who led and directly participated in the creation of IZH-57.
The main task of the designers was to create a fundamentally new smooth-bore hunting rifle by improving the mechanisms of old models. By that time, the weapons industry had already accumulated enough high-tech developments that could be used to create qualitatively new weapons.
As you might guess, the IZH-57 double-barreled shotgun went into production in 1957. The gun was produced for two years, but during this time the plant produced about twenty-two thousand pieces of products. According to hunters' reviews, the gun turned out to be very good.
The IZH-57 double-barreled shotgun is a very rare model, but it is rightfully one of the most spectacular horizontal guns from the Izhmekh plant of its period. According to its design and factory technology, it continues the proprietary model range of the 1950s, begun by the IZH-49 horizontal model and extended by the IZH-54 model.
History of creation
Let's start with the fact that the IZH-57 double-barreled shotgun is the successor to the famous IZH-54 shotgun, which many hunters call the standard of what a hunting weapon should look like. The new horizontal gun was produced only in 16 gauge and inherited from its ancestor the design of an internal trigger mechanism, which was slightly modified, which gave the trigger greater reliability and a smooth trigger stroke.
The development of IZH-57 was carried out by the legendary IZHMEKHA engineer L. I. Pugachev. The main task of the team was not only to improve the existing design features of the weapon, but also to reduce its cost, because the IZH-54 did not have the lowest price tag due to the presence of expensive engraving on the metal.
The IZH-57 gun, which soon appeared on the arms market, although it did not have the same excellent external characteristics as the IZH-54, had a low cost and a high reliability indicator. It was thanks to this double-barreled shotgun that hunters and fisheries received it extremely positively, but the release lasted only 2 years.
The reason for the closure of IZH-57 production was quite simple - the appearance on the market of a large number of double-barreled guns with vertically paired barrels. By this time, people had long understood that horizontals had an irreparable flaw - the barrel shifted not only upwards, but also to the side during a shot. So vertical guns began to be in greatest demand among hunters.
Izhevsk horizontal rail IZH-57 with locks in the block
Photo 1. Photo by Evgeny Kopeiko.
In the lineup of Izhevsk horizontal guns of the mid-20th century with locks in the block, a significant place is occupied by the IZH-57 double-barreled shotgun of a similar design, which followed the IZH-54 shotgun.
This new double-barreled shotgun was released, as the markings show, in 1957, when experience in the production and versatile use of the previous gun had accumulated so that it could be taken into account in the latest model.
The factory mark in the form of a heraldic shield with a star is stamped on the pads of the barrel block.
The IZH-57 shotgun is an example of the 16-gauge mostly popular among hunters, which has become a significant addition to the already distributed factory model IZH-54 of the larger 12-gauge.
The IZH-57 double-barreled shotgun is a very rare model, but it is rightfully one of the most spectacular horizontal guns from the Izhmekh plant of its period.
Its marking, like other factory shotguns, adopted for the first production models and currently in force, includes the name “IZH” and the digital designation of the model.
Initially, these numbers encrypted the year of creation, both for the IZH-49 or IZH-B-47 and IZH-57 horizontal planes, which makes it easy to identify a particular sample along with the stamp of the year of manufacture, for example “1957”, which was affixed to the pillows barrel block.
And later, the numbers in the markings indicated the model number according to the internal factory classification, such as, for example, the later double-barreled shotgun IZH-26.
The hunting double-barreled shotgun IZH-57, according to its design and factory technology, continues the proprietary model range of the 1950s, begun by the horizontal IZH-49 and extended by the IZH-54 model.
As already noted, during that period, IZH-57 shotguns were produced mainly in 16-caliber, although this subgroup includes samples of 12- and 20-caliber, but they are unknown to hunters.
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Circumstances have developed such that in hunting usage the IZH-57 double-barreled shotgun is considered a 16-gauge gun, and here we will further discuss the 16-gauge model. The horizontal plane IZH-57 was produced for a short time; in total, just over 20,000 copies were produced - very few for our market.
In fact, the design of the IZH-57 double-barreled gun largely repeats the previous IZH-54 double-barreled gun, but this is a model of a slightly higher category and therefore has significant differences.
