TOZ-12

Tula Arms Plant · Rifle · Discontinued

Also known as: Tula TOZ-12

Overview

The TOZ-12 is a single-shot, bolt-action .22 Long Rifle small-bore target rifle developed by Soviet designer D. M. Kochetov and produced at the Tula Arms Plant. Derived from the TOZ-8M, it pairs that rifle's heavy barrel and bolt group with a longer stock, a refined trigger, and an adjustable diopter (aperture) rear sight paired with a hooded front sight, making it well suited to precision marksmanship. For decades it served as a standard training and sporting rifle throughout Soviet schools and the DOSAAF paramilitary system, and surviving examples remain in civilian use as hunting and target arms.

Specifications

Weight (empty)3500 g (123.5 oz)
Overall Length1120 mm (44.09")
Barrel Length640 mm (25.20")
Action TypeBolt Action
Firing MechanismStriker Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Action
Magazine Capacity1 rounds
Muzzle Velocity295 m/s (968 fps)
Muzzle Energy113 J (83 ft·lbf)
Effective Range100 m (109 yd)
Maximum Range1500 m (1640 yd)
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Number of Grooves4
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Service history

Operators

Production

Estimated total produced: 1,000,000

Reported production of roughly one million units at the Tula Arms Plant; exact production years not reliably documented in accessible sources.

Origin

Country of origin: Soviet Union

Designer: D. M. Kochetov

Notes

Single-shot design with no magazine; each .22 Long Rifle cartridge is hand-loaded into the chamber. Part of the Tula TOZ small-bore rimfire rifle series alongside the TOZ-8, TOZ-8M, TOZ-11 and TOZ-16. Sources give an empty weight in the 3.0-4.0 kg range and a muzzle velocity of 280-310 m/s; the values recorded here are representative midpoints. Approximately one million units are reported to have been produced.

Background

Countless Soviet schoolchildren and DOSAAF cadets fired their first aimed shots through a TOZ-12, whose heavy barrel and diopter sights made it a fixture of shooting ranges across the USSR for generations.