The IZH-18E gun can be called a kind of beginning of beginnings for the hunter. Many made their first sorties with him and speak very well of this weapon. Its mechanism is simple and trouble-free, and it is for this that hunters love IZH-18E.
History
IZh hunting rifles have a long history that began in the sixties of the last century. The IL-18 model was produced at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant since 1964. This gun took the best from its predecessors: IZHK, ZKB, IZH-17, IZH-5 and others, but also new design features were introduced. IZH-18 is safer when shooting, has a more reliable trigger mechanism and less mass compared to its predecessors.
IZHMEH positioned the gun as a weapon, designed for a long service life. The warranty shot him two thousand more shots than previous IL models: eight thousand against six.
New model
The basic model (IL-18) has undergone various changes to improve its performance. Since 1970, the production of the IZH-18E modification began, in the design of which an extractor and an ejector mechanism were added.
About shooting and calibers
Hunting rifles IZH-18E single-barrel, single-shot, with an internal trigger. Initially, weapons were produced for all calibers, mainly used in the Soviet Union: 32nd, 28th, 20th, 16th and 12th. Now one of the most popular is IL-18E 16 gauge. The chamber was drilled under a 70 mm sleeve. In all calibers, it was a paper sleeve, and only in a 32-caliber gun was brass. In commercial hunting, it is mainly brass sleeves that are used. Some indicators of the battle are reduced, for example, accuracy and uniformity, but not so much that this could affect the results of the hunt. The cheapest and, therefore, profitable for fishing is the use of cartridges under the capsule "Centroboy".
The barrel length for calibers 16 and 12 is 725-735 mm, and the muzzle narrowing is 1 and 0.5 mm, respectively. For the 32nd, 28th and 20th, the barrel length is 675-680 mm, and the muzzle narrowing of the guns of all these calibers is the same - 0.5 mm. The weight of the gun is relatively small: 2.8 kg for calibers 12, 16 and 12 Magnum; a 32-caliber rifle, as well as the 28th, 20th and 20th Magnum weighs 2.6 kg.
It is always important to choose the right amount of fractions. The formula is as follows: divide the weight of the gun by 96 (for a 12-gauge gun) or 100 (if the caliber is 16th). In turn, dividing the resulting number by the weight of the fraction, we obtain an indicator of the amount of gunpowder. The weight of the gun for active or commercial hunting should be 25 times less than the weight of the shooter (and 22 times less - for other cases). In principle, if all these numbers are taken into account, there is not much difference what to wear: IZH-18E 32 gauge or 12th.
Security
IL-18E has a large set of tools that ensure the safety of the shooter. The barrel is locked on an underbarrel hook. There is also a mechanism that prevents a shot if the barrel is not fully locked. There is a non-automatic button-type fuse that locks the trigger and the sear. In the case of mechanical impact on the gun (blows, falling, etc.), there will be no shot, even if the trigger has already been cocked, since it will not automatically touch the safety cock without touching the hammer. This set of safety features is especially important for a beginner who has not yet acquired sophisticated skills with a gun.
The trigger mechanism is located in the block. The hammer and the hammer are made separately. After a shot under the influence of a spring, the striker withdraws and the trigger hangs up. The trigger has a smooth release, to make a shot, you need to turn off the fuse, cocking the trigger first, drown the control lever to the end, then press the trigger, after which you can smoothly lower the lever.
In work
IL 18E has a simple and reliable trigger mechanism. The trigger is located inside, with the striker made separately. When the locking lever is pressed, it is cocked. Thus, for cocking it is not necessary to break the gun, this can be done simply by pressing the locking lever. If cocked, a characteristic click will be heard. After firing, the firing pin returns to its original position.
Aiming occurs through orientation to the cylindrical front sight and the protrusion of the pads.
A wooden gun’s bed, as a rule, is made of beech or birch wood, and the neck has a pistol shape, the straight line is less common.
Differences from predecessor
As mentioned above, the IL-18E model differs from the IL-18 in the presence of an ejector. The ejector, or reflector, directs the shot sleeve so that it flies out, usually through a special window in the receiver. However, in IL-18E, sleeve removal occurs when the barrel is unlocked. This increased the convenience of the weapon, as well as the reload speed, which is very important in commercial hunting. The ejector can be turned off if there is such a need: at the bottom of the block there is a lever that switches the ejector modes. To turn it off, you need to move the lever to the back position, however, it is worth remembering that during the next break of the gun it will be turned on automatically, so switching off is possible only for one shot!