Thus, the upper locking of the block of barrels in the IZH-57 horizontal block is made in the form of a bolt that clamps a hook on the breech end of the barrels, and the lower one is the previous standard double frame of the Purdey system.
As on the previous model, the hammers are cocked when the barrel block is opened, the cocking pin indicators are located on the top of the block, and the sears are at the bottom. The firing pins and triggers are separate; on the block guard, the firing pins are covered with threaded bushings secured with counterscrews and are recessed under the action of the firing pin springs.
The safety is automatic, locks the triggers and sears, it may not be automatic, for which it is enough to remove its slide.
The possibility of a smooth release of the triggers is provided: the safety button is moved to the forward position, and the barrel block is smoothly closed with the triggers pressed, of course, the gun is unloaded.
The factory took care of the hunters and included spare parts with the gun, including a V-shaped mainspring, firing pin and firing pin spring.
The IZH-57 16-caliber model took into account and corrected many of the shortcomings of previous horizontal guns, however, it turned out to be quite heavy for its caliber, its weight with a block of barrels 750 mm long reaches 3.14 kg.
It can be seen that the block of barrels is quite long for its caliber and, in addition, weighs a lot, approximately 1.46 kg. Typically, 16-gauge hunting rifles have somewhat shorter and lighter barrels.
The IZH-57 gun barrels themselves are made of domestic special steel grade 50A, its characteristics, in particular the yield strength of at least 50 kg/mm2 and tensile strength of at least 75 kg/mm2, fully satisfy the requirements for hunting smoothbore weapons.
| Photo 2. Photo by Evgeny Kopeiko. |
The IZH-57 16-gauge horizontal barrels have choke and choke choke constrictions for the right and left barrels, respectively, and the diameter of the bores is assumed to be 17.0 mm.
Inside, the surface of the bores and chambers is protected by a chrome coating. The diameters of the bores and choke constrictions in mm are marked on the barrel pads, for example, with the marks “17/16.5” on the right and “17/16” on the left, however, it is advisable for owners to measure the actual dimensions of the bores and choke constrictions. The caliber was also indicated there in numbers in a circle.
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The IZH-57 horizontal gun was tested for strength by firing cartridges with an enhanced charge of smokeless powder. A 16-gauge test cartridge, equipped with a charge of Sokol powder weighing 2.3 g, a Zhevelo capsule and a lead shot projectile weighing 30 g, developed a pressure of 850 kg/cm2.
After testing, the permissible pressure in the form of a stamp “up to 750 atm” was affixed to the barrel cushions of the IZH-57 gun. Owners of 16-gauge shotguns should know these values so that when loading cartridges they do not exceed the permissible pressure.
The IZH-57 16-caliber shotgun had good shot-fighting performance: when firing cartridges with a shot shell No. 5 weighing 30 g and a charge of Sokol gunpowder weighing 1.6 g, the accuracy was 53% for the right barrel with a narrowing of the “receipts” and 62 % for the left with a “chok” narrowing.
It is important to keep in mind that the mass of the “Falcon” gunpowder charge of the calibration cartridge is determined by the quality of the gunpowder of that time; the charge masses of the current “Falcon” gunpowder are different.
These are factory data; hunters can select the components of cartridges in such a way that the performance of shotgun fire will exceed the factory values.
Regularly, but in small quantities, the Izhmekh plant produced and produces rare specimens, decorated with unique engravings with floral patterns and scenes on hunting, household, industrial and battle themes, and even decorated with precious metals and their alloys.
Among the well-known Izhevsk samples, it is necessary to name the IZH-57 double-barreled shotgun, along with, of course, other guns that are significant for the artistic level of factory products.
It was often produced as a piece, with a special designation included in the markings, for example IZH-57-Sh1. The “Passport” was stamped “Mechanic Debugger Comrade...”, I will mention the name of the master Papulov, indicated in the “Passport” of the IZH-57 gun, manufactured in November 1957.
Many events happened then, the first Soviet satellite, and the VI World Festival of Youth and Students, and others, but this copy, although a one-piece, is not an anniversary one.
