10 June 1807 was founded Izhevsk Arms Factory
June 10, 1807 Izhevsky was founded weapons factory, after 210 years the name of this factory is known all over the world. But then, back in 1807, in Izhevsk, on the banks of the small river Izh, only a modest arms office was founded. At that time, a small ironworks already existed in the city. Under the guidance of engineer Andrei Deryabin, the ironworks was merged with the weapons factory. Already in the autumn of 1807, the first weapons began to be produced at the new enterprise — the seven-linear soldier smooth-bore flint gun. Since then, for more than two centuries, Izhevsk gunsmiths have regularly supplied the Russian army with first-class examples of small arms.
Reliability and ease of use is what makes the Kalashnikov Concern’s weapons unique. Since its founding in 1807, the Izhevsk Arms Plant (today the Kalashnikov Concern) has been supplying the Russian army with not only firearms, but also cold steel. Since the Patriotic War 1812 of the year, not a single major victory of Russian weapons could not do without products created by Izhevsk gunsmiths. Already in the first four years of its existence, the Izhevsk plant produced two thousand flint-guns, and during World War II, 1812 managed to deliver more than 6 thousand guns to the Russian army, increasing its output tenfold.
Already in the middle of the XIX century, the Izhevsk plant mastered the production of the first mass rifled rifle in Russia. And during the years of World War II, gunsmiths from Izhevsk supplied a wide range of weapons to the army: TT pistols, Mosin rifles (famous three-rulers), aviation machine guns, anti-tank rifles designed by Simonov and Degtyarev. However in history world weapons business Izhevsk company forever entered thanks to the machine, created by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov. His machine is called the most famous and massive sample of small arms of the second half of the XX century.
The final version of the AK was created in the summer of 1947, and in the fall of the same year, this weapon successfully passed a series of field tests and was recommended to be launched into mass production. It was decided to adjust the release of the novelty at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. The advantages of the Kalashnikov assault rifle over other small arms systems were quite obvious. Even the creator of the no less famous American assault rifle M16, Eugene Stoner, after a detailed study of the Soviet machine gun, was forced to recognize his superiority in combat qualities, especially in terms of convenience and unpretentiousness in operation.
However, the most important advantage of AK was the simplicity of the design and, as a consequence, the ease of its assembly. It is not surprising that women have always worked on the main assembly line of Izhmash. A huge number of Kalashnikov assault rifles were collected by gentle female hands. It is worth noting that the simplicity of the design along with the unification of parts is a distinctive feature of all developments of small arms from Izhevsk. More than two centuries ago, the founder of the Izhevsk Arms Plant, Andrei Deryabin, liked to organize exemplary inspections: in his presence, the workers dismantled several guns, mixed parts, and then collected weapons again. In addition, each gun perfectly shot.
The same “trick”, but with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in the 50-70-s of the last century, was also demonstrated by the leaders of Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. Such actions made an indelible impression on foreign delegations visiting the plant. As a result, the Kalashnikov assault rifle was and continues to be in service with armies or special services in more than 100 countries of the world.
Today, the Kalashnikov concern, which became the assignee of the Izhevsk Arms Factory, opened on June 10, 1807, is the largest Russian manufacturer of automatic and sniper weapons, as well as guided artillery shells and a wide range of precision weapons. In addition, the concern produces a wide range of civilian products: sports rifles, hunting rifles, machine tools and tools. The Kalashnikov Concern is the flagship of the Russian rifle industry, today it accounts for about 95% of all small arms production in the country. The products of the company are shipped to more than 27 countries of the world.
Today, the concern includes three arms brands: “Kalashnikov” - military and civilian weapons, “Baikal” - hunting and civilian weapons, “IZHMASH” - sports weapons. New activities for the concern are: unmanned aerial vehicles, multifunctional boats for special purposes and even remote-controlled combat modules.