Subsequent modifications
In 1983, the forend and neck of the bed were reinforced, the new model was called IZH-18EM. A special modification IZH-18EM-M Sporting was produced for firing shots. In addition to sport shooting, it could also be used in hunting, and for women and adolescents the IZH-18M-M Junior shotgun was produced. It is lighter, the barrel is shorter, has a 20 gauge and a rubber shock absorber on the butt from the back.
There is also a modification of IZH-18EM-M for Magnum sleeves with a chamber length of 76 mm. It can also be fired with cartridges with a length of 70 mm, however the accuracy of fire can be reduced by 5-10%
Disassembly
As with any other firearm, the IZH-18E rifle can be incompletely and completely disassembled. Frequent complete disassembly does not affect the condition of mechanisms in the best way, contributes to rapid wear, therefore they resort to it only when it is necessary to thoroughly clean all working mechanisms and parts, or during repairs, if adjustment or replacement of certain parts is required. During storage and transportation of the gun, incomplete disassembly is sufficient, in which the IZH-18E is disassembled into the main parts: forend, box with box and barrel. To separate these three parts, you need to put the gun with the barrel up, hold the barrel with your left hand higher than the forearm, and with your right hand turn the latch on the head and then remove the forearm, then press the locking lever and separate the barrel and box.
After performing these steps, you can attach the forend to the barrel and pack the gun in the case. If long storage is ahead, it is necessary to release springs. Pulling the locking lever to the end, with the left thumb you need to press the latch in the box, and then - the trigger and gently release the lever to its original position. The trigger will be smoothly lowered, and the springs (combat, cocking pointer and locking lever spring) will be relaxed.
Cleaning the gun after firing and lubrication does not imply a complete disassembly, for this it is enough to disconnect the bed and the receiver.
Few rules
With a complete disassembly, it is necessary first of all to follow the basic rules for disassembling a weapon: carry it out on a clean, dry table or rags, arrange the parts in the order of disassembly to facilitate subsequent assembly. Handle the mechanisms carefully, avoid sharp bumps and excessive efforts, unless, of course, this is required as part of the repair. When disassembling several guns, mixing of parts should be avoided to avoid confusion.
To remove the pins and pins of the gun, you need to use drifts. To prevent damage to parts or drifts themselves, wooden or copper hammers are used, and only light strokes are applied. If there is no special hammer, you can use the usual one if you put a wooden lining.
Complete disassembly
IZH-18E single-barreled shotgun is disassembled as follows: first you need to remove the butt, having previously unscrewed two screws from its nape. However, only one can be unscrewed, and only the second can be loosened, after which it will be possible to turn the back of the head and open access to the false screw. After the false screw is unscrewed, it will be possible to separate the box and the box. Then you need to unscrew the safety bracket screw, and turn it at a right angle to either side and remove it. The next step will be cocking the trigger (for this you need to press the locking lever) - then the pusher hole will open in the box’s tail jumper where you will need to insert a nail or wire with a diameter of 1-1.5 mm. Next, you can pull the trigger and do the separation of the pusher with a combat spring.
Then you need to pull the trigger, having previously knocked out its axis. The trigger must be removed carefully so that the cocking indicator and its spring do not fall out. After that, remove the whispered spring, also first unscrewing the screw. Having knocked out the axis, remove the trigger along with the sear. Next, knock the pin out of the base of the fuse - you need to pull it out together with the fuse. Subsequent removal of the striker with a spring requires a special open-end wrench. First, it is necessary to unscrew the locking screw of the striker bushing, and unscrew the bushing itself using a wrench. Then carefully remove, supporting with a punch, the spring of the locking lever, having previously knocked out its support pin. After that, you need to remove the locking screw of the box lid and slide it by 5-7 mm (to do this, you must also use a drift, placing it in the hole under the trigger guard and delivering accurate blows with a wooden or copper mallet).
If you need to remove the latch of the locking lever, you must first knock out the axis and separate it carefully to prevent the spring of the latch from falling out. To disassemble the forend, first you need to unscrew the three screws, then release the latch and hinge, remove the spring, knocking it out of the groove. After that, you can remove the latch, having previously knocked out its axis. The last step is to remove the ejector, for which you should first remove the restriction pin.
Assembly is carried out in reverse order.