There are known copies of the IZH-57 in a more expensive special version; the Izhmekh plant demonstrated one such gun in the early 2000s at the popular, now permanent Moscow exhibition “ARMS&Hunting”, where I had the opportunity to get acquainted with it.
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Brand inscriptions are written on the trunks in gold, on the right “Izhevsky”, as shown in photo 1, I will keep this name in this form in the future.
At the exhibition, the Izhevsk Plant Model IZH-57 gun is presented as one of the best works of Izhevsk craftsmen of various specialties who worked during the creation of this specimen. All the main parts of the Izhevsk Plant Model IZH-57 shotgun, including the block, the upper locking lever, the safety bracket, the rosette at the end of the neck of the stock and the fore-end lever are entirely decorated with ornamental and subject engraving made using the “colored gold” method.
Depending on the proportion of impurities, the gold alloy acquires different shades, from red to almost green.
On the unique sample “Izhevsk Plant Model IZH-57” the decorative plot is based on images of an ibex on the rocks, as can be seen in photograph 2. The plots are complemented by bouquets of flowers made of yellow-red gold and a light floral ornament with wide leaves.
The same ornament is applied to the breech of the barrels. The finely engraved heads and ends of screws and screws stand out with their own decor. Even the stock itself, with scallops in the upper part and a figured cutout in the rear part at the junction of the stock neck, looks like a stand-alone, spectacular detail.
Gilding on the triggers protects them from wear and rust, but is also a decorative element. Matching the elegant proportions of the gun is the dark walnut wood stock with a pistol-shaped neck and cheek piece.
The notch on the neck of the stock is made in the “matting” style, that is, with the passage of one cutting thread every four, often called the “Swiss” style.
High-end guns are rare - thanks to individual handcraft, and are available to few due to the high costs of production.
But the serial, simpler ordinary IZH-57 shotguns are also assembled quite well. And so much so that hunters still have samples of IZH-57, although not numerous, but in very good condition, worthy of personal collection and hunting.
You can ask your question to Evgeniy Kopeiko by email
Evgeniy Kopeiko December 4, 2022 at 11:20
Characteristics and description
The IZH-57 shotgun, like many other horizontal guns, consists of three main parts - barrels paired in a horizontal plane, a butt and a forend. The trigger mechanism is located under the chamber and is distinguished by the presence of a sear, which blocks pressing the hook if the barrel is not completely locked.
Special attention should be paid to the chamber and barrels of the weapon, which, thanks to the chrome coating, can use any type of cartridge case (folder, brass, plastic) with different amounts of gunpowder and striking element. It is thanks to its unpretentiousness in “nutrition” that many hunters fell in love with the gun. The chamber length is 70 millimeters, and the barrel length is 750 millimeters.
It is also impossible not to note the relatively low weight for a gun - only 3.2 kilograms. Thanks to this, the hunter practically does not get tired when moving with a gun through the forest, and also has additional maneuverability at the time of aiming. Although the low mass of the weapon leads to high recoil.
What do IZH-54 and IZH 58 have in common?
Shotgun models have common characteristic features:
- Manufacturer company IzhMekh.
- Designer Pugachev.
- Double-barreled, where the barrels are horizontal and made of 50A steel.
- Identical choke constrictions with chrome-plated chambers and channels.
- Good accuracy of fire with a long service life without deformation and corrosion.
- With triple locking barrels.
- Designed for hunting, but also used in sports shooting.
When the Izhevsk plant produced 3 models - 26, 54 and 57, the manufacturer made 3 modifications of one weapon, but in fact many of the details were the same. What gunsmiths do not agree with in relation to IZH -58.
Design
IZH-57 has an extremely simple design, making the weapon quite easy to disassemble and repair. Here are the main design features that a potential buyer should pay attention to:
- the barrel is locked using three combat hooks - two small and one large;
- automatic type fuse - activated when the striker is cocked;
- the stock is straight, half-pistol - helps soften recoil during a shot;
- the barrel locking system is represented by a lever latch;
- Vertical type trigger indicators are installed on the top bar of the block.
The gun has a classic design.
The gun has a swivel that allows you to attach a two-position or three-position belt to it for ease of movement through the forest. However, the mounts are located too close to each other, which makes carrying the weapon on your back not very comfortable.
