From sports to hunting: review of the Sobol small-caliber carbine

Among modern fans of small-caliber weapons, an unpretentious and simple domestically produced carbine, the 5.6 mm Sable, has recently become very popular and in demand. (22 LR). As an example, the BI-7 biathlon rifle was taken to create a hunting weapon. The descendant inherited from its predecessor a locking crank mechanism with axes of vertical rotation.

This mechanism is called “match” in some sources.

History of creation

In 1990, Izhmash began developing a new hunting rifle under the name “Sobol”. It was decided to use the Biathlon-7-2 sports rifle as a prototype, which is distinguished by an unusual barrel locking system. To make the model suitable for hunting, it was necessary to make some changes to the trigger mechanism, as well as adapt the barrel for a small-caliber 5.6 mm rimfire cartridge.

One of the most important features in the design of “Sable” was the involvement of specialist designers in the work on its creation, who were tasked with improving the visual component of the model. The Izhevsk plant wanted to produce weapons that would not only be suitable for amateur hunters, but also be popular among collectors and connoisseurs of beauty. The specialists completed their task in full.

The Sobol, which came off the assembly line, became the dream of any hunter who specialized in hunting small animals and birds. The weapon had excellent external characteristics, worked even in harsh weather conditions (from –50 to +50 degrees), had good ergonomics, and also had harmonious proportions and weight. It is not surprising that for several subsequent years Izhmash supported the released model, releasing various modifications to it.

MAKSIMOV.SU

In this article we will return again to the topic of small-caliber weapons, which still maintain traditional popularity in Russia.

We discussed the reasons for this in previous articles.

Today

we will talk about one of the best examples of sporting and hunting small-caliber long-barreled weapons of domestic production, which is based on the bolt group used in Soviet sports rifles for biathlon. Meet the 5.6 mm Izhevsk sporting and hunting carbine “Sobol”.

It’s the beginning of spring 2015,

accompanied by the height of the information war, new anti-Russian sanctions, the gathering of NATO troops to our borders and growing uncertainty.
The secondary market is already full of imported carbines, although suppliers are trying to solve the problem with cartridges by hook or by crook. Small-caliber rifle "Sobol"

Nevertheless

, Russian hunters, having already fully tasted all the bitterness of problems with Western-made cartridges, are increasingly turning to Russian weapons. In this case, those who have an imported carbine with a caliber for which our factories produce ammunition are lucky.

Small caliber cartridges

have always been produced in Russia, and the quality of our 5.6 mm cartridges is still quite acceptable for solving almost any range of problems, both for hunters and athletes. And Russia still produces 5.6-mm rifles that are excellent in terms of their performance characteristics, attractive both in appearance and at relatively low cost.

Small-caliber rifle
"Sobol"

“Sable”
History and design features
Description of the carbine by the manufacturer:

“The carbine is designed for hunting small animals and birds. For shooting from a carbine, 5.6 mm (.22 LR) rimfire cartridges of domestic and foreign production are used. The barrel bore is locked by a crank locking mechanism with vertical axes of rotation. Reloading is done manually with cartridges supplied from the magazine.

Mechanical sight

designed for 25 and 75 meters. The receiver has a dovetail base for mounting an optical sight. The design of the carbine allows you to fire from a mechanical sight without removing the optical sight.

Small-caliber rifle
"Sobol"

Carbine stock

can be made from various types of wood (birch, walnut, beech). The bullet dispersion diameter is average when firing at a distance of 50 m with “Match” cartridges in 3 series of 5 shots, no more than 25 mm. Magazine capacity: 5 rounds. The weight of the carbine without an optical sight and accessories is no more than 3 kg.”

Small-caliber rifle
"Sobol"

The main difference between Sobol

from the classic “little things” - the use in its design of the above-mentioned crank-type bolt, which allows you to shoot very quickly and with minimal disruption to manufacturing. The progenitor of the Sobol is the biathlon 5.6-mm rifle Bi-7-2, famous for its characteristics, produced by IZHMASH since 1980.

Shutter application

new type opened a new era in shooting sports. Currently, such a bolt is used by all the world's leading manufacturers of sporting weapons. This design made a revolution in bullet shooting almost a hundred years after its appearance in machine guns of the H. Maxim system, a rare Henry-Winchester rifle and such little-known exotics as Volcanic pistols.

After

this original locking concept was used by H. Borchardt in his pistol of the 1893 model, which became the prototype of the famous Parabellum.

