Hunting rifle IZH 27 (MP 27): review of modifications and selection tips

History of creation

This gun is a modernized IZH-12, one of the first vertical models. Many elements have undergone changes: the stock and forearm have become different; The aiming bar has become ventilated; a separate fuse that intercepts the triggers; spent cartridge ejector; the designers also changed the shape of the receiver; installed a rubber shock absorber at the end of the butt. The updated double-barreled shotgun IZH 27 began mass production in 1973 and is still in production today.

When expanding the sales market to foreign countries, it became necessary to change the name of the gun, since the word IZH is inconvenient to write in Latin. Therefore, an abbreviation was developed that was suitable in meaning. Therefore, since the 90s, IZH hunting rifles began to be designated with MP (Mechanical Plant) symbols. Thus, since 2008, all products of the plant have been released under this sign.

Description

Characteristics of the IZH 27 (MR 27) shotgun – available in 20, 16 or 12 gauge versions. The IZH 27 shotgun weighs from 3.1 to 3.6 kg, the chamber length is 7 cm, the barrel length is 66-73 cm. Barrels are traditionally not cylinders: the upper one is 1mm (choke), and the lower one is 0.5mm (poluchok).

The design of the IZH 27 shotgun is as follows: the barrel has an aiming front sight. The barrel channels are chrome-plated, the outer surface is anodized. The barrels are connected to the block by means of under-barrel hooks and a hinge. The hammers are cocked when the barrels are opened. The trigger mechanism smoothly releases the triggers when the receiver is closed. Technical characteristics of IZH-27E: it is distinguished by the fact that it is equipped with a spent cartridge ejector and is switchable.

Reviews of the gun IZH-27M (MR-27M)

• The gun is quite heavy, on the one hand, it’s good: you feel less recoil, less loose, on the other hand, it’s a bit heavy for running hunting, especially compared to imported guns.
• There are many negative reviews about the quality of the chrome plating of the barrels, as well as the quality of the bluing; the guns become covered with rust too quickly and therefore require constant care.
• Many hunters note the poor quality of fit of the wooden and metal parts of the gun. When purchasing either a new or used gun, this is something you should pay special attention to.
• Many owners of the IZH-27 (MR-27) shotgun complain about the appearance of shatter after firing magnum cartridges with larger loads. It is better to use cartridges with standard loads with this gun, then the gun will last much longer.

Modifications

The double-barreled shotgun is already more than forty years old, and it has acquired a number of modifications and options for a wide variety of needs and requirements. These include: shotgun IZH 27 EM or MR 27EM, IZH 27M 1S, IZH 27 1S, MR 27M, MR 27EM 1S or IZH 27EM 1S, as well as “Junior” (gun IZH 27MM), a rifled version of the barrel, etc. This gun is also manufactured in piece versions.

Technical characteristics of the MP 27EM (IZH 27 EM) model: switchable ejector, two releases.

MP 27M 1S and MP 27 1S or IZH 27M 1S, IZH 27 1S - one trigger that can be used to switch the firing sequence (changes by pressing the trigger from behind), without an ejector. IZH 27M 1S can be called the most popular model.

MP 27EM 1S or IZH 27EM 1S - switchable ejector, one release.

The IZH 27M or MP-27M “Junior” shotgun is a lightweight version of the main model. As the name suggests, it is designed for women and teenagers, so the stock dimensions and barrel length are reduced.

IZH 27, MR 27 Silver is a special version of the IZH-27EM, which is distinguished by the presence of silver plates on the sides of the receiver with artistic engraving.

Analogs

• The closest competitor on the Russian market for the MP-27M is the second “people's” rifle - TOZ-34. Weapons have their own advantages and disadvantages compared to each other, so this debate continues to this day.
• Among the foreign ones we can name double-barreled shotguns “Merkel-2000” and “Merkel-2001”. Shotguns are produced in 12, 20 and 28 calibers. Since 2002, they have been equipped with a chamber length of 76 mm. The cost of German rifles, of course, is noticeably higher.

MP-27M is a simple and reliable vertical double-barreled shotgun. The line has been produced for over 40 years, but enjoys enduring popularity due to its accuracy, adaptability and affordable cost.