IZH-54 device
For the manufacture of model barrels, 50A weapons steel was used. The trunks were subjected to careful heat treatment. This technology required labor and time, but this affected the quality. In the future, they switched to a simpler and cheaper method of manufacturing barrels, which caused a decrease in the quality of subsequent versions of IZH. The IZH-54 barrel was made by drilling.
For specimens produced from 1954 to 1960, the barrels were fastened with hard solder rations and interbarrel strips along the entire length. In 1961, the fastening technology was changed: they began to use a barrel coupling. It was chosen due to its ease of installation and lower price.
The outside of the barrels was chrome-plated, nickel-plated or chemically painted. The difference between the three types of coating is small: with chemical painting, the gloss effect is less noticeable, but the moisture resistance of the third option is lower than that of the first two. It was used for all copies of the 60s.
In 1954, chrome plating of bores was not used; this technology was introduced only in 1955. In the first years, only piece and premium items were subjected to such treatment, and this was not indicated in the gun’s passport. The chrome plating mark has appeared in documentation since 1958.
The process of making the pad was interesting: before heat treatment of the low-carbon steel part (the material was soft in its “white” form), all spare parts were adjusted. After processing at high temperatures, a strong and reliable part was obtained. The process was completed by cementation - the heated material was placed in cold water without access to oxygen.
Specifications:
For shooting, 12-gauge charges are used; The length of the gun barrels is 730 or 750 millimeters; The total length of the gun is 1150 or 1170 millimeters; The mass of the unloaded weapon is 3.2-3.6 kilograms; The working life declared at the factory is 7.5 thousand shots.
Advantages and disadvantages
A few words about the positive qualities of the weapon, thanks to which many hunters still prefer this particular double-barreled shotgun:
- simple and reliable design;
- long warranty period;
- unpretentiousness in “nutrition”;
- relatively light weight;
- comfortable and ergonomic bed;
- presence of notches on the fore-end.
The 1957 shotgun also has a lot of disadvantages. Here are just the features that the vast majority of owners complain about:
- strong recoil with the barrel being thrown to the side, characteristic of double-barreled guns;
- not the best balance - the barrel tilts forward when aiming;
- low fighting qualities.
However, for many hunters the IZH-57 is the ideal horizontal double-barreled shotgun . In addition, almost 70 years have passed since its production, so it is already a kind of rare gun.
Recommendations for storing IZH-54
The service life of any gun depends on the conditions under which it is stored. In order for the IZH-54 to serve for a long time, the following rules must be followed:
The weapon can be stored disassembled or unassembled in a dry room (for example, in a pantry); IZH-54 mechanisms should never contain dirt or foreign objects; active parts should always be covered with a thin layer of lubricant; To prevent the mainsprings from being seated, the hammers must be released during storage; After shooting, cleaning should be carried out as soon as possible. During the cold season, it can only be done in a warm room, when the gun warms up to room temperature; The gun must be cleaned within 4-5 days after shooting, until there are no more traces of dirt and soot on the rag; The bores of the barrel can only be cleaned with soft rags and napkins. Do not use abrasive materials for cleaning; After intense shooting, it is recommended to wash the barrels in warm water to get rid of a large amount of carbon deposits. After washing, they must be thoroughly wiped using rags and napkins. During the wiping process, they must be constantly changed to clean and dry ones; Leaded steel is cleaned using a brush with soft metal bristles and gun lubricant, which is applied to the cleaning rod; Cleaning of IZH-54 takes place in disassembled form.
Modifications
The IZH-57 also has several design options, thanks to which each buyer can choose a gun that suits his personal preferences. The versions differ from each other in the following qualities:
- soldering of barrels with a low stamped aiming rib;
- soldering of barrels with a milled aiming strip;
- barrels pressed into the coupling.
Hunters prefer the latter option, since such weapons are lighter in weight, as well as have a good barrel connection (the likelihood of shattering is minimized).
Conclusion
IZH-54 is a high-quality and reliable gun. This is facilitated by manual assembly and German roots. The high reliability is evidenced by the protocols of numerous factory tests carried out under harsh conditions. Due to its high reliability, the IZH-54 was in great demand in many foreign countries: more than 70 thousand copies were sold.