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol"
Receiver of the weapon, top view. Note the iron sight, dovetail and bolt axis

Everything else in Sobol

differs little from a regular small-caliber rifle, with the exception of a really useful option - the presence of 2 spare magazines in special sockets of the butt - a legacy of the sporting past.
As a rule, even for commercial hunting, 3 magazines of 5 cartridges each are more than enough, but you need more - so a spare pack of tiny cartridges does not fit your pocket. Small-caliber rifle "Sobol"

But when

There is only one magazine attached to the rifle, then its loss at the most inopportune moment turns the rifle into a single-shot one. And here - a couple of spare magazines are always securely attached to the butt, in addition, they are often found on sale and cost several times cheaper than magazines for imported small ones.

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".
Very convenient: in the butt of the rifle there is a compartment with two spare magazines. The idea is not new. This kind of NC in the form of sockets for spare cartridges can often be found in the butts of old European fittings

Sable at work

In hand

This carbine feels almost like a toy. This impression is partly created due to the unusual bolt of the weapon. It is necessary about the “Legion” version of the “Premier”, which has a walnut stock, looks and feels much more solid than copies with a birch stock. Still, the type of wood of a rifle butt matters.

The shops

They load easily and attach to the weapon without effort. The action of the shutter is quite soft even on a new rifle. During operation, all moving parts become worn in over time. Well-fired rifles of this type have a very pleasant “buttery” bolt stroke.

However,

If you have metalworking skills, you can put your hands on the rifle a little from the very beginning. The trigger force may seem a little high for sport shooting; here you either need to get used to it or, again, modify the trigger yourself or, preferably, in a licensed workshop with a good reputation.

When reloading the Sobol, the shooter is free from the risk of getting hit in the eye with his own fist.
Especially with a significant focus shift of the optical sight. KAHLES KXi 3.5-10x50 L with 4D-Dot mesh is perfect for “small things”

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".

The
straight-line movement of the shutter allows the use of optics of any size on rings of any height, including the lowest (in our case, the monoblock turned out to be high, but there was no other one at hand)

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".
Chuck on the feed line. Thanks to the special features of the shutter, reloading occurs quickly and without losing the target from the field of view

Sights "Sable"

are suitable only for solving the simplest hunting tasks and, given the potential of the rifle and the presence of grooves for mounting an optical sight, are a constructive palliative.

But this

It’s not scary: if the Sobol is purchased exclusively for sport shooting with optics, it makes sense to completely dismantle the front sight and rear sight. Then the sight can be installed as low as possible, at the same time simplifying the task of selecting fasteners.

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".
The two-position rear sight is compact, convenient and has 2 positions - at 25 and 75 m.

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".
The muzzle of the barrel has a high-quality “crown”. The adjustable front sight is reliably protected by a removable front sight

Recoil from Sobol

practically absent, the shot is quiet, thanks to the design features of the bolt, it is a pleasure to shoot from the Izhevsk carbine. Small-caliber weapons require the shooter to have some experience and very specific skills (if we are talking about shooting at distances that are more or less decent for a 5.6 mm cartridge), but if you have a good stop, getting good results from the Sobol is not a problem.

Many

Sobol owners install a bipod on their carbines, a permanent or adjustable comb on the butt, order a new orthopedic stock, etc. I must say that tuning an accurate “small thing” is a very exciting and productive process. Taking into account the acute lack of normal open shooting ranges in our country (probably, the shortage of land still has an effect), having a small-caliber rifle in the safe means much more opportunities for training.

Indoor

50-m shooting galleries (useless from the point of view of owners of “real” rifles) are quite common in large cities, but for a “melkan” this distance is the most optimal.

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".
The fuse is located in a polyamide trigger guard and is convenient to use

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".
Stamps on the receiver of a weapon. Pay attention to the bracket stopper (in this case, it is necessary given the peculiarities of mounting optics on a weapon, but is not used)

Conclusion

So let's see

What do we have in the bottom line? In terms of its operational characteristics, the Sobol is a very attractive weapon. The relatively low cost of the Izhevsk carbine today makes it more than competitive (at the beginning of 2015 - within 20-25 thousand rubles, depending on the region).

Certainly,

the Tula 5.6-mm TOZ-78 is cheaper, but it is a weapon of a different class and type, despite the examples found with very good combat. Thanks to its high accuracy and rate of fire, the Sobol can be successfully used for recreational sports shooting, including the increasingly popular small-caliber benchrest.

