The European Tradition of Miniature Weapon Manufacture

One of Russia's first references about this relatesmodel- copies of the pin revolvers of the
by 1810, when to arrived into Tula by princesystems in action prepared in 1893-1895 in the
Dolgorukov - they proposed to vapor of the flintTula weapons Levoushe school, with the weight
pistols with a weight only of 13 grams. In its timeonly 8,97 and 5,47 grams, which easily were
it was required to the graduates of Mikhajlovskaccommodated in the match to box. Tula
artillery academy to leave the miniature workingmasters, into the memory about its legendary
model of one or other model or another ofancestor of Levoushe, they prepared several
firearms after itself. Today these miniatures,miniature acting model- copies of Soviet small
which are stored in the museums of Saintarms. Among them glorious PPSh - machine pistol
Petersburg, strike us not only with their similarityof the Shpagin system 1941 year, modernized in
to the original, but also with splendid artistic1930 and even anti-tank is the gun of the system
finishing. In Russia there was a tradition to makeof Degtarev (1941). It is here it will be appropriate
the gifts of miniature weapon to the persons ofnote that the real historical prototypes of " Tale
the reigning family. In the museum of Hermitageabout the Tula slanting left-hander and about the
Museum is stored collection of three acting assaultflea steel" the writer Leskov were precise
rifles. Mosin model 1891 into 1/4 full size,gunsmiths - Aleksey Surnin and Yakov Leont'yev,
presented in March 1897 to emperor.sent in 1785 for England for the instruction in
Nikolas II masters founded of Izhevsk miniatureforemost collectible weapons production. The
arms factory, on occasion production by thecopies of some hunting guns were also prepared
enterprise of first half million of rifles. Gold tsaristbesides the miniature models of combat weapon
monogram was substituted to the chamber ofin the Soviet time. For example, in 1959 the Tula
each miniature. In 1900 four analogous modelsmasters made the small acting harpoon the gun,
were exposed on the Parisian internationalfrom which after 10 years produced several
exhibition. the Model - copy of the dragoon rifle ofshots one of the first cosmonauts of the USSR.
the system Mosin model 1891, which is stored inThus, besides aesthetical component, connected
the central museum of armed forces in Moscowwith the miniature weapon, the practical value of
and transmitted there in 1963 by a participant insuch collections consists in the possibility to trace
the Civil War.the history of the evolution of firearms,
Mr. Bogomazov is master and manufacturing plantdevelopment of methods and approaches of his
is, unfortunately, unknown. At The Russian plantsproduction, finishing and adornment.
of Saint Petersburg, which generate artilleryThe today highly skilled masters make the
armament for the Russian army and the navy,miniature working models - the copy of different
was also disseminated the tradition: upon transferscales; 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, the 1:5 of full size, at the
to the release of new series of instruments tohighest professional level. Was prepared reduced
make their precise small size copies for the giftsthree times, in comparison with the original the
to the reigning persons and honorable guests.model- copy of the carbine of model 1944,
These traditions increased in the Soviet time. Thepresented on January 26, 2001 by the central
first miniatures were dedicated by Lenin. In the fallmuseum of armed forces to President of the
of 1918, in the honor of the great victories of theRussian Federation - Putin. In the same year to
Red Army, workers of Izhevsk arms factorythe Minister of Defense of Russia the marshal
presented to Lenin the miniature model of theSergeyev was presented into the gift model-
trilinear rifle, which weighed less original 64 times,copy of one of the most popular models of small
grant inscription on case of which it said: " Toarms of the Red Army of the period of the
great proletarian leader to comrade Lenin to theWorld War II of 1941-1945 - machine pistol PPSh.
memory about the taking of Izhevsk from theIt was executed to scale 1:3 by the master of
2nd iron division and the revolutionary civil councilcompany Klokov. At present firm mastered the
of mountains. Interest became it was manifestedproduction of more than 60 designations of the
not only to the already known miniatures, then tomodels of small arms of different countries. We
the new articles.invite to the collaboration of Russian and foreign
As push for this served the case, which occurredpartners - the real amateurs of firearms and
in 1927 by Budenov in Tula. It tried the miniaturecollectors.