IZH-49 (rifle): characteristics, photo

The shape and design of this double-barreled gun is very similar to the legendary Sauer. It was on the basis of the latter that IZH-49, the first post-war model of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant's armsmiths, was created.

History of appearance

After the victory over Germany as a trophy in the hands of engineer-gunsmith Sergei Belikov got a hunting rifle model line of the German arms company "I. P. Sauer and his son "under number 8. The quality of the assembly and design of this trophy model significantly exceeded the prototypes of hunting rifles, previously produced at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant.

In the pre-war period (since 1933) an attempt was made at Izhevsk Mechanical Plant to master the serial (mass) production of horizontal double-barrels. IZHBK, IZH-36 were created, but all these models were doomed to failure in advance. The forms and design of this hunting weapon were very rude. In addition, in the process of exploitation, significant design and technological defects were revealed, which affected the quality of the firing.

The hunters had many complaints about the new weapon: the bed was constantly cracked due to the weakening of the embedded locks, the fringes with the strikers had to be twisted and so on.

The origin of a new sample

And thanks to the Sauer firm in the Soviet Union, in 1950 a new IZH-49 model appeared. The gun is a different formation and approach to weapons art. In the series production of Izhevtsi launched in the main models of 16 caliber. Only a small amount of IZH-49 had the 12th and 20th caliber. The model existed until 1954, when it was replaced by a modified IZH-54.

IZH-49. The gun of the new formation

The model of the hunting weapon is a double-barrel rifle with a horizontal stem arrangement of 16 calibers. Stable gun fight is provided by two firmly welded stem tubes. The trunks have triple locking for two podstvolnyh hook.

The combs are rigidly aligned with the hammers. Only in 1953 IZH-49 (photo see in the article) received a trigger and strikers with recurrent action. When the gun is opened, cocking is carried out. Model IZH-49 has an automatic fuse, which protects against accidental depression. The fuse button itself is located on the shank.

In the model IZH-49 there is a smooth descent of the hammers. Cevieu has a lever-type latch. The rifle is made of pistol type. The main external difference of the model range is the straight back cut of the pad, which has a 48-mm long cushion. The signal pins (pointers of cocked hammers) lie on the side shoe planes in brass mandrels.

Technical characteristics IZH-49

Other characteristic features of the model include:

• The weight of a hunting rifle, kg - 3,2.
• Length of the trunks, mm - 750.
• Length of the chamber, mm - 70.
• Diameter of striker, mm - 2,5.
• Trigger force of the front hook, kg - 1,5-2,5.
• Trigger force of the rear hook, kg - 2-3.
• The size of the muzzle constriction is 12 gauge, mm - 0.5-1.
• Size of muzzle constriction of the 16th and 20th calibers, mm - 0.45 and 0.8.
• The accuracy of the battle is 55-57% for the right trunk and 60-65% for the left trunk.

On shotguns of mass production was used as finishing beech, and for piece production - a nut.

At the Moscow International Exhibition of Hunting and Dog Breeding in 1950, IZH-49 (pictured in the article) was awarded a gold medal (small) and a diploma of the 1st degree. This achievement of Izhevsk armourers played a huge role in the post-war development of the hunting economy of the Soviet Union. Professionals and fans of hunting business got a reliable and relatively cheap IZH-49 model in their hands. The price of a gun in 1950 reached 250-300 rubles.

Disadvantages of the IZH-49 lineup

In addition to the positive sides, the model of Izhevsk manufacturers also had negative characteristics. Professional hunters complained about too much weight of the new gun, special displeasure caused the exploitation of the product in the winter. Balancing IZH-49 was one of the weakest aspects of the new model and caused a lot of criticism. The center of gravity of the IZH-49 ordinary (mass) sample was 82 mm from the trunk cut, which was very inconvenient to shooting. I had to constantly take into account this structural feature.

External rough and poor-quality finish of the model did not find the admiration of the user. On the propensity of IZH-49 to misfire went bikes and legends. The fact is that when the factory workers copied the European model, they did not take into account the sensitivity of the capsule. Heavy-duty springs of Soviet manufacture deformed thin-walled imported capsule samples.

Further perspectives

Thanks to the accumulated experience, designers and engineers of the manufacturing plant came to the conclusion that there was an urgent need for modernization of IZH-49. Taking into account all the wishes and remarks of professional hunters and just fans of hunting, it was decided to release a completely new model. So, to replace the IZH-49 in 1955, a new, more advanced model - IZH-54 - was released, which later had a greater popularity than the previous model.

Legendary models of the Izhevsk plant

For its more than 70 years of history, Izhevsk Mechanical Plant OJSC has produced a huge amount of hunting and sporting small arms. To date, the volume of manufactured products exceeds 750,000 weapons per year. The most successful models are a source of pride for the factory workers. Here are the TOP-5 of the legendary hunting small arms that brought fame and success to Izhevsk gunsmiths:

1. IZH-12. A double-barreled inter-rifle shotgun of the 1962-1974 model.
2. IZH-49. The model was manufactured in 1950-1954.
3. IZH-59 "Sputnik". A reliable double-barrel 1960-1964 release.
4. IZh-26. The release of the model range was mastered in 1970-1975. This model received great appreciation on the international market.
5. IZH-58. The model was mastered in 1958.

Afterword

Today it is rarely possible to see IZH-49 on the hunt. If suddenly there is an old grandfather's double-barrel, it immediately becomes an object for comparison and admiration for rare weapons. Modern production of hunting weapons is increasingly tending to semi-automatic machines.

Only old hunters and true connoisseurs of hunting small arms have in their arsenal a worn, but working copy of IZH-49.