Rifle

It shoots well out of the box, but always has the potential to achieve better results and good opportunities for tuning. There is a lot of practical information on improving Sobol in the public domain, especially on the Internet.

Small-caliber rifle
"Sobol"

Speaking about tuning the Izhevsk “small car”,

First of all, we mean selecting the optimal bracket for the optical sight and the optics itself. Despite the insignificant recoil of a small-caliber rifle and the relatively short firing range from it, the choice of an optical sight must be taken as responsibly as possible.

Practically

all owners of 5.6 mm rifles start with low-power budget optics like 4x32 “Pilada” from VOMZ or, which is absolutely no good, “Chinese” ones of dubious quality. I admit honestly, I once went down this dead-end path from the very beginning, the results of which could only be acceptable for a certain type of hunting.

As

improving the skill of shooting from “small guns”, and it is improving quite quickly, the need for shooting at maximum distances for a 5.6 mm cartridge is also growing, which entails the need for a stronger magnification of the sight and a high level of its optical-mechanical characteristics.

“Sable” has very graceful outlines,
in which the thoroughbred nature of the weapon and high potential

Often

On high-precision small-caliber rifles you can see a sight, the price of which is several times higher than the cost of the weapon. Today this is becoming the norm, but art requires sacrifice. In our case, when installing the Austrian KAHLES KXi 3.5-10x50 L sight with a 4D-Dot reticle on the domestic Sobol, the difference in the price of the weapon and optics became mind-boggling.

But

this inequality was fully compensated by the quality of the “picture” of the sight, the convenience of the aiming reticle, and improved shooting results. At the same time, the first bracket that came to hand was taken - a duralumin squalor of American-Chinese origin.

But its function

he performed quite well. At least at a 50 m distance, using Klimov cartridges to hit a modern 10-kopeck coin was not a problem.

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol",
view from the shooter's side

The only drawback of "Sable"

- this is the need to remove the optics when disassembling the weapon to clean it. But, firstly, you don’t have to disassemble the carabiner; you can just clean it with a flexible cleaning rod or, the old-fashioned way, with a fishing line and a piece of rag. And secondly, after removing/installing the sight, the STP moves extremely slightly or does not move at all (if there is a high-quality bracket).

More

It would be nice to have a weaver bar instead of a “dovetail” on the receiver (as on the “Sable” modification for the American market called “Basic”), but the “dovetail” is used on many “small guns” from well-known manufacturers, incl. and CZ, so no big deal. And the choice of brackets and rings for the “flipper” is more than extensive. Best shots to you!

Small-caliber rifle "Sobol".
To remove the magazine, just press the “back” key; the magazine can be removed easily and quickly

The article was published in the magazine “Hunting”, April 2015

Design

The design of the Sobol carbine is the part that largely distinguishes the small-caliber carbine from other rifles with similar characteristics. The main differences from the BI-7 carbine are as follows:

• classic semi-pistol stock improves ergonomics;
• a shortened barrel reduces the weight of the weapon and increases its power;
• the presence of a dovetail sighting bar allows you to install optics;
• the increased magazine capacity makes it possible not to think about the lack of ammunition;
• the presence of a "boar's back" ridge on the butt absorbs the inertia of the shot.

Hunting rifle "Sobol" with cartridge magazines
But where the design is similar to a biathlon rifle is the barrel locking system using a crank mechanism. For classic small guns, it is more typical to use a standard rifle design with grooves and ridges. However, due to its similarity with a sporting weapon, the sable has a faster reloading system, which is very important for any hunter - you can not lose sight of the target by placing several cartridges in a row.

Another significant innovation was improved weapon balance. Now the rifle does not deviate after a shot to the left or right, and at the moment of aiming it behaves as obediently as possible. This improvement was developed specifically for those who plan to equip a hunting weapon with optics, because it often happens that after installing the “body kit” the rifle begins to tilt forward or backward.

Disassembly

1. Remove the magazine and tighten the bolt.
2. Press the crank block from the buttplate side of the receiver. Remove its fastening pin located on the top cover.
3. Remove the crank mechanism assembly with the bolt frame and bolt cylinder.
4. Remove the frame and cylinder.

To separate the barrel from the stock, remove two screws. One is located behind the trigger guard, and the second is inside a metal tube, with its end facing the lower edge of the forend.

