Two eras. Comparison of carbines "Bars-4-1" and "Orsis 120"

“Leopard” is a family of hunting rifles that are designed for hunting small and medium-sized animals, such as marmot, roe deer, saiga or wolf. It can also be used to kill large birds. In addition, Bars are often used to practice shooting skills. This carbine was developed by Soviet gunsmiths in the sixties. Many of its design features were borrowed from the Simonov self-loading carbine, which was used in the USSR army. The leopard attracts interest from both advanced hunters and beginners.

Description

The word “Leopard” most often means not a specific weapon, but a whole family of hunting smooth-bore carbines with a sliding bolt. Many design features of the model are borrowed from the Soviet Simonov self-loading carbine. Despite the fact that almost 60 years have passed since the release of the first version, the weapon is still supported by the release of official modifications. For example, in 2022, based on the Bars carbine, a new rifled modification called Baikal 145 “Los” was released.

Purpose

The Bars model is most often used by professional hunters to hunt medium or small-sized animals (from squirrels to deer). Some modifications of the rifle are permitted for use in sporting events with small-caliber weapons.

Thanks to its very simple design, the Bars will be an interesting acquisition not only for an expert, but also for a beginner. The ergonomic stock and soft trigger provide good conditions for training shooting. Also, weapons can be used not only by men, but also by women.

Design

The popularity of Bars is largely due to its optimal design, which guarantees ease of use. Here are just the points that you should pay attention to first:

• the presence of a butt plate and cheek plate in the rear part of the butt - provide improved ergonomics of the weapon, as well as a comfortable ride during shooting;
• soft trigger system - will be especially in demand among novice shooters who often jerk their hand at the moment of shooting;
• a barrel made of high-quality weapon steel with an optimal length - a guarantee that the shot will be accurate and its service life will be long;
• butt made of walnut or birch, covered with wood - retains its attractiveness even more than half a century after release;

Gun "Bars", butt - walnut.

• five-round magazine - the ammunition is staggered, so the reloading system is considered much more reliable than that of ordinary rifles;
• dovetail sighting bar (11 mm) - used for installing an optical or collimator sight, as well as other “body kit”.

Thanks to its simple and at the same time reliable design, the gun has a fairly long service life - at least 10 thousand shots. Some samples continue to successfully serve their owners, despite their age of 60 years.

Specifications

In addition to its reliable design, the Bars carbine is also not deprived of combat characteristics, guaranteeing wide possibilities for use. Here is a small table with information taken straight from the weapons passport:

A good accuracy rate at medium and long distances also deserves attention. The spread of the bullet at a distance of 50 meters from the target is no more than 4 cm. Thanks to this, the Bars has proven itself not only in hunting, but also in the field - the weapon is often used for target practice.

Los-10

The Los-10 carbine is the newest version of the carbine, produced by the plant since 2016. The carbine has retained all the advantages of previous versions of the Los carbine and, thanks to serious modifications, has acquired new advantages.

• The barrel of the Los-10 carbine is made by cold forging with an oxide coating
• The rifling pitch of the Los-10 carbine allows the use of heavier bullets.
• The muzzle of the carbine has a thread that allows the installation of flash suppressors, brake compensators and other muzzle devices.
• The shape of the butt is symmetrical, which allows both right-handed and left-handed people to shoot from the carbine.
• The stock is made of walnut, birch or maple.
• The receiver has a Picatinny rail for mounting an optical sight.
• The open sight has been upgraded to provide higher aiming accuracy.
• The magazine is of a new design, does not rattle or fall off
• The new bolt design has easier cocking and a shorter stroke.
• The bolt is locked with three lugs.
• The Los-10 carbine has a modern Cerakote protective coating.

Advantages and disadvantages

If we consider Bars from the point of view of the ratio of positive and negative sides, then there will be much more advantages. Here are the points that you usually pay attention to first:

1. Versatility. The model is equally well suited for both hunting and target practice shooting, as it is available in different calibers. For hunting, a larger cartridge is used, and for training, sub-caliber ammunition is suitable.

1. Attractive appearance. Despite the fact that the weapon looks quite simple, it still has a considerable amount of sophistication. For the most part, this is due to the fact that the weapon has a solid stock, and not a composite one.
2. Ergonomics. The design of the weapon is thought out in such a way that the shooter feels minimal recoil while using the weapon. The carbine is also quite comfortable to hold in your hand, despite its seemingly heavy weight.
3. Small dimensions. The carbine is quite easy to transport due to its compact size and the fact that the main parts can be quickly removed. This quality will be useful for both hunters and athletes.

Barca doesn't have many negative sides. For the most part, buyers are unhappy with the shallow rifling of the barrel - a rather old-fashioned technology that does not have a very good effect on accuracy. In addition, although the trigger travel is soft, it still takes a long time to get used to, especially after using hard guns.

Execution options

Over the almost 60 years of existence of the Barsa carbine, quite a lot of interesting modifications have been released that satisfy the whims of certain groups of potential buyers. We won’t be able to sort them all out, but we can pay attention to the 4 most popular versions.

"Bars-1" KO-5.6-60

One of the first modifications of the Bars, sharpened for firing with 5.6x39 mm cartridges (it was this version that became the prototype for the new Los). Despite the fact that the weapon was produced in small batches, it gained enormous popularity and was in production for 30 years. Hunters primarily value the rifle for the availability of ammunition, since small-caliber 5.6 mm ammunition is sold in any gun store at an affordable price. This version is used mainly for shooting fur-bearing animals, since the sub-caliber bullet does not have much stopping power, but does not leave much damage on the body of the killed animal.