Of course, the most famous products of the Izhevsk company and the most recognizable Izhevsk brand in the world is the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Due to the ingenious simplicity of the design, as well as the unique combination of technical characteristics, these weapons were recognized as the best small arms of the twentieth century and are still in service with the security forces of the Russian Federation. Today, the Izhevsk enterprise produces the fourth generation of Kalashnikov assault rifles - AK “hundredth” series: AK-101, AK-102, AK-103, AK-104, AK-105. At present, the state tests of the new machine, which is already attributed to the fifth generation - AK-12, are being completed. In addition, the Kalashnikov concern supplies special units of our country with SVD, SVDS, SVDM, SV-98, SV-99 sniper rifles, and also manufactures weapons designed to arm police officers - the 18,5 KS-K carbine, the Vityaz submachine gun "And other models.
On the basis of the world famous Kalashnikov assault rifle, quite a number of civilian weapons were created. On the basis of AK "hundredth" series and other small arms in Izhevsk were designed three completely new models of civilian products - "Saiga-MK107", "Saiga-9" and "Saiga-12 execution 340". In 2015, the concern introduced a new development - the Saiga-12 shotgun 340 performance. The smooth-bore gun, created by designers from Izhevsk in close cooperation with the leading athletes of the Practical Shooting Federation of Russia, has already managed to prove its reliability, the weapon is fully prepared for any tests. Saiga-12 proved this during the practical shooting world championship held in Italy in 2015. For the first time, all Russian winners won a landslide victory in the open class, speaking at competitions with just this gun, which they had recently begun to sell at retail.
Probably, there is not a single hunter older than 30 in the former Soviet Union today who would not have once held one of the guns fired at Izhevsk. Izh-17, Izh-18, Izh-27 and Izh-58 could be found anywhere - from Kamchatka to Turkmenistan. These hunting rifles faithfully served both amateur hunters and hunters. Mass mass production of smooth-bore hunting weapons began in the capital of Udmurtia in the middle of the 20th century. At the same time, the choice of models compared to today’s was very limited.
In the near future, the upgrade will affect the MP-155 model (reliability of the bolt group, ergonomics, increased durability), MP-43 (ejector, new bed, modified trigger mechanism, fuse and antabka), MP-27 (improved appearance, new bed), “Elk-7” (ergonomic bed, new coating of metal parts, changing the cutting pitch, increasing the reliability of the magazine fastening), “Bars-4” (changes are similar to the “Los-7” plus the introduction of new calibers). In turn, the modernized hunting rifles and carbines of Izhevsk production will be gradually replaced in the market or complemented by new, promising developments of local gunsmiths, for example, MP-144 / 142 and MP-234.
Also for many years, the Kalashnikov Concern (formerly Izhmash) is the leading domestic manufacturer of sports weapons and the only company in our country that produces rifles for biathletes under the Biathlon-7 brand in various designs. The first sporting rifle was created in Izhevsk as early as 1949, and the designer Yevgeny Dragunov supervised the work on it. Starting from 1950, the production of well-proven various types of sports weapons was established in Izhevsk, with which now several generations of Soviet and Russian athletes and sportsmen of some other states have established a large number of world records and won a large number of top Olympic titles.
If you are in Izhevsk on 10 June, be sure to visit the Izhmash Museum, which in honor of the 210 anniversary of the founding of the Izhevsk Arms Factory (today Kalashnikov Concern) and the 190 anniversary of the museum holds an Open Day. On Saturday, 10 June, everyone will be able to visit the museum’s expositions dedicated to the life of the great designer of small arms Mikhail Kalashnikov and the history of creating the most famous Kalashnikov machine gun in the world, as well as to get acquainted with more than two centuries of weapons production in Izhevsk. The 10 June museum will run for free; it will be open to visitors from 8: 30 to 16: 30. Museum address: Sverdlov Street, 32 (Gunsmiths' Square).
Today the museum’s collection features a very rich, two-century history of the Izhevsk arms factory, which is revealed through exhibits. The museum collection includes more than 350 cold and small arms, as well as about 30 motorcycles, which were previously produced at the enterprise. In the collection of the museum you can see old prototypes of machine tools, shotguns and rifles of the XIX century, air guns and machine guns of the XX century, in the collection of motorcycles there is an original prototype of the Izh-1 motorcycle still 1928 of release.
Today the museum occupies the oldest building in Izhevsk. Over the years, there was a cash pantry, a guardhouse, a kitchen with a dining room, and even local forestry.
