KS-23
Template:Short description Template:Infobox weapon
The KS-23 (Template:Langx) is a pump action shotgun manufactured by Russian company Tula Arms Plant. The KS-23 was developed by TsNIITochMash in the Soviet Union for use by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is officially designated as a carbine in Russia because it uses a rifled barrel.
The KS-23 is renowned for its large caliber, firing a 23 mm shotgun shell, equating to 6.278 gauge using the British and American standards of shotgun gauges and approximately 4 gauge using the current European standards (based on the metric CIP tables), making it the largest-bore shotgun in modern use.
History
The KS-23 was designed in the 1970s by TsNIITochMash, a key weapons developer in the Soviet Union, as a shotgun for the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) with the purpose of suppressing prison riots. The design implemented barrels produced for the Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23, an autocannon that fires 23×115mm rounds fitted to Soviet military aircraft. These GSh-23 barrels were rejected by quality control due to manufacturing flaws, but were deemed to be acceptable for the lower stress of firing slugs and less-lethal rounds. These barrels were then cut down in length for the KS-23, reducing production costs, and a 23x75mm shell was developed. As a result of reusing GSh-23 barrels, the KS-23 has the unique features of being a shotgun with a rifled barrel.
The KS-23 began to see use during the mid-1980s by several MVD forces, including the Militsiya and the Internal Troops. During the 1990s, research was made into improving the original design to make it usable in confined indoor areas. Two prototypes were proposed, the KS-23M and KS-23K, although only the M version saw use.
Ammunition
The KS-23 was created with the capability to fire several different types of ammunition, listed below:
- "Shrapnel-10" («Шрапнель-10»): buckshot round with 10-meter effective range
- "Shrapnel-25" («Шрапнель-25»): buckshot round with 25-meter effective range
- "Barrikada" («Баррикада», "Barricade"): cartridge with solid steel projectile able to destroy the engine block of a car at up to 100 meters<ref name=":0" />
- "Volna" («Волна», "Wave"): inert version of cartridge used for education and practice during training
- "Volna-R" («Волна-Р», "Wave"): cartridge with less-lethal rubber bullet
- "Strela-3" («Стрела-3», "Arrow"): cartridge with less-lethal plastic bullet
- "Cheremukha-7" («Черёмуха-7», "Bird Cherry"-7): tear gas grenade with CN agent
- "Siren-7" («Сирень-7», "Lilac"): tear gas grenade with CS agent
- "Zvezda" («Звезда», "Star"): flash-bang round
- PV-23 (ПВ-23): blank (grenade launching) cartridge
Later, two add-on muzzle mortars were produced, the 36 mm Nasadka-6 and 82 mm Nasadka-12, bringing with them several new ammunition types:
- Blank grenade launching cartridge to be used with muzzle mortars
- 36 mm "Cheremukha-6" tear gas grenade
- 82 mm "Cheremukha-12" "high-efficiency" tear gas grenade for use on open areas
Variants
KS-23
The original KS-23 was developed jointly by NIISpetstekhniki (MVD) and TsNIITochMash in 1971, it was accepted for use by the Soviet police in 1985.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The gun has a barrel length of 510 mm and an overall length of 1040 mm. The KS-23 has an underbarrel tubular magazine capable of holding three rounds, with one in the chamber giving the gun a maximum round capacity of four. The gun's effective range is 150 m.
KS-23-1
It is a short barrel version of KS-23.
KS-23M
The KS-23M Drozd (Carbine, Special, 23 mm, modernized Drozd "Thrush") was developed on the base of the KS-23. Development for it was started in October 1990. Twenty-five carbines were submitted for testing on December 10, 1991. After which the winner, then designated S-3, became the KS-23M "Drozd" and was accepted for use by the police and the Internal Troops of Russia.<ref name = gunsiteKS-23M/> The KS-23M includes a detachable wire buttstock and shortened barrel, as opposed to the fixed wooden stock on standard KS-23s. The gun is still chambered in 23 mm. Its overall length with the buttstock is 875 mm, without, 650 mm, and the barrel is 410 mm long. The gun's effective range is 150 m.
