Izh-94, combined sideflint - for those with straight arms

MP-94 carbines (guns) are a very controversial hunting weapon, which the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant began producing in the mid-1990s. These weapons can be called both rifles and shotguns. A special feature is that the MP-94 is a combined weapon designed to fire both shot cartridges and ammunition for rifled weapons.

Each MP-94 shotgun has two barrels, one of which is smooth and the other is rifled. Moreover, these trunks can be of various modifications.

General characteristics of combination shotguns

The appearance of the MP-94 combination shotguns is associated with an interesting branch of the development of weapons manufacturing. In order to adapt the hunting rifle for universal use on any hunt, it was necessary to create a special double-barreled shotgun. One of its barrels is smooth, and the other is rifled. Combination shotguns come in more than just double-barrels. In Europe, three-barrel and even four-barrel guns of this type are sometimes found.

It would seem, why have two guns, if a combined weapon makes it possible to hunt a wide variety of game, especially since a rifled barrel is capable of shooting at long distances?

As practice has shown, most often combined guns are purchased by amateur hunters who have just received a license to purchase rifled weapons. It is they who believe that purchasing a combined product will provide them with a universal weapon. However, the main problem with combination shotguns is their single-shot nature. It is for this reason that hunting a large animal with a combination gun is very dangerous, since it is very difficult to hit it outright with one shot.

Classification of hunting rifles

Rifled rifles, rifles and carbines are not so versatile. This type of weapon is designed for very accurate shooting at a distance of up to five hundred meters at a stationary or slowly moving object. As a rule, rifles are used when hunting large or medium-sized animals that can be difficult for humans to approach. Combined doubles, three-barreled and four-barreled guns - this group combines the capabilities of smooth-bore and rifled weapons, although it is somewhat inferior to the latter in shooting accuracy at long distances. They are considered special-purpose guns, so hunters, in addition to them, must have a rifled barrel or shotgun in their arsenal.

Features of combination shotguns

The main feature of combination shotguns is the presence of different types of barrels. Each of them can have completely different calibers and ballistic features. For example, MP-94 shotguns have many modifications that differ from each other in the combination of different calibers.

Another feature of combination shotguns is the presence of sights for each barrel. As a rule, sighting strips and front sights are used for smooth barrels, and ring and optical sights or rear sights are used for rifled barrels. That is why it is unlikely that you will be able to successfully shoot from two barrels at once, since the scope will be aimed only at a specific barrel. Although there are models that have sights that combine the aiming point for two types of barrels.

In addition to the undoubted disadvantage that combination shotguns do not have magazines, they are also very heavy compared to conventional double-barreled shotguns. It is better not to take them with you on walking hunts.

Based on the above, we can conclude that a combination gun is an ideal choice for a hunter who has permission to purchase a rifle, but does not want to have more than one gun.

Review of the MP-142K hunting rifle

The carbine has one unique feature - the ability to change barrels. This approach was used for the first time on domestic rifled weapons. The modular principle helped the designers realize this idea, on the basis of which the rifle was designed.

The carbine was developed by the famous designer M.E. Dragunov, who designed the SVD sniper rifle and many other weapon models. According to its system, the MP-142K is a classic bolt gun, with a longitudinally sliding bolt type and barrel locking by turning. The barrel mount is of an original design, for which a patent was received. It was the creation of this innovative design unit that made it possible to make it so that when changing the barrel, the rifle does not need to be re-shooted. The average point of impact is stable, despite the installation of barrels of different calibers.

Since the carbine is a fairly new model, the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant continues to refine and improve it. The latest improvements are:

• The appearance of a new detachable forend;
• Development of a new cylindrical barrel intended for varminting.

The uniqueness of the weapon lies in the fact that this model was developed exclusively for hunting. Its creation is not just another modification of a military rifle and fitting it to the frames of hunting carbines. Currently, domestic arms companies rarely develop rifled hunting weapons from scratch, because it is much easier to take a military rifle that has been proven for decades and make a hunting carbine on its basis.

