Cold vodka hot steel: a test of Russia's Bizon 2 submachine gun

Guns Magazine, June, 2003 by David M. Fortier

Like a plain-looking girl flanked by two bombshells, the Bizon 2 submachinegun went almost ignored by us. How this could happen to a modern Russian submachinegun featuring a novel feed mechanism is easier to understand if you know the company she kept.

To her left was an AN-94 Nikonov. This revolutionary 5.45x39 assault rifle is more desirable than a mini-skirtclad redhead giving a sultry look.., as she struts by on six-inch stilettos. Simple conversation becomes difficult in her presence as every pore of your body wants to understand her innermost secrets. Watching her rock is akin to a religious experience.

To the Bizon's right was a racy SV-98. This mysterious, suppressed 7.62x54R sniper rifle may lack the heart attack appeal of the Nikonov, but she has... other qualities. You can't help but yearn to go prone with her, to find out for yourself if her reputation is indeed fact or mere fantasy.

A Plan Begins To Form

So it was no intentional slight to the Bizon 2 submachinegun that we didn't test fire it first during our visit. Our small team, consisting of Marc Krebs, Mark Vorobiev, and Comrade Author had pooled money and flown all the way to Russia. Our desire? To give American firearms enthusiasts first hand look at some of the latest Russian small arms.

Krebs is nationally recognized for his custom M1911s, and of late, Kalashnikovs. He brought the knowledge, skills, and experience of a highly respected gunsmith to our team.

Vorobiev was born in Russia and served during the 1980s in the Soviet Army as a SPETsNAZ sniper. While he acted as guide and translator, more importantly he brought the insight of having "been and done" SPETsNAZ style to our team. My job of course was to simply share what we saw and experienced with you.

Our quest was no small one though. I flew from Bangor, Maine to Moscow. From there, with the help of Eric Mustafin who made our arrangements and carted us around in his trusty Lada, we boarded a rickety old ex-Areoflot passenger plane for the flight to Izhevsk. This did its best to remove the fillings from our teeth, but it got us where we wanted to go.

From Napoleanic Wars To Today

Located in the Udmurt Republic, Izhevsk is approximately 1,200 kilometers east of Moscow on the European side of the Western Urals. With a population of over 700,000, it's the capital of this Russian province that numbers approximately 1.5 million. Formerly a closed city, it's the home of OJSC, Russia's premiere arms manufacturer.

It was originally founded in 1807 to provide weapons to the Imperial Russian Army to fight Napoleon. After the French were expelled, Izhmash continued to play a major role in the defense of Russia. Readers of GUNS Magazine know lzhmash for their famous Kalashnikov assault rifles, Dragunov sniper rifles, as well as the Saiga line of sporting rifles and shotguns imported by EAA.

We were met upon our arrival by Ahat Khisamutdinov, the personal photographer of Mikhail Kalashnikov, and Andrei Vishnyakov, the head of public relations for Izhmash International Trading Center Ltd. These two men would spend the next few (lays going out of their way showing us this fascinating city, taking us to numerous gunshops, and putting up with innumerable questions.

With their help (and a letter of introduction from Tula Cartridge Works) we were able to meet with the general director of Izhmash, Alexander G. Likhachev.

Upon hearing of our desire to do a story on their latest small arms, Likhachev graciously granted us permission. Within a few hours of our meeting we were pulling into a shooting range where a small group awaited us.

Pulse-Quickening Opportunity

There we had a chance to have an up close and personal look at the AN-94, SV-98, as well as the Bizon 2. Of these, the Bizon 2 stands out as a modem and effective subma-chinegun. While the Russians have more combat experience than anyone else when it comes to submachineguns, they turned their back on them decades ago. The introduction of the AK-47 assault rifle immediately put an end to any interest the Russians had in this type of weapon.

However, the rise of organized crime and the need to conduct anti-terrorist operations have led to a resurgence of interest in the lowly subgun. This began in the 1980s and has led to the development of a number of new designs, including the Bizon and now the improved Bizon 2.

At first glance, the Bizon 2 appears to be a 5.45x39 AKS-74U with the magazine removed. There is good reason for the confusion, the Bizon is a member of the Kalashnikov family. It was designed by a team headed by Mikhail Kalashnikov's son, Victor, which also included Evgeni Dragunov's son, Alexi.

The result of their labor is a family of submachineguns based upon the AKS-74 assault rifle. Chambered for 9x17, 9x18 Makarov, 9x18 Makarov High Impulse, 9x19 or 7.62x25 Tokarev, they are lightweight, compact, reliable and extremely controllable.

Detailed Inspection

The heart of the fun is a shortened AKS-74 style sheet metal receiver. It's simple, it works, and of course is readily available. To the rear of this is attached a sturday AKS-74 side-folding stock. This locks rigidly in place or folds neatly to the weapon's left side. On the left side of the receiver is a rail mount for attaching optics. This allows a host of day and night optics to be easily mounted and dismounted from the weapon. However the stock cannot be folded with an optic mounted.