Owner reviews and the price of the Sobol small-caliber hunting rifle are given below.

Operating principle

The principle of firing from the Sobol rifle is not much different from the system used in other small-caliber weapons. To fire a shot, you must complete three steps:

1. We feed the cartridge from the magazine into the barrel using a biathlon cocking. To do this, you need to lift the lever and then pull it towards you - at this moment the bolt and chamber cover will open slightly. As soon as the hunter moves the lever forward, the cartridge will flow from the magazine into the barrel. After this, an automatic safety is activated, blocking the ability to pull the trigger.
2. We remove the rifle from the blocker. Once the hunter is ready to shoot, he will need to remove the safety from the weapon. To do this, move the flag located in front of the trigger guard branch to the firing position. A red marker indicates that the weapon is ready for battle. If you need to put the Sable back on safety, you need to move the flag to the left so that the green marker is activated.

Feeding a cartridge into a rifle barrel

1. We press the trigger. The striker strikes the top edge of the primer. The gunpowder will ignite, and the bullet, under the influence of energy, will begin to move along the barrel of the rifle, after which it will leave it through the muzzle. After this, all that remains is to release the used cartridge case using the shutter lever. The crank will open and the cartridge will be released by the action of the extractor.

Once the cartridge case has ejected and the chamber is free, a new cartridge can be fed into the rifle barrel to repeat the procedure.

Advantages and disadvantages

The small-caliber “Sable” has a huge number of advantages that explain its popularity among not only amateurs, but also professional hunters. Here are the most significant of them:

1. Simple design. Despite the fact that the carbine uses an unusual barrel locking system, in all other respects it is similar to other types of small hunting rifles. Carrying out partial disassembly of a weapon is not difficult even for a novice hunter. The design is also highly reliable - the systems will not fail, even if you forget about regular cleaning and lubrication of the model.
2. Excellent ballistics. On the muzzle of the weapon there is a special chamfer in the form of a funnel, which significantly improves the power of the shot, but at the same time prevents most of the muzzle energy from being transformed into recoil. The power of the rifle is quite enough to kill a gopher, a hare and even an adult fox. At the same time, Sobol does not disdain cartridges with an increased powder charge.

1. Fast reload system. At first glance, the barrel locking mechanism may seem rough and overly massive, but it is its design that makes it possible to increase the performance characteristics “Number of shots per minute” several times. Despite this, reloading a weapon looks familiar to most hunters who have ever held a sporting weapon in their hand. So it won’t take long to adapt to the platoon.
2. Availability of three magazines included. One of them is installed in a standard place located under the rifle chamber. The rest are placed in the plane of the butt, which opens using a special horizontal cover. Having two spare magazines within easy reach is an incredibly useful feature that will appeal to every fishing enthusiast.

However, during the production of weapons there were some mistakes, the most unpleasant of which led to the formation of negative aspects of the model. Here is a list of the things that small car owners complain about most often:

1. Floating quality of weapon manufacturing, varying from batch to batch. As a result, a potential buyer may run into a specimen with a crooked barrel or burrs on the muzzle. Fortunately, stores replace such models without question.
2. The breech is not locked tightly, which is why some of the energy is simply released. However, there’s nothing you can do about it – the other side of the coin called “biathlon platoon”. The only solution is to change the recharging system completely.

1. The safety box is in the wrong place. Many hunters complain that it doesn't fit inside the trigger guard. It would be much better to place the button behind it or on the receiver.
2. The descent is too tight. Despite the fact that the rifle is not intended for sport shooting, the trigger stroke could be made a little softer. A person who plans to shoot from the Sobol using an optical sight will have to get used to the fact that the barrel slightly deviates from the target when the trigger is pressed.

In all other respects, comments from dissatisfied customers usually boil down to personal “wants” that should not be paid attention to. In general, the weapon is worth the money, although it cannot be called ideal.

Specifications

The Sobol small-caliber rifle is distinguished by balanced technical characteristics, thanks to which it can be used for fishing. Here is information about the performance characteristics taken directly from the weapons passport:

The Sobol is classified as a rifled carbine with a longitudinally sliding bolt. The main purpose of the weapon is hunting.

