Today, even Russian hunters of the old formation spoiled by a wide variety of semi - automatic smoothbore weapons have forgotten that most of them once had a longed-for dream - the Tula self-loading shotgun MC 21-12. Today, this single-barrel, despite the fact that it continues to be issued by TOZ, is considered bad and outdated in all respects. Especially for young hunters, for whom hunting is only a tribute to fashion or a type of business corporate event. In such circles, a gun is not a tool, but an indicator of the social status of its owner. In this article, we will not praise the honored veteran of the Soviet arms industry. And we will not douse him with dirt, listing all the shortcomings. The aim of the article is to look at the MC 21-12 hunting weapon from the perspective of a modern trader, who fully managed to taste the variety of both imported and domestic “self-loading”.
Weapon history
Probably, only the lazy one did not write about the MC 21-12 gun for its more than fifty-year history, therefore we will simply recall the most important events in the life of this weapon in this article and also briefly dwell on its technical characteristics and design features. This "self-loading" is truly a cult for many hunters-fishers of the past, so even this information that got bored can be useful to someone, well, or at least theoretically interesting. So, the gun MC 21-12 (photo above) was created by designer Nikolayev V.A. It is a self-loading single-barreled weapon for commercial and amateur hunting. Initially, from 1956 to 1964, this model was manufactured at TsKIB SOO. In addition, until 1965, the MC 21 was also produced in the 16th and 20th calibers. At the Leipzig Fair, held in 1965, this model was awarded the Gold Medal. In the same year, the release of the gun was moved to TOZ. Until today, the MC 21-12 was produced only in the twelfth caliber.
Description of nodes and mechanisms
Weapon automation is based on the principle of recoil during the recoil of a spring-loaded movable barrel and a bolt mechanism that slides longitudinally according to the 1905 Browning system. Recharging is carried out as a result of using a rather long stroke of the barrel at the time of its movement to the rear, and then to the front position. The detachable barrel 750 mm long has an aiming strip of the ventilated type. The chamber is 70 mm. The details of the trigger, the muzzle channel and the bolt are chrome-plated, this greatly facilitates the care of the weapon, and also increases its durability.
The barrel is locked with a sliding bolt. Its fighting emphasis is fixed for the shank hole. The progenitor of this model, "Auto-5" produced by Browning, this emphasis has a rectangular shape. So, in one of the issues of the magazine “Hunting and Hunting. economy ”V. Tsarkov (honorary member of the MOOR), describing the delay characteristic of the MC 21-12 rifle — the non-separation of the bolt and the barrel during firing, focused on the round form of the stop as the cause of this defect. Of course, the truth in the words of the old hunter is true, however, it should be understood that the change in the form of the combat emphasis, so to speak, simplification of the design, is explained by the need to bypass the patent rights of the Browning design. In addition, the release time of the gun should be taken into account, in the fifties no one would have allowed an unfinished model to be produced. The causes of problems with weapons, provided that structural defects are eliminated, usually lie in the quality of assembly and manufacture. Also, one should not forget about the quality of ammunition.
The MC 21-12 hunting rifle has a trigger type trigger assembled on a separate base. The extraction of sleeves is carried out at the time of movement of the barrel to the front position. With an unlocked channel, a shot is not possible.
Short description
The MC 21-12 shotgun (the photos in this article will help the reader make up their minds about this weapon) has an under-barrel tubular magazine with a capacity of four rounds. The body serves as a guide for the movement of the barrel. Cartridges from the cage are fed by the bolt when moving it to the front position. Filling the store by one ammunition, through a window at the bottom of the receiver. If necessary, the shooter can block the supply of cartridges from the cartridge by turning on the cutter mounted on the left side of the box. A non-automatic flag-type fuse locks the trigger. A curious feature is the ability to rearrange the flag on the left side. Stock MC 21-12 pistol-shaped. The bed is removable, it is fixed by a spring-loaded nut on the store case.
The performance characteristics
The weight of the weapon is 3.2-3.4 kg. Overall dimensions - 128565200. The pulling force is 1.5-2.5 kg. Sometimes in the literature indicate no more than 3.7 kg. Compared with modern self-loading shotguns based on aluminum alloys, this is quite a lot. However, MC 21-12 is completely made of high-quality Tula steel, it has a large margin of safety. The manufacturer gives a guarantee for 6500 shots. If the reader is in doubt whether it is a lot or a little, then the Izhevsk “Saiga” can be cited as an example, the guarantee for which is only 2000 shots.
But back to our gun. The safety margin of this weapon is so great that, with proper care, it can last a very long time. Damage even after ten thousand shots is very rare. Here is such a reliable model - MTs 21-12. The characteristics of this gun speak for themselves. Try to make 10,000 shots from an imported "self-loading" basic configuration, it is unlikely that you will succeed. The owners of this gun should take into account one feature - you can use only ammunition with plastic sleeves. The manufacturer categorically prohibits the use of metal and paper cartridges.
