With its shape and design, this double-barreled gun is very reminiscent of the legendary Sauer. It was on the basis of the latter that IZH-49 was created, the first post-war specimen of the gunsmiths of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant.
Appearance story
After defeating Germany, as a trophy, the arms gunner Sergey Belikov got the hunting rifle of the model range of the German arms company I. P. Sauer and Son ”at number 8. The build quality and design of this captured model far 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 the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant to master serial (mass) production of horizontal double-barreled shotguns. IZHBK, IZH-36 were created, but all these models were doomed to failure in advance. The shape and design of this hunting small arms was very rude. In addition, during the operation, significant design and technological flaws were revealed that affected the quality of the fire.
The hunters had many complaints about the new weapon: the bed was constantly cracking due to the weakening of the embedded locks, the fire tube with the strikers had to be twisted, and so on.
The birth 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 completely different formation and approach to the art of arms. Izhevtsy launched mainly 16-caliber models into mass production. Only a small number of IL-49 had the 12th and 20th caliber. The model lasted until 1954, when it was replaced by a modified IZH-54.
IL-49. New Shotgun
The model of a hunting weapon is a double-barreled intra-shotgun with a 16-caliber horizontal barrel arrangement. A stable shotgun is provided by two soundly welded stem tubes. The trunks have a triple locking on two underbarrel hooks.
The fighters are firmly aligned with the triggers. Only in 1953 IZH-49 (photo see article) received a trigger and hammer with a return action. When you open the gun cocking occurs. The IZH-49 model has an automatic fuse that protects against accidental operation. The fuse button itself is located on the shoe liner.
The IZH-49 model provides for a smooth trigger release. The forend has a lever type latch. The stock of the gun is made according to the pistol type. The main external difference of the model range is a straight rear edge of the pad, which has a 48 mm pillow length. Signal pins (cocked indexes) lie on the side shoe planes in brass mandrels.
Technical characteristics of IZH-49
Other characteristic features of the model include:
- The weight of a hunting rifle, kg - 3.2.
- The length of the trunks, mm - 750.
- The length of the chamber, mm - 70.
- The diameter of the striker, mm - 2.5.
- The trigger pull of the front hook, kg - 1.5-2.5.
- The trigger pull of the rear hook, kg - 2-3.
- The size of the muzzle constriction is 12 gauges, mm - 0.5-1.
- The size of the muzzle narrowing of the 16th and 20th calibers, mm - 0.45 and 0.8.
- Accuracy of the battle is 55-57% for the right trunk and 60-65% for the left.
On the guns of mass production, beech was used as decoration, and for piece manufacture - walnut.
At the Moscow International Exhibition of Hunting and Dog Breeding in 1950, IZH-49 (photos are presented in the article) was awarded a gold medal (small) and a diploma of I degree. This achievement of Izhevsk gunsmiths played a huge role in the post-war development of the hunting economy of the Soviet Union. Professionals and hunting enthusiasts 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 range
In addition to the positive aspects, the model of Izhevsk manufacturers also had negative characteristics. Professional hunters complained about the overweight of the new gun, the operation of the product in winter caused particular discontent. The balancing of IL-49 was one of the weaknesses of the new model and caused a lot of complaints. The center of gravity of IZH-49 of an ordinary (mass) sample was 82 mm from the cut of the barrel, which was very inconvenient to shoot. I had to constantly take into account this design feature.
The exterior rough and low-quality finish of the model did not find the user's due admiration. On the propensity of IL-49 to misfires went tales and legends. The fact is that when the factory workers copied the European model, they did not at all take into account the sensitivity of the capsule. Soviet-made heavy-duty springs deformed thin-walled imported capsule samples.
Further perspectives
Thanks to the accumulated experience, the designers and engineers of the manufacturing plant came to the conclusion that there was an urgent need to modernize the IL-49. Considering all the wishes and comments of professional hunters and just lovers of hunting, it was decided to release a completely new model. So, to replace IZH-49 in 1955, a new, more advanced model was released - IZH-54, which later became more popular than the previous model.
Legendary models of the Izhevsk plant
Over its more than 70-year history, Izhevsk Mechanical Plant OJSC has produced a huge number of hunting and sports small arms. To date, the volume of products exceeds 750 thousand weapons per year. The most successful models are the pride of factory workers. Here are the TOP 5 legendary hunting small arms that brought fame and success to Izhevsk gunsmiths:
- IL-12. Double-barrel intra-shotgun model 1962-1974.
- IL-49. The model was made in 1950-1954.
- IZH-59 "Sputnik". Reliable double-barrel shotgun 1960-1964 years of release.
- IL-26. The release of the model range was mastered in 1970-1975. This model has received great appreciation in the international market.
- IL-58. The model was mastered in 1958.
Afterword
Today, IZH-49 is rarely seen on the hunt. If suddenly an old grandfather double-barreled shotgun is found, then this immediately becomes a subject for comparison and admiration for rare weapons. The modern production of hunting weapons is increasingly striving for semi-automatic machines.
Only old hunters and true connoisseurs of hunting small arms have in their arsenal a shabby, but working copy of IL-49.