Single-shot hunting rifle IZH-18E: characteristics and disassembly procedure

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

The IZH-18E gun can be called a kind of beginning for a hunter. Many made their first sorties with him and speak very well of this weapon. Its mechanism is simple and trouble-free, and that is why hunters love IZH-18E.

History

Hunting rifles IZH have a long history dating back to the sixties of the last century. The IZH-18 model has been 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 new design features were also introduced. IZH-18 is safer when shooting, has a more reliable trigger mechanism and less weight compared to its predecessors.

IZHMEH positioned the gun as a weapon designed for a long service life. Its warranty shot is two thousand shots more than that of previous IZH models: eight thousand against six.

New model

The basic model (IZH-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 andejector mechanism.

About shooting and calibers

Hunting rifles IZH-18E single-barreled, 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 IZH-18E 16 gauge. The chambers were drilled under the sleeve 70 mm. In all calibers it was a paper sleeve, and only in a 32 caliber gun it was brass. In commercial hunting, brass sleeves are mainly used. Some combat indicators are reduced, such as accuracy and uniformity, but not so much that this could affect the results of the hunt. The cheapest, and therefore most profitable for fishing, is the use of cartridge cases for the “Centroboy” primer.

The length of the barrel for calibers 16 and 12 is 725-735 mm, and the choke 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 mass of the gun is relatively small: 2.8 kg for calibers 12, 16 and 12 Magnum; the.32 caliber gun, as well as the.28,.20, and.20 Magnums, weighs 2.6kg.

It is always important to choose the right amount of shot. The formula is: Divide the weight of the gun by 96 (for a 12 gauge gun) or 100 (if a 16 gauge gun). In turn, dividing the resulting number by the weight of the shot, we get an indicator of the amount of gunpowder. The weight of a 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 you take into account all these numbers, there is not much difference what to wear:IZH-18E 32 gauge or 12 gauge.

Safety

IZH-18E has a large set of tools to ensure the safety of the shooter. The barrel is locked with a grenade hook. There is also a mechanism that does not allow a shot to be fired if the barrel is not fully locked. There is a non-automatic push-button safety that locks the trigger and sear. In the event of a mechanical impact on the gun (bumps, falling, etc.), there will be no shot, even if the trigger has already been cocked, since it will automatically cock the safety cock without touching the striker. This set of safety equipment is especially important for a beginner who has not yet acquired honed skills with a gun.

The trigger mechanism is in the block. The striker and trigger are made separately. After the shot, under the influence of the spring, the striker withdraws and the hammer rebounds. The trigger has a smooth trigger, to make a shot, you need to turn off the fuse, after cocking the trigger, drown the control lever to the end, then pull the trigger, after which you can smoothly lower the lever.

In progress

IZH 18E has a simple and reliable trigger mechanism. The trigger is located inside, with the striker is made separately. When you press the locking lever, 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 the cocking is done, a characteristic click will be heard. After the shot is fired, the striker returns to its original position.

Aiming occurs through orientation to the cylindrical front sight and the protrusion of the shoe.

Wooden gun stock, usually made of beech or birch wood, and the neck is pistol-shaped, straight is less common.

Differences from predecessor

As mentioned above, the IZH-18E model differs from the IZH-18 in the presence of an ejector. The ejector, or reflector, guides the fired cartridge case so that it flies out, usually through a special window in the receiver. However, in IZH-18E, the cartridge case is removed when the barrel is unlocked. This increased the convenience of the weapon, as well as the speed of reloading, which is very important in commercial hunting. The ejector can be turned off if such a need arises: 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 rear position, however, it is worth remembering that during the next break of the gun it will be turned on automatically, so turning off is possible only for one shot!

Subsequent modifications

In 1983, the forearm and neck of the stock were reinforced, the new model was called IZH-18EM. For bench shooting, a special modification of the IZH-18EM-M "Sporting" was produced. In addition to sports shooting, it could also be used for hunting, and for women and teenagers, the IZH-18M-M "Junior" gun was produced. It is lighter, has a shorter barrel, has a 20 gauge and a rubber shock absorber on the buttstock on the back side.

There is also a modification of IZH-18EM-M for Magnum cases with a lengthchamber 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%

Dismantling

As well as in the case of any other firearms, incomplete and complete disassembly of the IZH-18E gun can be carried out. Frequent complete disassembly does not have the best effect on the condition of the mechanisms, contributes to rapid wear, therefore, it is resorted to 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. When storing and transporting the gun, incomplete disassembly is sufficient, in which the IZH-18E is disassembled into its main parts: the forearm, the stock with the box and the barrel. To separate these three parts from each other, you need to put the gun with the barrel up, hold the barrel with your left hand above the forearm, and with your right hand turn the latch by the head and then remove the forearm, then press the locking lever and separate the barrel and box.

After completing these steps, you can attach the forearm to the barrel and pack the gun in a case. If long-term storage is to be carried out, the springs must be released. Having pressed the locking lever to the end, with your 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 released and the springs (combat, cocking indicator and locking lever spring) will be relaxed.

Cleaning the gun after shooting and lubrication does not imply complete disassembly, it is enough to disconnect the stock and receiverbox.

A few rules

When completely disassembling, you must first of all follow the basic rules for disassembling weapons: carry it out on a clean, dry table or rags, lay out the parts in the order of disassembly to facilitate subsequent assembly. Mechanisms should be handled with care, sharp blows and excessive efforts should be avoided, unless, of course, this is required as part of the repair. When disassembling several guns, avoid mixing parts to avoid confusion.

To extract the pins and studs of the gun, you need to use drifts. To prevent damage to parts or the punches themselves, wooden or copper hammers are used, and only light blows are applied. If there is no special hammer, you can use the usual one if you put a wooden lining.

Complete disassembly

The IZH-18E single-barrel gun is disassembled as follows: first you need to remove the butt, after unscrewing two screws from the back of its head. However, only one can be unscrewed, and the second can only be loosened, after which it will be possible to turn the back of the head and open access to the stock screw. After the stock screw is unscrewed, it will be possible to separate the bed and the box. Then you need to unscrew the screw of the safety bracket, 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 a pusher hole will open in the tail jumper of the box, where you will need to insert a nail or wire with a diameter of 1-1.5 mm. Next, you canpull the trigger and take care of the separation of the pusher with the mainspring.

Then you need to remove the trigger, after knocking out its axis. Remove the trigger carefully so that the cocking indicator and its spring do not fall out. After that, remove the sear spring by unscrewing the screw first. Having knocked out the axle, remove the trigger along with the sear. Next, knock out the pin from the base of the fuse - you need to pull it out along with the fuse. The subsequent extraction of the striker with the spring requires a special open-end wrench. First, you need to unscrew the locking screw of the striker bushing, and unscrew the bushing itself with a wrench. Then carefully remove, supporting with a drift, 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 cover and move it 5-7 mm (to do this, you must also use a drift, placing it in the hole under the trigger guard and applying gentle blows with a wooden or copper hammer).

If it is necessary to remove the latch of the locking lever, you must first knock out the axle and separate it carefully to prevent the latch spring from falling out. To disassemble the forearm, you first need to unscrew the three screws, then separate the latch and hinge, remove the spring by knocking it out of the groove. After that, you can remove the latch, after knocking out its axis. The last step is to remove the ejector by first removing the stop pin.

Assembly in reverse order.