The owner's review of the MP-27M gun is given in this video:

Choosing a used or new MP-27, IZH-27 shotgun

IZH hunting rifles are a popular brand; It is not difficult to find enough suitable copies both in the store and on the secondary market. How much does the IZH 27 shotgun cost? From 11 to 55 thousand rubles (depending on the year of manufacture).

What should you pay attention to?

1. The first and main thing is the quality of the connection of the trunks. If a white coating is visible between the trunk and the bar connecting them, it means that this bar will soon peel off. Under no circumstances should you buy such a copy. It is subject to repairs, but they will be regular.
2. The muzzles should be round (not oval!), and the metal should be of the same thickness. In no case should there be a difference in size: the choke and pay on these trunks are simply invisible to the eye.
3. Chrome plating must be uniform. Unfortunately, the quality of the chrome plating, even on new examples, is not the best, so it is not easy to find a suitable example according to this criterion.
4. The sighting bar is straight and level, without bends or bulges. If they are present, it means that the gun was fired with unsuitable charges and in large quantities.
5. The front sight should be exactly in the middle of the bar. The trunks are perfectly straight, without curvature. Move to the side is often visible when viewed from the breech.
6. The product itself must be strong, without backlash, and nothing should creak. The handguard should be removed and replaced without any extra effort.
7. The weapon itself should be quite easy, without excessive effort, to be disassembled and reassembled, giving the impression of a well-functioning, working mechanism. Sometimes it happens that new copies close with great effort. Over time, this may go away, or it may remain.
8. You also need to take a closer look at the butt: no burrs, loose chips or cracks. There should be no large or uneven gaps between the butt and the box.

TOZ 34 and IZH 27 – what to choose?

TOZ 34 is the main competitor of IZH-27. Tula guns are just as common, and there are also many of them on sale. The characteristics of TOZ 34 are almost the same. The cost is almost the same, and they are produced around the same time. These guns are almost the same. However, despite the external similarities, there are also differences, primarily purely technological. So what is better to choose - TOZ 34 or IZH 27?

To do this, let's look at the features and differences of these models.

• The main and most important thing is the trunks. TOZ barrels and their manufacture are of higher quality compared to IZH-27. The very design of the IZH barrel is such that the side rail is unreliable and comes off more easily over time, i.e. the technology itself is initially less developed.
• Secondly, there are differences in the mainsprings. In TOZ they are figured and break more often. Also, TOZ cocking levers wear out more often.
• The advantage of the TOZ gun is the forend, which is made non-removable, while on Izhevsk models the forend often cracks.
• Judging by the quality of the gun itself as a mechanism, we can say that the TOZ guns have better quality barrels, while the Izhevsk models have a better cocking and release mechanism.
• The Izhevsk double-barreled gun weighs more, and this is not in their favor: on mobile hunts, a light gun is more preferable, when you have to walk many kilometers and by the evening it seems too heavy to lift. However, the advantage of a heavy gun is that it can shoot more powerful loads, as well as less recoil due to its own weight.

Thus, the guns have approximate parity. Both have both advantages and disadvantages. None of them have an optimal set of advantages, and it is no coincidence that they are so popular among domestic hunters. You need to choose based on personal preferences, hunting style and applicability.

How we bought a gun

Photo by Anton Zhuravkov

“Shells do not affect the combat of the gun,” I told my comrade more than once. Yes where there! Meticulous in everything, he did not tolerate disorder in things and eventually sold the gun. The fact that the tall, two-meter-high, strong, athletic young man also wanted to have a more powerful weapon—a 12-gauge weapon—also played a role. One summer he called me and said that a hunter I knew was selling a 12-gauge IZH-27 and needed help assessing the quality of the gun. - Why are you selling? — I asked the owner.

It turned out that he was eager to buy an imported gun and had already found a Sauer somewhere, but he didn’t have enough money, so he had to sell the gun. Well, the desire to have a Sauer is a compelling reason, and I began to examine the vertical. It was made well; despite being ten years old, it looked good, the barrels and the block were not worn. I disconnected the forend and tried the barrel shaft. He is not here! I disconnected the barrels, looked into them to see if there were any shells, if they were soldered. I reassembled the gun, cocked the hammers, and disassembled the gun to check whether the mainsprings were strong. He acted in the old-fashioned way: he placed an empty metal casing on the firing pin and pulled the trigger. The cartridge flew high into the air. And the last exam: I hung a paper target meter by meter, put a dry wooden board behind it to determine the sharpness of the battle, measured 35 meters and fired. And here the gun did not disappoint. My friend agreed on a price and soon, having issued a license, took the gun.