Since the MP-142K rifle is more of a sniper weapon for a hunter, when creating it, the designers were guided by the following principles:

• Hunting in sniper mode does not involve hurricane fire, so an automatic rifle would be inappropriate in this case;
• The killing power of one single shot should be sufficient to bring down a large animal;
• Since hunting requires silence, the release and reloading should be as quiet as possible - in the forest, the slightest click of the shutter can frighten sensitive game.

The described weapon was created taking into account these requirements. To distinguish their new model from other classic bolt guns, the designers of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant developed a modular system with which you can easily change barrels. Now the hunter does not need to have several carbines of different calibers. It is enough to take a carbine in which you can change large-caliber barrels to smaller ones and vice versa.

Advantages and disadvantages of MP-94 “North”

The combined shotgun MP-94 “North” (previously called IZH-94 “North”) is a weapon based on the famous double-barreled shotgun IZH-27. If you look at the reviews of the owners of the MP-94 “North”, you can understand that this gun is suitable for hunting only after self-tuning. Most of the guns of this model were produced in caliber 20/70 smooth barrel and 5.6x39 mm - rifled.

The advantages of the MP-94 “North” are as follows:

• The reliability of the weapon is very high. This parameter was inherited from the famous MP-27 double-barreled shotgun, which is famous for its “indestructibility”;
• Small dimensions of the weapon;
• The accuracy of the MP-94 “Sever” rifled barrel is quite high;
• Quiet sound of a shot;
• Ease of replacing barrels on the MP-94 Sever. There is even the opportunity to install two rifled or two smooth barrels, but few people take advantage of this opportunity.

In addition to its advantages, the MP-94 “North” has a number of disadvantages:

• Terrible build quality of the MP-94 Sever. Like most domestic shotguns (especially those made in Izhevsk), the MP-94 “North” combined weapon needs to be “brought to mind” for a long time and painstakingly on your own. For the price this gun is asking for, the build could be much better;
• Incredibly tight trigger, which can only be cured by completely disassembling the gun and subsequent sharpening and polishing of the sear cocks, which is very painstaking work;
• Often the smooth barrel is completely unshot. Many hunters shoot only shot from a smooth barrel, so this problem is not critical for them. For those who often shoot smooth bore bullets, this can pose quite a problem. This is treated by cutting off part of the smooth trunk, and you need to make a bevel, constantly checking the results of the work with a shot. Newer modifications of the MP-94 “North” received a special coupling and replaceable cylinders, which can be manipulated to achieve adjustment without using a file;
• The MP-94 Sever open sight is no good. The rear sight shield is located too close to the eyes, so they quickly get tired and begin to water. This problem can be solved by replacing the rear sight with a ring-type sight.

It turns out that when purchasing an MP-94 “North”, a hunter receives a kind of designer kit, which he needs to work on for a long time and painstakingly, turning it into a full-fledged hunting weapon.

Disadvantages of the gun

The MP-18 MN shotgun does not have too many disadvantages, however, it also has them. Let's take a closer look:

• Volume. When firing a shot, the sound volume is significant. This affects the hunting process, as it scares away animals and birds. There is no possibility to perform a stub.
• Rigidity of descent. When you press the trigger, its stiffness is very noticeable. This can cause problems for newbies. Sometimes, even for experienced hunters, a hard trigger can cause problems, freezing at inopportune moments when shooting game.
• Frequent misfires. Some hunters have noticed that this gun misfires frequently. However, this only happens in cases with domestic cartridges. If you replace them with higher quality ones, for example, German or Serbian ones, as mentioned earlier, then misfires can be avoided.
• Strong recoil. Strong recoil can harm a person, but this can be avoided by installing a butt plate made of porous rubber.
• Sloppy assembly. All the parts are “matched” to each other, which makes you think about the quality of the gun. The trunk looks to the side.
• The mechanical sight is initially not aligned and looks in different directions, unpredictably where exactly.
• The dovetail is cut randomly and does not coincide with the throwing line.
• There is no stopper for the OP brackets.