You won't be sweet to everyone
Consider another unique side of the model MC 21-12. Reviews and diverse opinions about her are probably inferior in the acuteness of discussions between opponents and supporters of Saiga. In fact, this applies to any gun. After all, we are all different. Gender, age, type of higher nervous activity, social status and income, experience with weapons and hunting, the presence or absence of a desire / ability to do something with one's own hands, etc. All these factors will inevitably affect the perception of phenomena and objects making them special for every personality. Well, if you take into account the vivid individuality of any model of weapon that is not made on the flow lines of CNC machines, then it becomes clear: you can’t expect a unified opinion from such a motley hunting community about the very ambiguous MC 21-12 gun.
The tips of experienced hunters will help you deal with the main problems of this weapon. They are known to many, and they are all treatable in a home workshop. Simply put, any hunter who has hands growing “from the right place” with a couple of free evenings and a minimal set of tools can make his semiautomatic device absolutely reliable and trouble-free in use.
What to do: buy a foreign car or support a domestic manufacturer?
For those who do not want to think and locksmith, it is easier to purchase imported "self-loading." Such single-barreled hunting rifles are beautiful, light and almost trouble-free. For one small drawback: the price of such weapons can be several times, or even an order of magnitude higher than the cost of our MC 21. There are so-called budget models, but their quality can not be compared even with our "artisanal" production, it’s money thrown to the wind .
Today, the whole world is once again seized by the economic crisis, the cost of imports is steadily increasing, as a result of which their supplies are reduced. Domestic gunsmiths have a great chance to occupy the emerging niche of this market not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but also in Europe. Agree that it is better to purchase inexpensive inventory of Russian gunsmiths and, if necessary, modify it slightly, than to be left without any hobby. Turkish consumer goods does not solve problems - their self-loading single-barreled guns are more expensive than domestic ones, and they have similar problems with quality, although commercials insist on the opposite.
MTs 21 was appreciated by experienced hunters in the old days, and now it is bought by those who can not afford expensive weapons, or experienced connoisseurs. Of course, this gun has modern competitors, such as the legendary Murka MP-153, TOZ-87 and Bekas-avto. "Snipe" and "Murka" are also very controversial representatives of hunting semi-automatic machines, but the TOZ-87, if it was manufactured at a higher level, could become the best domestic self-loading rifle. The MP title is rightfully occupied by MP-153, but its cost is one and a half times higher than MTs 21-12, and compared with it this model is often inferior in terms of barrel production, has a narrow inconvenient aiming bar, and is also characterized by muzzle misalignment nozzles. The guns of the Tula gunsmiths are traditionally distinguished by excellent trunks and a wonderful battle. Many hunters acquiring MTs 21 today make their choice precisely because of these qualities.
Debugging and debugging according to the method of Azarov A.: automation system
In one of the issues of the magazine “Hunting and Hunting. economy ”an article was published by A. Azarov, in which he gives recommendations on debugging the MC 21-12 gun. Below we consider what the author advises.
A huge role in the operation of automation is played by the rollback system. Sometimes rifles go on sale, whose trunks do not have a chamfer in the brake clamp ring. In such instances, a pair of buffer rings are placed on the store. The author of the article recommends that the owners make small chamfers on the rings themselves, otherwise the mechanisms will begin to scratch with sharp edges of each other, while the chips will literally be removed. In addition, scuffs on the clip will interfere with the functioning of the recoil system.
The barrel locking process also has a decisive role in the performance of automation. The combat emphasis of the shutter, being in the forward position, rises up and enters the barrel shank window. Its cylindrical part may not fit snugly against the walls of the window. It is necessary to watch when the gun is assembled with the box lid removed, a snug fit should only be in the back. If it is not, then when fired, the emphasis will be riveted on the shank neckline. On some copies, such a gap can reach one millimeter - this is unacceptable. Now in weapons stores you can buy spare parts for the MTs 21-12 model, so to speak, for all occasions. So, combat stops with diameters of the cylindrical part from 10.7 to 11.9 mm are produced. It is necessary by selection to eliminate this drawback. Strong interference and poor polishing in this part are also unacceptable, since there will be a disengagement of the bolt and barrel.
Possible malfunctions, debugging and debugging of the bolt mechanism
At the top on the end of the shutter on the left is the latch, and on the right is the ejector. It is necessary to visually and by touch check the quality of grinding, if there are burrs, carefully remove them with a velvet skin. If the liner on the shutter is plastic, it is better to replace it with a metal one, in order to avoid chipping. In addition, it is necessary to check the density of the movement of the mechanisms. Large lateral play of the shutter in the grooves of the box is not allowed. If you shake it from side to side, it should not slurp, otherwise it can lead to a breakdown of mechanisms. In addition, check the feeder tray. It should be on a par with the store window (displacement is unacceptable), there should be no burrs on it, since the cartridges will slow down when sliding on the tray. All mechanisms must be polished; otherwise, ammunition will cling to irregularities when feeding. Cartridges for MTs 21-12 should also not have defects on the outer surfaces of the liners.
