TOZ-34

The TOZ-34 (Russian: ТОЗ-34) is a Soviet double-barreled shotgun.

TOZ-34
Type	Double-barreled shotgun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Production history
Designer	N. I. Korovyakov[1]
Manufacturer	Tula Arms Plant
Produced	1964
Specifications
Mass	3.0 - 3.3 kg[2]
Length	1160mm[2]
Barrel length	711mm[2]
Caliber	12, 20, 28 and 32 gauge[1]
Action	Break action[1]
Rate of fire	Variable
Sights	Iron sights

History

The TOZ-34 is produced and sold by Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod^[2] since 1964. In 1965, the shotgun was awarded the golden medal of the Leipzig Trade Fair.^[3][1][4]

In 1967, the price of one standard TOZ-34 was 150 - 160 roubles.^[3] Also, since 1960s these shotguns were sold to foreign countries.^[5][6]

In 1970, TOZ-34 and TOZ-34E received the State quality mark of the USSR.^[7] In 1972, the shotgun was awarded the golden medal in Paris.^[4]

In 1974, the first experimental 28 and 32 gauge TOZ-34 shotguns were made. After all tests and trials were completed, they were officially presented at exhibitions in Petrozavodsk and Yakutsk in 1976.^[8] Since autumn 1976, Tula Arms Plant began serial production of 28 gauge TOZ-34 shotguns.^[9]

In 1977, TOZ-34 and TOZ-34E were among the ten most common hunting shotguns in the Soviet Union.^[10]

Since 1982 began the production of combination guns based on TOZ-34 design (TOZ-34-5,6/20 and TOZ-34-5,6/28),^[1] although only a small number of them was made and sold to hunters until July 1987.^[11]

In 1985, IZh-27 and TOZ-34 were the most common hunting shotguns in the Soviet Union.^[12]

In April 1987, it was announced that Tula Arms Plant would begin mass production of the new TOZ-84 shotgun and this gun will replace in production TOZ-34, TOZ-55 and TOZ-57.^[13] However, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 1990s economic crisis in the Russian Federation, TOZ decided to discontinue production of TOZ-84 and to continue production of TOZ-34.^[14]

In 1990s, the prices of firearms increased.^[15] In September 1994, the cost of a one new TOZ-34 shotgun was from 430 thousand roubles to 1.4 million roubles.^[14]

More than one million TOZ-34 shotguns have been made.^[2]

Design

The TOZ-34 is an over and under hammerless smoothbore shotgun, with one barrel above the other.^[2][1] The barrels are chrome-plated and have chokes at the muzzle end.^[3]

Soviet TOZ-34 have a walnut, birch or beech stock and fore-end.^[3]

TOZ-34-5,6/20 and TOZ-34-5,6/28 may be equipped with PO-2,5x20 (ПО-2,5х20) optical sight or PO-1 (ПО-1) optical sight^[16]

Variants

• TOZ-34 (ТОЗ-34) - standard variant,^[2][11] 3.15 kg^[1]
• TOZ-34E (ТОЗ-34Е) - variant with ejector,^[11] since 1968, 3.2 kg^[10][1][17]
• TOZ-34ER (ТОЗ-34ЕР) - TOZ-34E with rubber recoil pad on its shoulder stock^[2][1]
• TOZ-34R (ТОЗ-34Р) - TOZ-34 with rubber recoil pad on its shoulder stock^[11][2][1]
• TOZ-34-5,6/20 (ТОЗ-34-5,6/20) - over/under combination gun with a rifled .22 LR barrel over a 20 gauge smoothbore barrel.^[11][1] It was announced in March 1980^[16]
• TOZ-34-5,6/28 (ТОЗ-34-5,6/28) - over/under combination gun with a rifled .22 LR barrel over a 28 gauge smoothbore barrel^[11][1] The first test prototype was built in 1980^[16]
• TOZ-34-1 (ТОЗ-34-1) - single-shot shotgun, since 1995^[18]

Users

•  Soviet Union - was allowed as civilian hunting weapon^[5]
•  Austria^[5] - unknown number of shotguns were sold as civilian hunting weapon
•  Belarus - is allowed as civilian hunting weapon^[19]
•  Moldova - is allowed as civilian hunting weapon^[20]
•  Poland^[5]
•  Russian Federation - they were on the territory of RSFSR in Soviet times,^[5] now they are allowed as civilian hunting weapon^[21]
•  Sweden^[5]
•  West Germany^[5]
•  Yugoslavia^[5]

Museum exhibits

• TOZ-34 and TOZ-34E shotguns are in collection of Tula State Arms Museum in Tula Kremlin^[4]