All the shortcomings listed above can be corrected yourself or given to a specialist who understands this. But don’t forget that you will have to pay a lot of money for additional improvements. To resolve all shortcomings, you can pay about 10,000 rubles. With this calculation, you can buy another gun of a similar type. So, it’s better to think several times before sending the MP-18 MN for repair or improving it yourself.

Technical characteristics of MP-94 "North"

Although the MP-94 “Sever” suffers greatly from disgusting factory assembly, the tactical and technical characteristics that were incorporated into this weapon by the manufacturer allow it to achieve good results in hunting. This gun can be successfully used even by women, since the MP-94 “North” has low recoil.

The main technical characteristics of the MP-94 “North” are as follows:

• The total length is 1000 mm. Of this, the barrel accounts for 525 mm;
• The barrels are cold forged and have an oxide coating;
• The top smooth barrel comes in 20 or 12 gauge, with 20 gauge being more common;
• The caliber of a rifled barrel is most often 5.6x39, although upon request you can get a rifled barrel of any caliber approved for use in Russia;
• Weight is about 3.5 kg.

Interestingly, the weight of the MP-94 “Sever” combination shotgun can vary from 3.2 to 3.5 kg. It depends on the caliber of the installed barrels.

Design features of the MP-94 "North"

Since the design of the MP-94 “North” is completely copied from the MP-27, any serious problems rarely arise when operating this gun. In order to shoot accurately, you need to press the trigger smoothly, which is quite a difficult task on an unfinished gun, since the trigger is very tight.

The simplicity of connecting the gun body and its barrel provides the MP-94 “North” with ease of disassembly, which has to be done to change barrels if necessary. The barrel locking unit is as reliable as that of the MP-27, which provides the MP-94 “North” gun with the possibility of many years of operation without the appearance of shatters.

It should be remembered that the trunks are arranged in a strictly defined order: the upper one is always smooth, and the lower one is rifled.

IZH-94MR and its features

The IZH-94MR is a combination shotgun that was released to replace the IZH-56 Belka. It confidently occupied the niche of a combined small-caliber rifle for commercial hunting. The combination of a small receiver and the use of a receiver block without a strap made it possible to achieve a low weight of the weapon, which is an important parameter for commercial hunting.

The combination of 410 smooth caliber and rifled 22 caliber allowed professional trappers to kill fur-bearing animals both at close and long distances. Judging by the reviews of hunters, they hunt with this gun not only fur-bearing animals and upland birds, but also small ungulates.

This model has a striking mechanism equipped with automatic cocking, and the IZH-94MR has only one trigger. Thanks to the barrel selection selector, the switching process occurs without any problems, the main thing is to get used to the algorithm of its operation. The IZH-94MR has a simple non-automatic type safety that only locks the trigger.

Open sights consist of a horizontally adjustable rear sight and a front sight that is vertically adjustable. IZH-94MR can be equipped with an optical sight.

MP-94 “Express” and features of this model

Model MP-94 “Express” is an original double-barreled rifle with two rifled barrels. Despite the initial availability of a barrel block with two rifled barrels, it is possible to purchase combined barrel blocks, as well as a barrel block with two smooth barrels.

The MP-94 “Express” model is distinguished by the presence of a reinforced locking unit. This was done so that reinforced Magnum cartridges could be used. The receiver block of the MP-94 "Express" has a strapless connection type, which made it possible to achieve high accuracy when shooting. In addition, this type of connection made it possible to reduce the overall weight of the weapon.

Since the MP-94 “Express” is designed to use powerful ammunition, the designers used the following systems to ensure safety:

• An automatic safety that completely eliminates the possibility of a shot when the barrels are open. This is due to the fact that the safety locks the sear only when the hammers are cocked;
• Thanks to trigger interceptors, if the triggers are accidentally released without pressing the triggers, the shot will not occur.

Since the MP-94 “Express” is a weapon of a higher class than other models of the MP-94 family, the forend and stock of the MP-94 “Express” are made only of walnut or beech.