In the assembled state, the lower right protrusion of the bolt should push the right stop to avoid delays in the release of ammunition from the clip to the limiter. Sometimes in poorly debugged weapons, he skips. In this case, the right stop turns out not to be recessed into the groove on the box. This leads to a jam in the cartridge holder. The same can happen after intensive use of the gun, when the barrel and end face of the forearm shock are broken. As a result of this, the shutter will begin to move forward further than it should. In this case, the repair is reduced to feeding back and fixing the shock absorber forearm. A specially machined ring can be glued under it.
In the event that the bolt is slightly retracted, the right stop should fix the ammunition in the clip, abutting against the flange of its sleeve. If this does not happen (dirt in the groove or the spring is broken), then the cartridge falls to the ground. This happens when the bolt, moving forward, sends the next ammunition with the tray raised to the chamber, and the next one falls under it. This can also occur with a reduced diameter of the sleeve flange. If the feeder latch lingers in the groove at the moment of retreat, the tray rises up, and the barrel moving forward will drown the left stop and release the cartridge, which as a result falls to the ground.
Debugging and debugging the receiver
As a result of the end face of the lid protruding above the box, the forearm of the gun loosely sits in its place, the clips in this case may not enter the ends of the grooves. As a result, the bed is spinning on a clip. In this case, it is necessary to adjust the lid of the box. Sometimes there are instances in which the end clip can be screwed to the forend with a bias, as a result, the trunk will be braked when rolling back against the inner walls. In this case, you should clean the wooden surface in these places. If this does not help, then you must install the clip again.
It is also necessary to pay attention to how the mainspring is installed in the trigger. Does the right wall interfere with her work? In the assembled position, remove the cover and check whether the trigger pushers are pulling the trigger. You should make sure that the support (front) washer of the bed is displaced relative to the hole, otherwise it may damage the thread at the end of the holder and will weaken its fastening.
General debugging
There are specimens in which the sleeve flange is strongly deformed after a shot. This occurs as a result of poor fitting of the locking mechanism. This defect can only be detected after firing.
Before operating the gun, it is necessary to determine a smaller diameter coil of the brake spring. With this ring, put it on the tube of the store. It is also necessary to smooth the sharp parts on the last turn of the spring with a velvet file. In this case, the clip tube will not be scratched.
Distorting the shutter, it must be ensured that the stem and springs do not jam in the shank of the box. If anything interferes with them, the cause should be eliminated. In addition, you need to check the operation of the ammunition cutter. If you turn the flag counterclockwise, the cartridge should stop at the cut-off when pulling the shutter. And in the future do not reach the left stop.
Shotgun MC 21-12: price
Due to the fact that this weapon has already been discontinued, it is difficult to find on the shelves of weapons stores. However, you should not despair, they are still in the storerooms, and if desired, they can be ordered, however, you will have to wait a while. The disadvantage of such a purchase will be that you will not have the opportunity to choose the best among several copies. So it’s better to still find a store that still has this weapon. So, you decided to buy the MTs 21-12 gun. The price of such a "self-loading" will be approximately 15 thousand rubles, however, if desired, you can buy weapons in the secondary market. In this case, its cost will be much lower.
Summary
Many young hunters are scared by the principle of automation in this gun - the rollback of the barrel. However, do not forget that this scheme was the only one working until the end of the 80s of the last century. The first serial semi-automatic shotguns with a gas outlet system appeared only in 1990. A little more than twenty years have passed - and on the shelves of gun shops you can see the slender rows of gas self-loading, and the barrel rollback system is presented only by the MTs 21-12 model. Reviews hunters of the Arctic about this gun are unambiguous. It turns out that in these difficult weather conditions there has never been and still is no alternative to this weapon. The debugged MC 21-12 at an autumn temperature of up to twenty degrees of frost proved to be an accurate and reliable assistant. It is still used in the north both for deer hunting and for hunting geese, because a very sharp and heaped battle allows you to beat a bird at distances up to seventy meters.
Today, the MC 21-12 gun is still in demand by hunters. Often a new instance works flawlessly, refuting evil slander, right out of the box. True, there are reverse situations when the gun does not want to work at all. However, in this case, it is enough to spend an hour or two, armed with a file, so that it works like a clock. Given the attractive price, both experienced hunters and beginners acquire the gun. Specimens of the Soviet assembly are especially appreciated. Despite their considerable age, they still delight their owners.
So, to write off the MC 21-12 gun, despite its shortcomings, we will not rush from the arsenal of domestic hunters yet ...