TOZ-28

Lore & Background

The TOZ-28 was designed by G. P. Chetverikova in the early 1960s. Production began in 1963 at the Tula Arms Plant. In 1963–1964 it was displayed at the VDNKh exhibition in Moscow, and in 1965 it was added to the list of firearms approved for export. The gun features a birch shoulder stock, with or without a cheekpiece, and a birch fore-end. It is equipped with an extractor. The rifled barrel could be chambered for either the 7.62×38mmR round or a special 6.5×38mmR round, while the two smoothbore barrels accept standard 20/70 mm R shotgun shells. A TOZ-28 was held in the collection of the Tula State Arms Museum in the Tula Kremlin.

Reader's Guide

The TOZ-28's significance lies in its design as a combination gun with three barrels—two smoothbore and one rifled—intended for hunting. Its production and export were cut short by a change in Russian law. On December 13, 1996, President B. N. Yeltsin signed Federal Law № 150, which took effect on July 1, 1997, prohibiting civilian possession of firearms chambered for handgun ammunition. Because the TOZ-28's rifled barrel used handgun-type cartridges (7.62×38mmR or 6.5×38mmR), all existing guns were banned in Russia after that date and had to be surrendered to law enforcement for destruction. This legal action effectively ended the gun's civilian life in its home country, though examples remain in museum collections. The TOZ-28 is thus remembered as a specialized hunting arm that fell victim to restrictive legislation.

Did You Know?

• The TOZ-28 has one rifled barrel positioned under two smoothbore barrels.
• All TOZ-28 guns were banned in Russia from July 1, 1997, and had to be destroyed.