Smoothbore weapons

Depending on the number of barrels, it can be single-barrel, double-barrel, for example, “vertical” or “horizontal”, three-barrel - tees, and multi-barrel. The latter option is extremely rare among hunters. Most often, hunters use smoothbore shotguns, designed not only for shooting prey, but also for military purposes - for close combat. They mainly use twelve-gauge cartridges. The value of a smoothbore shotgun as a type of military weapon lies in the fact that it can cover a wide area with one shot. This compensates for inaccuracy when aiming. Shots are fired at distances from fifty to seventy meters.

MP-94 "Taiga" and MP-94R

MP-94 "Taiga" is another modification of the MP-94 combined hunting rifle. Judging by the reviews of hunters, the MP-94 “Taiga” model has a better build quality than the MP-94 “North”. Later Taiga models have an adjustment mechanism that allows you to zero each barrel separately.

The heaviest modification in the MP-94 line of combined shotguns is the MP-94R model. The weight of this model reaches 3.8 kg. Its main feature is the presence of a smooth barrel of 12/70 or 12/76 mm caliber. The lower barrel can be of different calibers.

The MP-94 model range represents original domestically produced models. This gun can be recommended to a hunter who has not decided who exactly he will hunt. It is better for professionals to purchase a multi-shot bolt gun and a classic smooth-bore double-barreled shotgun.

Izh-94, combined sideflint - for those with straight arms

A combined weapon - having a smooth and rifled barrel - provides the hunter with more opportunities to catch prey. Having it in service, you can hunt equally effectively, shooting with a shotgun, or using a rifle bullet to take out game that is hard to wound (like capercaillie) and does not allow you to get within range of a confident shot from a smoothbore gun. One of the representatives of such “combinations” is the IZH-94 sideflint, the model range of which is united under the Baikal brand.

Rifled options

The history of the creation of the IZH-18MN modification is amazing. When the Izhevsk plant began producing a rifled barrel for the Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher rifle, one of the designers came up with the idea of ​​combining the stock, butt and box of a cheap single-barreled gun with an expensive rifled barrel. This kind of “hybrid” very quickly fell into the prestigious Kipplaufbuchsen class of single-shot rifles in the West, designed for sport hunting of small ungulate prey.

The price of carbines from well-known foreign companies in this category starts from two thousand dollars, so the inexpensive Russian Kipplauf appealed to the Western arms market. Today IZH-18MN - another name for MR-18MN - is very confidently conquering not only the foreign, but also the domestic market.

Description of the Izh-94 carbine

Hunting weapon with vertically positioned barrels (side-flint).

• One of them is smooth, the other is rifled. Its design is based on the smooth-bore “vertical” IZH-27M - a very common and popular weapon among hunters.
• The receiver was taken from its predecessor (its front wall, the forehead, was reinforced) with a trigger mechanism and a butt.
• The distance between the firing pins is preserved, only the lower one, used to pierce the primer of a rifle cartridge, is made thinner, so it is possible to change the barrel block and return to a conventional smoothbore sideflint.
• The barrels are connected by a coupling (this is a technology patented by Izhevsk gunsmiths), it is possible to adjust the firing point of the barrels, for which the coupling, installed in the middle, behind the forend, is equipped with an eccentric rotating mechanism.
• The set of sights has been changed. Instead of a ventilated bar with a front sight, there is a horizontally adjustable rear sight and a front sight, the height of which can also be changed. There is also a dovetail rail mounted on the breech of the upper barrel.

An overview of the IZH-94 North is shown in the video below:

Advantages and disadvantages

The combination of a smooth and rifled barrel allows you to expand the shooter’s capabilities and increase the hunting yield.

• The trigger mechanism is equipped with spiral mainsprings, which are more reliable than the figured plate springs used in TOZ. There are trigger interceptors that do not allow you to fire a shot if the barrel block is not completely closed, falls, or hits.
• The smooth bore chamber has a wide countersink, allowing the use of wide or narrow flange cartridges. It is long, the gun can be loaded with either star-rolled cartridges (paper or plastic cartridges) or rolled cartridges (brass cartridges).
• The ejector, activated when the barrel is broken, easily pulls out any swollen cartridge case.
• It is possible to replace the block of barrels by installing both smooth ones or a rifled one of a different caliber.