Nowadays, the popularity of the 54th Izhevsk gun has not disappeared. Many hunters use it regularly: they use it for hunting birds, small and medium-sized animals. In terms of quality and reliability, the IZH-54 surpasses many modern domestic and foreign guns.
Tips for buying a gun
When buying a seventy-year-old weapon, pay attention to some signs that will help you avoid purchasing a low-quality product:
- condition of the barrel connection - the channels should not wobble;
- connection of wooden parts with metal - there should be no gaps;
- condition of the barrel channel and chamber - there should be no chips or rust;
- chrome coating - must be perfectly smooth;
- the trigger stroke should be smooth and soft.
If the gun has any problems, it means that it has not received proper care. Buying such a model is like buying a pig in a poke. Maybe after modification it will shoot properly, or maybe it will fray your nerves.
Experiments
The main advantages of the new system were reliability and workmanship. After all, the fire tubes were made of a durable chrome-plated coating that did not give in to deformation and corrosion. However, the new system also had a disadvantage: it was very difficult to unscrew, which required the use of a special tool. With the development of technology, attempts have been made to eliminate this drawback. The weapon began to be produced under the names IZH-26 and IZH-26E. These guns, in their design, took all the best from the IZH-54 and 57 models, but the main difference from the old modifications was a significant reduction in the weight of the gun.
This was done thanks to a complete redesign of the Griner bolt mechanism, instead of which a locking bar was installed. Unfortunately, the production savings on the IZH-26 are very noticeable. These were the first guns from the Izhevsk plant, which did not differ from their competitors in quality and manufacturability. Due to the fact that the gun did not gain as much popularity as its predecessors, it was replaced by the IZH-58.
Storage and care
Proper storage and care of weapons (especially old ones) is the key to their long life. So we decided to give our readers some tips on this matter:
- the gun must be stored in a metal safe;
- in winter and summer the room temperature should be approximately the same;
- weapons should be placed in the safe with their barrels facing up (otherwise oil will leak);
- The cleaning and lubrication procedure must be carried out after each use of the gun;
- Clean the barrel with a steel brush only when absolutely necessary;
- Before applying a layer of new oil, be sure to get rid of any remaining old grease.
IZH-57 is rightfully called one of the best double-barreled guns from IZHMEKHA. And despite the fact that this type of shotgun is almost no longer popular, many hunters still will not refuse to purchase this model, since it is considered the standard of what a horizontal shotgun should look like.
History of production of IZH guns
At the arms factory in the city of Izhevsk, they began making guns in mid-1884, however, at that time there was no such arms factory - there was a small specialized hunting workshop, which was called exemplary. The best gunsmiths worked in this workshop; moreover, in order to learn from the experience of foreign colleagues, samples of hunting rifles that were popular at that time were even purchased into such a workshop.
As soon as the production of such guns was established, they immediately became popular with buyers. And already in 1885, the Izhevsk workshop began accepting private orders for the manufacture of hunting weapons of all types.
So, already in 1888, small-scale production of such weapons was established, and if you look at the factory price list for 1902, then it becomes clear that single-barreled, shotgun, 2-barrel, rifled 1-barrel and 2-barrel weapons were produced here. barrel shotguns of different calibers and models. Valuable guns were mainly produced with 2 barrels, hammer-fired, central firing, with rich finishing, engraving and notches made of gold and silver. By the way,
When the Soviet Union was formed, at that time Izhevsk gunsmiths mainly specialized in the production of hunting rifles, which were converted from rifles from single-barreled IZH-5. At that time, hunters had such guns mainly of 28 or 32 calibers, since it was not possible to produce other calibers at the Izhevsk batch. At the same time, the single-barreled IZH-5 was produced in 5 calibers and was produced in this form until 1928.
Later, in 1929, the first samples for 2-barreled shotguns were already manufactured, and from 1936 to 1938 the production of a more advanced double-barreled shotgun, model IZHB-36, 12 gauge, was launched. Until 1946, the plant in the city of Izhevsk also produced an improved model of such a gun.
At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Izhevsk plant again launched the production of double-barreled hammerless shotguns of the IZHB-46, IZHB-45 and IZH-49 models.
