IZh-KhR-31

About the IZh-KhR-31

The IZh-KhR-31 is a Soviet .22 Long Rifle single-shot free pistol built for the ISSF 50 metre free pistol event. Designed in 1968 by Efim Khaidurov together with armorer V. A. Razorenov on the basis of the earlier KhR-64 rapid-fire pistol, it was produced at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (Baikal) as the arbitrary (free pistol) counterpart to the standard-class IZh-KhR-30. It features a set trigger, an anatomical orthopedic grip and micrometer-adjustable target sights, and its design later served as the basis for the KhR-79 competition pistol used at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

The IZh-KhR-31 was one of a family of target pistols designed by Efim Khaidurov, a Soviet marksman-turned-engineer who won a European rapid-fire championship and then built the guns his teammates shot with; its lineage traces to his KhR-64 pistol created for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

IZh-KhR-31 specifications

Chambered for the standard 5.6mm rimfire (.22 LR) cartridge. Together with the standard-class IZh-KhR-30 it was eventually replaced in Izhevsk production by the IZh-34/IZh-35 target pistols.