KS-23K
The KS-23K is a redesigned KS-23 that features a bullpup layout. The KS-23K was accepted in 1998 for the use of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Development and adoption of this carbine was motivated by the fact that in the earlier accepted configurations of the KS-23 and KS-23M a major noted deficiency was that the tubular magazine did not make it possible to rapidly reload or change the type of ammunition being used, because of this a major design change for the KS-23K is that it has an extended box magazine that holds seven shells instead of the three shells seen on the other models. The gun has a mechanical safety located on the left side, above the pistol handle and open non adjustable sights. The gun's effective range is 100 m.
TOZ-123
The civilian version of the KS-23 is the ТОZ-123 Selezen'-4 ("Drake-4") (ТОЗ-123 «Селезень-4»). It is manufactured by Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod and features a smoothbore design, making it more similar to a traditional shotgun, and is chambered in standard 4 gauge. The first shotgun was made in 1995.<ref>"Селезень-4" // В. Н. Трофимов. Отечественные охотничьи ружья гладкоствольные. М., ДАИРС, 2000. стр.110-111</ref> It has been legal to use as a civilian hunting shotgun in Russia since August 1996.<ref>"2.3.2. Охотничье огнестрельное оружие гладкоствольное... Ружье гладкоствольное "Селезень-4""
Распоряжение Правительства РФ № 1207-р от 3 августа 1996 г. "Перечень служебного и гражданского оружия и боеприпасов к нему, вносимых в Государственный кадастр служебного и гражданского оружия"</ref>
The gun maker's website has this as the description for the shotgun.
The shotgun is multicharged, with a tubular underbarrel magazine of 3-cartridge capacity. Reloading is provided with a removable fore-end. The presence of the special barrel rear projection on the frame combined with the rear sight gives the possibility of mounting an optical sight. The shotgun is intended for the amateur hunting with shot cartridges.<ref>TOZ-123 product page Template:Webarchive</ref>
The TOZ-123 was banned from import into the United States during the Clinton administration.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Users
- Template:Flag:<ref>"По закупкам вооружений Армения уступает не только Азербайджану, но и Грузии. Эксперты жалуются на то, что эта сфера покрыта в Ереване завесой секретности. Известно лишь, что в прошлом году Армения получила из России 35 танков Т-72 и 110 ББМ (БМП-2 и/или БТР-80), а несколько лет назад - 480 автоматов АК-105, 36 пулеметов РПК-74М, несколько снайперских винтовок ВСС и 52 СВ-98, 32 специальных карабина КС-23"
Е. Тесемникова. Как обеспечивается баланс сил в Закавказье // "Вестник Кавказа" от 14 июля 2014</ref> used as service firearm by police<ref>«23 մմ հատուկ կարաբին ԿՍ-23, ԿՍ-23Մ »
Հավելված N 1 ՀՀ կառավարության 2011 թվականի հունիսի 23-ի N 867 - Ն որոշման</ref> - Template:Flag: prison guards<ref>"2. Перечень специальных средств... карабин специальный (КС-23)"
Приказ Министра юстиции Республики Казахстан № 146 от 11 декабря 2001 года "Об утверждении Инструкции по применению сотрудниками исправительных учреждений Комитета уголовно-исполнительной системы Министерства юстиции Республики Казахстан специальных средств"</ref> - Template:Flagcountry<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Flagcountry: FSB Border Guard Service<ref>Перечень специальных средств, состоящих на вооружении органов и войск Федеральной пограничной службы Российской Федерации (утв. постановлением Правительства РФ № 634 от 24 июня 1998 года)</ref>
- Template:Flagcountry
- Template:Flag<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Template:Flag: customs service<ref>"К специальным средствам относятся: ...карабин специальный («КС-23»)"
Инструкция о порядке применения таможенными органами специальных средств (зарегистрирована Министерством юстиции Республики Узбекистан от 9 ноября 1999 года. Регистрационный № 835, 06.08.1999)</ref>
See also
References
Further reading
- Игорь Скрылев. КС-23 - наш полицейский карабин // журнал "Мастер-ружьё", No. 1, 1997. стр.48-51 Template:In lang
- Карабины КС-23, КС-23М "Дрозд" // А. И. Благовестов. То, из чего стреляют в СНГ: Справочник стрелкового оружия. / под общ.ред. А. Е. Тараса. Минск, «Харвест», 2000. стр.420-424 Template:In lang
- Template:Cite book