Analogs

In addition to the Sobol, there are many small-caliber bolt-action rifles on the market designed for rimfire cartridges. Among the competitors of the Kalashnikov concern, the following models deserve special attention:

1. CZ-452 is a Czech weapon, distinguished by a reliable barrel lock, as well as the presence of a bolt-action bolt with two lugs. The quality of this model is much higher than that of the Russian one, and it costs no more than 26 thousand rubles. Also on the barrel there is a Picatinny sighting rail for installing an optical or collimator sight.
2. TOZ-78 is a model of the Tula Arms Factory, which has trained several generations of hunters. Despite the fact that almost 40 years have passed since the release of the weapon, the Soviet carbine still surprises its owners with its high quality and reliability. A distinctive feature of the model is that the handle is located in the groove of the stock.

CZ-452 is an analogue of the Sobol rifle.
We can also recommend more expensive carbines: Remington 770, TOZ-99, Anschutz-525 and others. All of them use small-caliber cartridges for shooting and are suitable for hunting small fur and feathered game.

Ammunition used

The Sobol small-caliber carbine is designed to fire 5.6 mm cartridges (.22 LR or 22 WMR).

22 LR (from the English long rifle - “long rifle”) is a small-caliber rimfire cartridge of 5.6 × 15.6 mm. This type of ammunition was developed back in 1887. 22 LR holds the world record; this particular cartridge ranks first in terms of the number of cartridges issued and consumed.

Advantages of 22 LR:

• low cost;
• minimal return;
• fairly good ballistics at close ranges.

The main disadvantage of this ammunition is its low power. For this reason, it is not suitable for hunting medium or even larger game. However, it can be successfully used for fishing squirrels, martens and other small animals.

22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire) is another small-caliber rimfire cartridge that is used in weapons intended for hunting or self-defense. This ammunition was developed by the American Army and first went on sale in 1959. 22 WMR is the first rimfire cartridge created in the 20th century. The ammunition of this type that appeared before him was developed in the 19th century.

The advantages of this cartridge compared to 22 LR are high power and firing range. The amount of gunpowder in 22 WMR is one and a half times greater, which ensures such characteristics. At the same time, the return remains very insignificant and almost imperceptible.

The accuracy of fire from the Sobol depends on the ammunition used. .22 LR non-jacketed lead bullets have low muzzle velocities and their flight is greatly affected by wind. Copper-clad ammunition has a higher speed, about 500 m/s, and they have better ballistic properties. When using such cartridges, the shooting accuracy is 2 MOA, which is enough for hunting.

Features of operation

To ensure that Sobol does not bring any unpleasant surprises during operation, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the main nuances of its use in advance. Of course, most of the points are positive, but they are not spelled out in the performance characteristics and design features:

• the Sobol carbine has virtually no recoil, so it will not be the best choice for those who are used to feeling the power of a shot;
• the rifle is characterized by quiet shots, so the installation of a sound moderator (silencer) is not provided for by the muzzle;
• Initially, the shutter of the small rifle will not have a very smooth movement, but over time the parts will rub against each other and the carbine will begin to operate much smoother;
• the rifle is a good base for modernization and installation of various “body kits” - tuning lovers will be pleased;

• despite the fact that the trigger is stiff, the weapon will perform quite well for training purposes;
• using a sable with an optical sight for shooting from a distance of 100 meters or more is possible only if you have a bipod;
• During operation, the receiver bolts become loose, which is why they have to be tightened with a screwdriver from time to time.

Thus, the Sobol carbine is a very attractive weapon that has good technical and operational characteristics. In addition, the small-caliber rifle has an affordable price (about 22 thousand rubles), so the demand for it remains one of the highest on the market. The carbine also has the potential for various modifications and modernization, so an expert gunsmith can easily turn a small thing into something unrecognizable.

Installing an optical sight

The standard mechanical sight of the carbine is designed for distances of 25 and 75 meters. It is only suitable for the most basic hunting tasks. Meanwhile, the potential of the rifle is much higher, and to unlock it, you need to install an optical sight on it. In this case, the front sight and rear sight can be dismantled. After removing the standard sighting devices, you can install the optics as low as possible, and the task of selecting fasteners is simplified.

Installing an optical sight is the main method of tuning the Sable. You need to choose the optimal optics and bracket for it. Many beginners use low-magnitude budget optical sights like the 4×32 “Pilada” from VOMZ or Chinese products of dubious quality. For hunting this may be quite enough. But as you acquire skills in shooting from the Sobol, sights with higher magnification are required, which allow you to shoot at the maximum distance for the cartridge, 5.6 mm. Therefore, it is better to immediately take a more expensive model.