About two months later he stunned me: he sold the gun, it didn’t suit his soul, he wants to buy a new one. - Which? — Of course, IZH-27, now it’s called MP-27. Yes, you know that very well. Izhevsk guns have always been distinguished by good action, my friend either asked or asserted. - Can you help me choose?

I agreed, because it was interesting to compare the new MP-27 with my IZH-27, which served me faithfully for more than a quarter of a century. In order not to lose face, I took the 1963 edition of the Hunter's Handbook from the bookshelf, opened the chapter “Choosing a gun for hunting” and studied it, restoring my knowledge in this area. The next day we went to Bryansk. What I saw shocked me so much that upon arriving home I immediately took up my pen.

In the first store, the salesman brought out from the back room three cardboard boxes containing guns with barrels 750 millimeters long. We opened one. I disconnected the forend from the barrels and, pointing their muzzle towards the light, checked the quality of the processing of the outer surfaces using the light glare, turning the barrels around their axis. The surfaces are smooth, without dents or waviness. The barrels are soldered, at first glance, quite well, without gaps, the aiming bar is even, without distortions. Then I looked into the bores: were the chambers shifted to the sides from the axis? I pointed the barrels at the window to see the “shadow” rings. In the upper trunk they were regular, concentric, in the lower they looked like an ellipse. This means that the barrel is slightly bent, and most likely due to soldering. I finally assembled the gun, assessed its weight, ease of use, and appearance. He noted out loud that the Izhevsk people have moved forward in the quality of the stock. On mine I had to “drive away” the excess wood from the fore-end, neck, and butt so that it would become “native”. The new gun fit comfortably into the shoulder, the barrels were neither raised up nor tilted down, the fore-end and neck were optimal in thickness. Although there is still a long way to go before the wooden and metal parts are carefully adjusted to each other, the wood protruded above the metal everywhere, which is not the case in imported guns.

We examined several more guns, and everywhere we saw defects in the soldering of the barrels. And when the turn of guns with barrel lengths of 725 mm and 710 mm came, the picture did not change. As a result, out of more than a dozen guns, we found only one that had minimal curvature of the lower barrel. After asking the seller to put it aside, we went to another store. Inspecting the guns there, I literally felt a shock: three had a wavy outer surface of the barrels. Moreover, one of the barrels, seven centimeters from the muzzle, seemed to be swollen. So, out of two dozen guns, only one turned out to be of more or less high quality. Are things really that bad at the plant with regard to personnel and machine tools? In the third store, a young salesman, after listening to a short story about our ordeals, took a gun out of the back room and assured us that his soldering was perfect. Where such confidence? It turns out that the gun had already been examined, put aside, but never purchased. The seller was right. And the friend immediately liked the gun, and after some hesitation he took out the money.

I wonder what fate awaits all the guns inspected? Probably, over time, buyers will sort them out - not everyone is as meticulous as we are, and not everyone knows how to choose a gun. Isn't this what manufacturers are counting on? Yes, when shooting shotguns, a wide scree will hide flaws in the manufacture of guns. But if owners have to shoot bullets during round-up hunts at ungulates, and from a distance of fifty meters or more, then the reason for the miss may be poor-quality soldering of the barrels, due to which the bullets will deviate from the aiming point. And even if the owner has loaded the gun with bullets in advance and knows which barrel hits which way, will he remember about aiming corrections in those few seconds when a large animal approaches the number?

In one of the stores we inspected a Turkish vertical rifle, which was clearly superior in terms of workmanship; we heard good reviews about it from both the seller and one of the buyers who had been hunting with it for a couple of years. It is not much more expensive, from three to five thousand rubles (and this despite the fact that the gun has replaceable chokes). And if a person earns good money, then, looking at an Izhevsk for 22 thousand and an Italian vertical for 35 thousand, he will most likely choose the second one. After all, he doesn’t make his purchase for a year! We are not so rich that we can buy cheap things.

I perfectly understand the current problems of our gunsmiths and the entire industry of the country, which was facilitated by the notorious perestroika and all subsequent cataclysms. Now, by presidential “decree,” all northern arms factories have been brought together into one concern, and one can only hope that the result will not be according to the order of the once famous politician: “We wanted the best, but it turned out as always.”

