KS-23

KS-23 with a fixed wooden stock - 23x75mm R

KS-23M - 23x75mm R

KS-23K - 23x75mm R

The KS-23 (Karabin Spetsialniy, "Special Carbine") is a Russian shotgun that fires 23mm shells (equivalent to 6.27 gauge or 4 gauge in the metric bore system used in some parts of Europe), making it most powerful shoulder-fired shotgun in use today. The guns themselves are mechanically based on the Winchester Model 1200, and the barrels are made from cut-down rejected 2A7 antiaircraft gun barrels, intended for ZSU-23-4 self-propelled AA guns. Since it uses a rifled AA gun barrel, it is officially designated by the Russian military as a carbine, but in functional terms it is a pump-action shotgun. The KS-23 can fire a variety of loads including shot and slugs, and is also used with a cup adaptor and blanks to fire rifle grenades.

The KS-23 was the final result that appeared in the first half of the 1970s following the request of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs for a new multi-functional weapon with the possibility of using non-lethal ammunition suitable for suppressing prison riots and freeing hostages. Initially, the gas cartridges for the SPSh-44 were tested. However, attempts to use a signal pistol for throwing grenades did not give an acceptable result and lengthening the barrel only slightly increased accuracy. Furthermore, a standard 12 gauge pump-action shotgun design was tested (history is silent about which model, but apparently we are talking about one of the models common then). However, the 12 gauge was not recognized as capacious enough for such purposes. As a result of this, it was decided to return to 4 gauge (26mm). The result of this was the experimental smooth-bore pump-action shotgun SSK-26 for the 4 gauge ammunition. The SSK-26 used an atypical "forward-back" pumping, and was fed from a detachable box magazine. However, the SSK-26 was not found to be satisfactory, since it did not provide the specified accuracy of fire; at the same time, it was decided to return to the "classic" pump-action shotgun design. It was decided to equip the subsequent weapon with a rifled barrel, which with a 23mm barrel from the ZSU-23 self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle being used. And so, the KS-23 form factor appeared.

The KS-23 began development in 1975. The first serial guns were produced in 1981, full development completed in 1983, with a set of muzzle nozzles for throwing gas grenades and a full range of ammunition. The KS-23 was officially adopted by the Soviet police in 1985. It was largely supplemented in police use with the KS-23M (modernized) in 1990. KS-23M was created as a solution to existing shortcomings, in the form of bulkiness and the difficulty of using it in cramped spaces. The initial upgrade variant also was to equip the weapon with an extended magazine tube (this version is referred to as KS-23-2), but in the end it was decided to use the compact version.

In 1995, a new box magazine-fed bullpup version, the KS-23K, was developed for use by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The KS-23K is a rather mysterious model; in fact, aside from using the same ammunition, it is technically unrelated to the original KS-23. KS-23K reloaded by pump action, by means of a cylindrical forearm with one traction under the barrel. Since this mechanism is poorly visible, this has led to widespread misconceptions that it is supposedly a semi-auto or pump-action with a moving barrel. No further information on the production and use of the KS-23K exists, and it was likely that the KS-23K remained a prototype weapon, and its production was discontinued. Parallel to the KS-23K, TsKIB SOO developed their own 23mm box magazine fed shotgun, known as the OTs-28. The OTs-28 also did not enter service, because it was more expensive to produce than the KS-23K. The third contender for replacement was the AEK-965 (essentially an analogue of the KS-23M, but in a more ergonomic design), but it also was not accepted.

A civilian version, the TOZ-123 "Drake-4," was designed by Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod in 1996. This variant features a smoothbore barrel. Imports of the TOZ-123 to the United States were banned during the Clinton Administration. Demand for the Drake-4 was low, and its production was soon discontinued. The Molot Bekas is another civilian version of the KS-23, chambered for 12 & 16 gauge.

Specifications

(1981 - present)

• Type: Shotgun

• Caliber: 23x75mm R (6.27 gauge)

• Weight: 8.49 lbs (3.85 kg)

• Length: 41 in (104 cm)

• Barrel length: 20 in (51 cm)

• Capacity: 3+1 (KS-23 & KS-23M), 7 (KS-23K)

• Fire Modes: Pump-Action

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The KS-23 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Living Target (Zhivaja mishen)		A criminal	KS-23	1990
Sheriff's Star (Zvezda sherifa)		Police	KS-23	1992
Antikiller 2: Antiterror		SOBR personnel	KS-23M, firing tear gas grenades	2003

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Cross Fire	"KS-23"			2007
7.62 High Calibre			KS-23M	2008
Call of Duty: Black Ops				2010
Firearms: Source				2011
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades	KS-23	w/ Soviet dovetail mount	KS-23M	2016
Escape from Tarkov	TOZ KS-23M 23x75mm shotgun	short barrel, pistol grip with wired stock	can be converted to actual KS-23M; added in the v0.12.8.9457 patch (2020)	2016
Survarium			KS-23 & KS-23M	2017