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KS-23
The KS-23 (Karabin Spetsialniy, "Special Carbine") is a Russian shotgun, and the most powerful shoulder-fired shotgun in use today, firing 23mm shells which are equivalent to 6.27 gauge (or 4 gauge in the metric bore system used in some parts of Europe); the guns themselves are made from cut-down rejected 2A7 antiaircraft gun barrels, intended for ZSU-23-4 self-propelled AA guns. Since it uses a rifled antiaircraft gun barrel it is officially designated by the Russian military as a carbine, but in functional terms is a pump-action shotgun. It is able to 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 designed in 1971 for suppressing prison riots and officially adopted for use by Soviet police in 1985. It was largely replaced in police use by the KS-23M (modernized) in 1990. In 1995 a new magazine-fed bullpup version, the KS-23K, was developed for use by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A civilian version, the TOZ-123 "Drake," 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.
Another civilian version, chambered for 12 & 16 gauge, is a Molot Bekas.
Specifications
(1971 - present)
- Type: Shotgun
- Caliber: 23mm (6.27 gauge)
- Weight: 8.49 lbs (3.85 kg)
- Length: 41 in (104 cm)
- Barrel length: 20 in (51 cm)
- Capacity: 3 (KS-23 & KS-23M), 7 (KS-23K)
- Fire Modes: Pump-Action
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Survarium | KS-23 & KS-23M | 2017 |