Bars-1 - prototype of the Los carbine

"Bars-4"

The same version of “Bars” that most hunters imagine when they hear the name of a carbine. The model is unified with the Los-4 rifle and is available in two versions: 5.6 mm and 7.62 mm caliber. Accordingly, small-caliber bullets of 5.6×39 mm or a larger analogue of 7.62×39 mm can be used for shooting. The first version is mainly purchased by athletes and lovers of hunting fur animals. The second one is already suitable for those who prefer to hunt larger game. It should also be noted that the Bars-4 carbine is quite easy to modify, so there will be no problems with installing the body kit. Version released in 1985.

"Bars-4-1"

A relatively new, automatic version of the Bars-4 modification, developed in the early 90s. Like the previous model, it can fire 5.6x39 mm or 7.62x39 mm cartridges. It is unified with the Los-7 model, so if you are the happy owner of these carbines, you can safely replace parts between them (80% of them are identical). The modification also differs from the Bars-4 in its modified trigger system and new barrel rifling technology. Thanks to this, the accuracy of the Bars-4-1 is higher, although otherwise the versions have the same performance characteristics.

"Bars-223"

Modification released in 2000. It uses .223 Remington cartridges, a civilian version of the 5.56x45 NATO load (not to be confused with the .308 Winchester). Until 2003, weapons were practically not supplied to the Russian market, but were mainly exported abroad. However, now anyone can purchase a Bars-223 rifle. Its accuracy rate is slightly higher than that of the 4-1 version, but the shot power is not as great. Instead of a standard dovetail sighting rail, a Picatinny bracket (22 millimeters) is used here - suitable for installing imported and modern Russian body kits.

Interior

The five-seater cabin with a classic seating arrangement can be transformed - instead of a rear three-seater sofa, two separate passenger seats are offered, and through the passage between them you can get into the luggage compartment, where double folding benches are installed on the sides, located perpendicular to the movement.

However, the seats have received new, higher quality upholstery, the sliding windows have locks (as does the sunroof), and there is even an audio system with a radio.

But the most important thing is the build quality. The car is assembled not at the plant itself, but in the PAMS workshop (separate small-scale production). Sound insulation is much better than in any other domestic car, the doors have double seals, and they themselves are very carefully fitted to each other - there are practically no gaps, which is unheard of in the Russian automobile industry.

Ammo selection

Considering that the Bars carbine has three main calibers: 5.6, 7.62 and .223 Rem, many readers may have a very reasonable question - “What cartridges should I use?” To understand this, just go to any weapons forum and read the opinions of professional hunters. Here's what they think about it:

1. Cartridges caliber 5.6x39 mm. It is preferable to use products from the Barnaul Cartridge Plant (BZP), namely, the Centaur ammunition with the Partizan bullet. They cost much less than their imported counterparts, and in terms of performance characteristics they are in no way inferior to them.
2. Cartridges caliber 7.62x39 mm. Here, too, most hunters prefer the “Centaur” over the BZP, but only the one that has a Serbian bullet with increased mass. Soviet shells do not have such good penetrating ability.
3. .223 Remington cartridges. For several years now, the Philippine company ARMSCOR has remained the best manufacturer of 5.56×45 mm cartridges, which is why it is recommended to buy ammunition for the Bars-223 rifled carbine from them.

The best manufacturer of .223 Remington cartridges is ARMSCOR.
Unfortunately, IZHMEX did not provide its clients with complete information on shooting Bars using various ammunition, so we cannot say anything about other companies. However, no one excludes the fact that ammunition from foreign companies, for example, the American company Hornady, may also be suitable for Barca.

History of creation

In 1986, the plant offered the army its promising project called the UAZ-3172 “Wagon”. The SUV, outwardly similar to the Japanese and European models produced at that time, was radically different both in appearance and in its technical characteristics from the UAZ-3151 produced and was head and shoulders above it, both in terms of cross-country ability and comfort.

UAZ-3172 "Wagon"

But, despite a very successful and promising design, the “Vagon” project did not go into production due to financial difficulties - in 1992 there was simply no money to purchase military equipment. Therefore, the project was closed, and the developments on it were shelved - just in case. But literally a few years later, on the basis of the UAZ-3151, they began to develop a version with an eight-seater body. In the design of the new SUV, it was decided to use a number of developments from the “Wagon” project.

Independent modification of the carbine

For ease of use, the Bars carbine and its modifications are best customized. To do this, professional hunters recommend carrying out the following manipulations with the main structural systems of weapons:

1. Sand the trigger mechanism. To do this, you can use a special paste “Asidol” - a soft abrasive material for grinding and polishing that eliminates the formation of “grooves”. Long and patient work will make the descent of the Barca even softer and smoother.
2. Adjustment of the magazine and elimination of horizontal play. Many Bars buyers have often encountered the problem that the carbine magazine causes the cartridge to “stick” into the chamber. To prevent this from happening, you should finalize the metal part with a file, and then additionally treat the joints with abrasive.
3. Installing a suitable optical sight. Depending on the distance from which you plan to shoot, the magnification of the optical device can vary from 3x to 9x. It is also strongly recommended to cover the plastic caps of the optics with insulation if you plan to use the weapon in the cold.

1. Increasing the length of the butt. If desired, the short buttstock can be upgraded by installing a denser rubber or plastic butt pad. This procedure is recommended for people with a heavy build who feel that a standard carabiner is too small for them.

The Bars is a good choice for those who are looking for a universal rifled rifle or simply need a weapon for training. Thanks to the wide range of models and enormous possibilities for modification, almost every hunter will eventually be able to acquire a carbine that meets his personal requirements. And if you regularly take care of the weapon, and also replace the springs from time to time, then it will serve its owner faithfully for many decades to come.