TOZ-34

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]

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]

• 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]

•  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]

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

• Э. Штейнгольд. Разборка ружья ТОЗ-34 // журнал «Охота и охотничье хозяйство», № 1, 1972. стр.38-39
• Отечественное охотничье оружие. ТОЗ-34 // журнал «Охота и охотничье хозяйство», № 2, 1981. стр.21
• Г. Коновалов. ТОЗ-34 в эксплуатации // журнал «Охота и охотничье хозяйство», № 6, 1985. стр.20-21
• Николай Аксенов. 30 лет тульской тридцатьчетверке // журнал «Охота», No. 11-12, 1999
• А. В. Кузьминский. Оружие для охотника: практическое пособие / под общ. ред. А. Е. Тараса М., ООО «Издательство АСТ», 2002. стр.146-150
• Охотничье ружьё ТОЗ-34 // В. Н. Шунков. Охотничьи ружья России. М., ЭКСМО, 2010. стр.190

• TOZ-34 / Internet Movie Firearms Database