Like the IZH-27M, it is possible to install replaceable choke constrictions on a smooth barrel. These models are marked with the letter VAR on the breech and the permissible choke constriction marking on the barrel.

• The weapon has a two-stage locking scheme - with a spring-loaded latch connecting the barrel block, and with a forend that locks the fracture hinge. For smooth-bore weapons this is quite enough. However, there are doubts that it is reliable enough when used with Magnum caliber rifle cartridges. An additional latch, like the TOZ BM, would definitely not hurt.
• The cartridge ejector is designed to a greater extent for removing cartridges with a flanged bottom edge; when using wafer-free cartridges, there may be some inconveniences. Especially in winter or wet weather.
• The stock is designed for shooting from smooth barrels. Firstly, in terms of strength. Beech or ash is used to make it, and in some cases even birch is possible. The ideal would be to use walnut. Secondly, its ridge is too low for building an aiming line through a pair of rear sights and front sights, and even more so for using an optical sight on a high bracket.
• The dovetail bracket used does not hold the optics very securely. In addition, it is not universal, like a Weaver or Picatinny rail, which has the same distance between the grooves along the entire length and is suitable for mounting any optics.

The IZH-94 sideflint gun is difficult to use if you do not know how to load cartridges yourself, zero the weapon, and achieve a tolerable coincidence of the impact points from a smooth and rifled barrel. If such a comparison is allowed, then this is a car of the Soviet automobile industry, requiring the owner to combine specialties.

Combined shotguns IZH-94 (photo)

Purpose

This is a hunting weapon, the effective firing range of which does not exceed two hundred meters. It does not apply to sniper guns - when shooting from a rifled barrel, the MOA value is never less than 2-2.5.

Varieties

• Basic, basic, “Taiga” model. The upper barrel is smooth, 12 gauge, chamber 76 mm. Bottom rifled, calibers 5.6, 7, 7.62, 9.3 mm.
• Model "North", produced since 1992. The upper barrel is rifled, caliber 5.6 mm, length 600 mm, it is possible to install a shortened one, length 500 mm. The lower barrel is smooth, 20 gauge. Chamber 76 mm.
• Model IZH-94R. Expanded modification "North", with an upper rifled barrel of 5.6, 7, 7.62 or 9.3 mm caliber. The lower barrel is smooth, chambered for a 12 gauge cartridge. Chambers 70 and 76 mm.
• Model "Express". A fitting with two large-caliber rifled barrels. Possible combinations of calibers are .308 Win, 30-06 Sprg, 8x57JRS, 9x53R, 9.3x74R.

Modifications

IZH-18, the price of which varies depending on the configuration and model, is produced mainly in the following calibers: 12 and 16, 20 and 28, 32 and .410. It is used when shooting with smoky or smokeless powder. The chambers of the IZH-18 models 12 gauge or 28 are made for a paper sleeve, and those of 32 or .410 are made for a metal sleeve. In addition, some models use plastic options. The chamber is chrome plated and has a length of seventy millimeters.

The IZH-18 model leaves the factory in two versions: with an ejector and an extractor. In the first case, the gun is assigned the index “E”. The new variations were respectively named IZH-18 M and IZH-18 EM (modified). Changes have been made to the base model. They not only increased the reliability of the weapon, but also increased the durability of the gun. For example, there are rectangular protrusions in the upper part of the grenade hook. When closing, the barrel rests on the box on the front walls. The IZH-18 stock, or rather its neck, became a little thicker in the front and rear parts of the forearm, and the ejector head became narrower. The following modifications - IZH-18E-20M and -410M are produced in 20 and .410 calibers, respectively, chambered for the Magnum cartridge. Their chamber is seventy-six millimeters long.

