KS-23
Encyclopedia
The KS-23 is a Russia
n shotgun
, although because it uses a rifled barrel it is officially designated by the Russian military as a carbine
. KS stands for Karabin Spetsialniy, "Special Carbine". It is renowned for its large caliber, firing a 23 mm round, equating to 6.27 gauge
using the American standard of shotgun gauges and approximately 4 gauge
using the current European standards (based on the metric 'CIP' tables), making it the most powerful shotgun in use today. By comparison, the Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23
cannon uses a 23 mm round, as does the ZSU-23-4
self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons system.
s. It was created by TsNII-Tochmash, a key Russian weapons developer, for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
(MVD). The barrel for the KS-23 was made from 23 mm anti-aircraft gun
barrels that were rejected due to manufacturing flaws. These rejected barrels were deemed to be acceptable for the lower stress of firing slugs and less-lethal rounds, and thus were cut down in length for use as shotgun barrels.
The KS-23 began to see use during the mid-1980s by several MVD forces. 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. Today, both the standard KS-23 and the KS-23M are in use by Russian law enforcement.
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:
in 1981, it was accepted for use by the Russian police in 1985. 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.
(MVD). 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.
The civilian version of the KS-23 named the TOZ-123 “Drake” is made 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 gun maker’s website has this as the description for the shotgun.
The TOZ-123 was banned from import into the United States during the Clinton administration.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, although because it uses a rifled barrel it is officially designated by the Russian military as a carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
. KS stands for Karabin Spetsialniy, "Special Carbine". It is renowned for its large caliber, firing a 23 mm round, equating to 6.27 gauge
Gauge (bore diameter)
The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the barrel. Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound . Thus...
using the American standard of shotgun gauges and approximately 4 gauge
Gauge (bore diameter)
The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the barrel. Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound . Thus...
using the current European standards (based on the metric 'CIP' tables), making it the most powerful shotgun in use today. By comparison, the Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23
Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23
The Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 is a Soviet cannon widely used in military aircraft of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. It was designed by A. E. Nudelman and A.A. Rikhter to replace the wartime Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 and VYa cannon, entering service in 1949....
cannon uses a 23 mm round, as does the ZSU-23-4
ZSU-23-4
The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored, self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system . ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount". The "23" signifies the bore diameter in millimeters. The "4" signifies the number of gun barrels. It...
self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons system.
History
The KS-23 was designed in the 1970s for suppressing prison riotPrison riot
A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners in attempt to force change or express a grievance....
s. It was created by TsNII-Tochmash, a key Russian weapons developer, for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
The Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del is the interior ministry of Russia. Its predecessor was founded in 1802 by Alexander I in Imperial Russia...
(MVD). The barrel for the KS-23 was made from 23 mm anti-aircraft gun
ZSU-23-4
The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored, self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system . ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount". The "23" signifies the bore diameter in millimeters. The "4" signifies the number of gun barrels. It...
barrels that were rejected due to manufacturing flaws. These rejected barrels were deemed to be acceptable for the lower stress of firing slugs and less-lethal rounds, and thus were cut down in length for use as shotgun barrels.
The KS-23 began to see use during the mid-1980s by several MVD forces. 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. Today, both the standard KS-23 and the KS-23M are in use by Russian law enforcement.
Ammunition
The KS-23 was created with the capability to fire several different types of ammunition, listed below:- "Shrapnel-10" buckshot round with 10-meter effective range
- "Shrapnel-25" buckshot round with 25-meter effective range
- "Barricade" cartridge with solid steel projectile able to destroy the engine block of a car at up to 100 meters.
- "Wave-R" rubber less-lethal cartridge
- "Bird cherry" tear gas grenade with CN agent
- "Lilac" tear gas grenade with CS agentCS gas2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile is the defining component of a "tear gas" commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agent...
- "Star" flash-bang round
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
KS-23
The original KS-23 was developed jointly by NIISpetstekhniki (MVD) and TsNIITochmashTsNIITochMash
TsNIITochMash is an initialism for the Central Research Institute for Precision Machine Building , a Russian industrial design bureau...
in 1981, it was accepted for use by the Russian police in 1985. 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-23M
The KS-23M “Thrush” (Carbine Special 23 mm modernized) 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 “Thrush” and was accepted for use by the police and the internal troops of Russia. 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 100 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 AffairsRussian Ministry of Internal Affairs
The Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del is the interior ministry of Russia. Its predecessor was founded in 1802 by Alexander I in Imperial Russia...
(MVD). 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 named the TOZ-123 “Drake” is made by Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod and features a smoothbore
Smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
design, making it more similar to a traditional shotgun, and is chambered in standard 4-gauge. 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.
The TOZ-123 was banned from import into the United States during the Clinton administration.