MTs 30

Lore & Background

The MTs 30 was designed by M. I. Skvortsov, A. P. Glinskiy and I. P. Korneychev during the 1960s–1970s. The first information and photograph of the experimental three-barrelled combination gun appeared in October 1960, and the MTs 30-13 variant was announced in August 1961. After tests and trials, the first MTs 30-09 shotgun was shown at the VDNKh exhibition in Moscow in 1979, produced by TsKIB SOO in small numbers. In January 1979, the price of one custom MTs 30-09 gun was up to 2,000 roubles.

The gun is hammerless, with one barrel under two others. Early test prototypes (MTs 30-01, MTs 30-02, MTs 30-03) had rifled barrels with four grooves, while all 9mm rifled barrels have six grooves with a 320 mm twist rate. The gun is equipped with a safety mechanism and ejector. All guns have a walnut shoulder stock with cheekpiece and fore-end; some were decorated with engravings. The MTs 30 can be equipped with an optical sight; the first test prototype used a TO-6P sight, while later guns used PO-4×34 or TO-6PM sights.

Variants include the MTs 30-01 (two 20/70mm smoothbore barrels and one 5.6mm rifled barrel for an experimental cartridge), MTs 30-02 (two 20/70mm smoothbore and one 6.5×38mmR rifled barrel), MTs 30-03 (two 20/70mm smoothbore and one 7.62×38mmR rifled barrel), MTs 30-09 (two 12/70mm smoothbore and one 9×53mmR rifled barrel), MTs 30-12 (two 9×53mmR rifled barrels and one 12/70mm smoothbore barrel), MTs 30-13 (two 20/70mm smoothbore and one 7.62×38mmR rifled barrel), and MTs 30-20 (two 20/70mm smoothbore and one .22LR rifled barrel). A later model, the MTs 140, has two 650mm smoothbore 12/70mm barrels and one 9×53mmR rifled barrel.

Reader's Guide

The MTs 30 family represents a notable Soviet effort in producing high-quality custom combination guns for hunting. Its development spanned the 1960s and 1970s, with prototypes exploring various calibre combinations—smoothbore and rifled—to suit different game. The guns were produced in very small numbers by TsKIB SOO, making them rare. The MTs 30-09, shown at the VDNKh exhibition in 1979, was the first production model, priced at up to 2,000 roubles, reflecting its custom nature. The design's hammerless action, safety mechanism, ejector, and walnut stock with cheekpiece were standard for high-end Soviet hunting arms. The MTs 30 was allowed as a civilian hunting weapon in the USSR, and later in Belarus and the Russian Federation. However, Russian federal law № 150, signed on December 13, 1996, and effective July 1, 1997, prohibited civilian possession of firearms chambered for handgun ammunition, which led to the ban of all MTs-30 guns so chambered in Russia, requiring their surrender to law enforcement for destruction. In Latvia, one MTs 30 remains registered as a civilian hunting weapon. The MTs 30's legacy is that of a technically interesting, limited-production combination gun that faced legal obsolescence in its home market.

Did You Know?

• The first information and photograph of the MTs 30 were published in October 1960.
• All 9mm rifled barrels on the MTs 30 have six grooves with a 320 mm twist rate.