Information sources:
https://kalashnikov.com
http://vvesti.com/istoriya/istoriya/legendarnomu-izhmashu-210-let
http://rvio.histrf.ru/soobshestvo/post-5291
Open source materials
Reliability and ease of use is what makes the Kalashnikov Concern’s weapons unique. Since its founding in 1807, the Izhevsk Arms Plant (today the Kalashnikov Concern) has been supplying the Russian army with not only firearms, but also cold steel. Since the Patriotic War 1812 of the year, not a single major victory of Russian weapons could not do without products created by Izhevsk gunsmiths. Already in the first four years of its existence, the Izhevsk plant produced two thousand flint-guns, and during World War II, 1812 managed to deliver more than 6 thousand guns to the Russian army, increasing its output tenfold.
Already in the middle of the XIX century, the Izhevsk plant mastered the production of the first mass rifled rifle in Russia. And during the years of World War II, gunsmiths from Izhevsk supplied a wide range of weapons to the army: TT pistols, Mosin rifles (famous three-rulers), aviation machine guns, anti-tank rifles designed by Simonov and Degtyarev. However in history world weapons business Izhevsk company forever entered thanks to the machine, created by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov. His machine is called the most famous and massive sample of small arms of the second half of the XX century.
The final version of the AK was created in the summer of 1947, and in the fall of the same year, this weapon successfully passed a series of field tests and was recommended to be launched into mass production. It was decided to adjust the release of the novelty at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. The advantages of the Kalashnikov assault rifle over other small arms systems were quite obvious. Even the creator of the no less famous American assault rifle M16, Eugene Stoner, after a detailed study of the Soviet machine gun, was forced to recognize his superiority in combat qualities, especially in terms of convenience and unpretentiousness in operation.
However, the most important advantage of AK was the simplicity of the design and, as a consequence, the ease of its assembly. It is not surprising that women have always worked on the main assembly line of Izhmash. A huge number of Kalashnikov assault rifles were collected by gentle female hands. It is worth noting that the simplicity of the design along with the unification of parts is a distinctive feature of all developments of small arms from Izhevsk. More than two centuries ago, the founder of the Izhevsk Arms Plant, Andrei Deryabin, liked to organize exemplary inspections: in his presence, the workers dismantled several guns, mixed parts, and then collected weapons again. In addition, each gun perfectly shot.
The same “trick”, but with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in the 50-70-s of the last century, was also demonstrated by the leaders of Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant. Such actions made an indelible impression on foreign delegations visiting the plant. As a result, the Kalashnikov assault rifle was and continues to be in service with armies or special services in more than 100 countries of the world.
Today, the Kalashnikov concern, which became the assignee of the Izhevsk Arms Factory, opened on June 10, 1807, is the largest Russian manufacturer of automatic and sniper weapons, as well as guided artillery shells and a wide range of precision weapons. In addition, the concern produces a wide range of civilian products: sports rifles, hunting rifles, machine tools and tools. The Kalashnikov Concern is the flagship of the Russian rifle industry, today it accounts for about 95% of all small arms production in the country. The products of the company are shipped to more than 27 countries of the world.
Today, the concern includes three arms brands: “Kalashnikov” - military and civilian weapons, “Baikal” - hunting and civilian weapons, “IZHMASH” - sports weapons. New activities for the concern are: unmanned aerial vehicles, multifunctional boats for special purposes and even remote-controlled combat modules.
Of course, the most famous products of the Izhevsk company and the most recognizable Izhevsk brand in the world is the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Due to the ingenious simplicity of the design, as well as the unique combination of technical characteristics, these weapons were recognized as the best small arms of the twentieth century and are still in service with the security forces of the Russian Federation. Today, the Izhevsk enterprise produces the fourth generation of Kalashnikov assault rifles - AK “hundredth” series: AK-101, AK-102, AK-103, AK-104, AK-105. At present, the state tests of the new machine, which is already attributed to the fifth generation - AK-12, are being completed. In addition, the Kalashnikov concern supplies special units of our country with SVD, SVDS, SVDM, SV-98, SV-99 sniper rifles, and also manufactures weapons designed to arm police officers - the 18,5 KS-K carbine, the Vityaz submachine gun "And other models.
