Baikal · Pistol

IZh-34

Name: IZh-34
Brand: Baikal

Blowback (semi-automatic) · .22 Short · introduced 1979

Also known as IZh-34M, Iz-34

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About the IZh-34

The IZh-34 is a Soviet single-action, blowback-operated .22 Short target pistol developed at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant. Designed from 1973 to 1978, its prototypes underwent state trials in 1976 and it entered serial production around 1979, replacing earlier Soviet sport pistols in the national shooting team's inventory. It feeds from a detachable box magazine housed in the grip and uses a fixed barrel with adjustable target sights and a tuned single-action trigger, making it a purpose-built precision competition handgun rather than a defensive sidearm. It is a sibling of the .22 Long Rifle IZh-35.

The IZh-34 and its .22 Long Rifle sibling the IZh-35 armed the Soviet national shooting team for years, letting Izhevsk - better known for the AK and Makarov - quietly dominate Olympic-style precision pistol events from behind the Iron Curtain.

IZh-34 specifications

General

Type: Pistol
Action: Blowback (semi-automatic)
Firing mechanism: Hammer-fired
Trigger: Single action
Calibres: .22 Short
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds
Magazine: Detachable box magazine

Dimensions

Weight (empty): 1.20 kg (2.65 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Right hand

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Slide: Steel
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 329 m/s (1079 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 102 J (75 ft·lb)
Effective range: 25 m

History

Introduced: 1979
Production status: Discontinued
Country of origin: RU

Features

Fixed barrel
Adjustable target sights
Adjustable trigger
Anatomical target grip

Safety

Manual safety

Chambered in .22 Short, distinguishing it from the .22 Long Rifle IZh-35. A modernized IZh-34M variant was later produced. Exact dimensional specifications for the IZh-34 are not well documented in accessible sources.