Specifications

Design

• Combined - rifled and smooth-bore - weapons with a vertical (side-flint) barrel arrangement. The design is based on the IZH-27M hunting rifle. The smooth, chrome-plated barrel has a 76 mm chamber and the ability to install interchangeable choke nozzles.
• The barrels are connected by couplings; it is possible to adjust their position to obtain a single point of impact at different distances.
• Loading when the barrel is broken, trigger mechanism with two hammers. The front trigger operates the upper barrel, and the rear trigger operates the lower barrel. The springs are twisted, trigger interceptors are installed for safety. The fuse is automatic, triggered when the barrel block is opened (broken). The safety box is located behind the release lever, on the upper edge of the receiver.
• The barrel block is removable, replaceable with another set of calibers or type of barrels.
• The locking is double - a spring-loaded latch connecting the barrel block and the receiver, as well as closing the fracture hinge with the forend.
• The stock is semi-pistol, made of solid wood. The stock has a straight comb, without pads or protrusions. It is possible to install a shock-absorbing butt plate.
• External sights. The rear sight is adjustable horizontally. Front sight of variable height. There is a dovetail bracket for mounting optical sights.

Operating principle

• To load a weapon, you need to separate the receiver and barrel block. To do this, the lever shank on the upper edge of the pistol grip is moved to the right until it stops. When the barrels are “broken”, the cam mechanism of the forend rests on the hammer pusher and they are cocked. At the same time, the fuse blocks both sears, and its flag moves back. When the barrel block is broken, the ejector lever is extended; it is located between the chambers of the lower and upper barrels.
• The cartridges are inserted into the chamber, the flanges of the cartridge cases rest on the ejector lever. The block of barrels vigorously rises up, the latch is activated automatically, with a characteristic click. To fire a shot, you need to move the safety catch up towards the unlocking lever, and then press one of the triggers. The front one activates the trigger of the upper barrel. Rear - bottom.
• It is possible to remove the firing mechanism from the cocking mechanism with the breech of the barrels open. To do this, you need to remove the cartridges, move the safety catch up (the “Fire” position), then press both triggers and smoothly close the barrel block. The click of the triggers should be clearly audible.
• Adjustment of the common point of impact of the barrels (shot) is made by changing the position of the eccentric on the middle coupling connecting the barrels. For ease of operation, the handguard must be removed. The result - the distance between the points of impact from a smooth and rifled barrel is no more than 5 cm - is achieved only through practical means, after each change in position a control shooting is carried out.

The shot distance is set to the one that the shooter considers convenient and most likely.

In practice, a satisfactory result - hitting almost the same point from both barrels - can be achieved without even touching the barrels. To do this, you need to experiment with the amount of gunpowder in the cartridge for a smooth barrel.

Firing with a combi bullet from an IZH-94 is shown in this video:

Options

The barrel length of the IZH-18 (caliber 12 and 16) is 725 or 735 millimeters. The rest of the guns have 675-680 mm. The barrel is chrome plated. It does not have an aiming bar, but it does have a front sight. Models of the twelfth and sixteenth calibers weigh no more than 2.8 kilograms, and the rest are smaller - no more than 2.6 kg. The IZH-18 gun is equipped with a reliable safety lock, ensuring a high degree of safety during operation. The weapon cannot be fired until the barrel is completely closed. This happens thanks to a locking mechanism. When a rifle is dropped with the hammer cocked or from an impact, no shot is fired, since the trigger, when released from the combat cock, becomes automatically on the safety cock, without hitting the firing pin.

Disassembly

The IZH-94 shotgun is stored and transported disassembled, with the barrel block removed. Its disassembly is simple and does not cause any difficulties for anyone.

1. Break the barrel block by turning the lever on the receiver to the right until it stops.
2. Unload your weapon.
3. Put the barrel block back into the normal firing position.
4. Pull the latch on the forend and, holding it in this position, remove the forend by pulling the edge that is adjacent to the receiver. Do not use excessive force during this operation.
5. Break the barrels, remove the block hook from the receiver pin.
6. Press the delay lever located in the groove of the receiver and ensure that the latch lever returns from the right to the middle position.
7. Install the handguard onto the receiver block.