Saiga-12 Performance 340, photo: kalashnikov.com
On the basis of the world famous Kalashnikov assault rifle, quite a number of civilian weapons were created. On the basis of AK "hundredth" series and other small arms in Izhevsk were designed three completely new models of civilian products - "Saiga-MK107", "Saiga-9" and "Saiga-12 execution 340". In 2015, the concern introduced a new development - the Saiga-12 shotgun 340 performance. The smooth-bore gun, created by designers from Izhevsk in close cooperation with the leading athletes of the Practical Shooting Federation of Russia, has already managed to prove its reliability, the weapon is fully prepared for any tests. Saiga-12 proved this during the practical shooting world championship held in Italy in 2015. For the first time, all Russian winners won a landslide victory in the open class, speaking at competitions with just this gun, which they had recently begun to sell at retail.
Probably, there is not a single hunter older than 30 in the former Soviet Union today who would not have once held one of the guns fired at Izhevsk. Izh-17, Izh-18, Izh-27 and Izh-58 could be found anywhere - from Kamchatka to Turkmenistan. These hunting rifles faithfully served both amateur hunters and hunters. Mass mass production of smooth-bore hunting weapons began in the capital of Udmurtia in the middle of the 20th century. At the same time, the choice of models compared to today’s was very limited.
In the near future, the upgrade will affect the MP-155 model (reliability of the bolt group, ergonomics, increased durability), MP-43 (ejector, new bed, modified trigger mechanism, fuse and antabka), MP-27 (improved appearance, new bed), “Elk-7” (ergonomic bed, new coating of metal parts, changing the cutting pitch, increasing the reliability of the magazine fastening), “Bars-4” (changes are similar to the “Los-7” plus the introduction of new calibers). In turn, the modernized hunting rifles and carbines of Izhevsk production will be gradually replaced in the market or complemented by new, promising developments of local gunsmiths, for example, MP-144 / 142 and MP-234.
Hunting rifle MP-155, photo kalashnikov.com
Also for many years, the Kalashnikov Concern (formerly Izhmash) is the leading domestic manufacturer of sports weapons and the only company in our country that produces rifles for biathletes under the Biathlon-7 brand in various designs. The first sporting rifle was created in Izhevsk as early as 1949, and the designer Yevgeny Dragunov supervised the work on it. Starting from 1950, the production of well-proven various types of sports weapons was established in Izhevsk, with which now several generations of Soviet and Russian athletes and sportsmen of some other states have established a large number of world records and won a large number of top Olympic titles.
If you are in Izhevsk on 10 June, be sure to visit the Izhmash Museum, which in honor of the 210 anniversary of the founding of the Izhevsk Arms Factory (today Kalashnikov Concern) and the 190 anniversary of the museum holds an Open Day. On Saturday, 10 June, everyone will be able to visit the museum’s expositions dedicated to the life of the great designer of small arms Mikhail Kalashnikov and the history of creating the most famous Kalashnikov machine gun in the world, as well as to get acquainted with more than two centuries of weapons production in Izhevsk. The 10 June museum will run for free; it will be open to visitors from 8: 30 to 16: 30. Museum address: Sverdlov Street, 32 (Gunsmiths' Square).
Museum building
Today the museum’s collection features a very rich, two-century history of the Izhevsk arms factory, which is revealed through exhibits. The museum collection includes more than 350 cold and small arms, as well as about 30 motorcycles, which were previously produced at the enterprise. In the collection of the museum you can see old prototypes of machine tools, shotguns and rifles of the XIX century, air guns and machine guns of the XX century, in the collection of motorcycles there is an original prototype of the Izh-1 motorcycle still 1928 of release.
Today the museum occupies the oldest building in Izhevsk. Over the years, there was a cash pantry, a guardhouse, a kitchen with a dining room, and even local forestry.
Information sources:
https://kalashnikov.com
http://vvesti.com/istoriya/istoriya/legendarnomu-izhmashu-210-let
http://rvio.histrf.ru/soobshestvo/post-5291
Open source materials
Information