Anatoly Gulyaev January 20, 2014 at 00:00

Piece shotgun IZH 27

In addition to a wide range of modifications, a special version is available for connoisseurs of the model - a one-piece modification of the IZH 27 Rus.

This version of the IZH 27 piece gun has silver engraving, 2 pairs of barrels, as well as improved build quality, fit and overall operation of the mechanism. A kind of factory tuning. The only drawback of the IZH 27 Rus is the price tag, which is more than twice the cost of a regular double-barreled shotgun. For this money you can buy a foreign gun (the quality of manufacture and fit of which is completely different), so the choice of a domestic version can only be justified by an attack of patriotism and the exclusivity of the product itself.

In addition to this exclusive, limited editions are also produced with special engraving (at the customer’s request), special materials for making the stock and butt and their individual fit - of course, for an additional fee.

Maintenance of IZH-27

The IZH 27 hunting rifle, like ammunition, must be stored in a dry place, away from getting wet and moisture. In this case, the triggers must be in a deflated state, the barrels must be separated from the box. The locking lock is also in the lowered state - to do this, you need to press the protrusion in the barrel landing socket. All main rubbing parts must always be lubricated: the connection of the barrels with the box, the hinge axis and the forend.

As already mentioned, the barrels are chrome-plated, and this is done to make their surface easier to care for. However, in practice, the low quality of the coating leads to the fact that the chrome plating can fly off after the first shots, so during further use there is, alas, no point in paying attention to the chrome plating - faded barrels and stains on them are part of the norm for these guns.

How to clean a gun

Now let's figure out how to clean the IZH 27 gun. The barrels should be cleaned after every hunt. If a large amount of soot appears, the trunks are washed with water and then wiped with a rag. The lead shine in the trunks is removed with a copper brush. At the end of the hunting season, all mechanisms must be thoroughly lubricated.

To prevent damage, it is necessary to periodically tighten the tension screw located inside the butt. To get to it, you need to remove the rubber shock absorber at the end of the butt. If, after the gun falls, the firing pins are secured with an interceptor safety, they can be removed from the firing position in the usual way, as on all smooth-bore guns - by completely opening and closing the barrels.

Disassembling the IZH-27 is quite simple - removing the forend and then separating the barrels and the box with the stock and butt. Just as with all single-shot shotguns, the firing pins must not be fired dry without any cartridges. When firing pins are released without cartridges, the mechanism experiences significant overloads. The firing pins must be released with spent cartridges. You should always open the gun with both hands, and not on your knee - this is a sure way to loosen the mechanism.

Bullets

Round bullets for IZH -27 should always be slightly, 0.2-0.3 mm smaller than the diameter of the muzzle, as for bullets with a belt - they should be 1 mm smaller. The belts must exceed the diameter of the muzzle by 1mm. To check the correct fit of such a bullet, it must be lowered into vertically standing barrels - the bullet should drop 1-2 cm inside the barrel.

It is also not recommended to shoot cartridges with a large charge, so as not to damage the barrels. The lethal force will be added slightly, but damage to the barrels during such shooting is more likely. It is not recommended to shoot with old cartridges (loaded in the last hunting season); it is better to reload them again.

Thus, the model under consideration is a reliable example of a double-barreled weapon, tested by time and entire generations of hunters. Unfortunately, truly high-quality samples are already decades old and, as practice shows, the younger the gun, the worse the workmanship. However, there are also quite decent specimens that, if properly maintained, can last a very long time.

Conclusion

The IZH-27 (MR-27) shotgun is intended for both commercial and amateur hunting and is suitable for hunting a wide variety of game, from birds to ungulates.

The IZH-27 (MR-27) shotgun is a reliable, time-tested and proven example of firearms by millions of hunters.

The IZH-27 (MR-27) gun has an excellent price-quality ratio; in terms of this parameter, there is no gun that could compete with it.

Unfortunately, according to the reviews of many hunters, the quality of the gun's manufacturing leaves much to be desired; in their opinion, the manufacturer allows too many defects in its manufacture. There is a widespread belief that the younger you are, the worse the quality of its workmanship and that the highest quality IZH-27 (MR-27) guns were produced before 1991, and if you are lucky enough to purchase such a gun, it will serve you for many, many years.