Imported by The Russian American Armory Company located in Scottsburg. Indiana

Contact info www.raacfirearms.com

The detailed lineage of the Izhmash 7-4 is a bit unclear and not considered important enough for this review to research. Originally Vostok, the firm best known for the AK-47 assault rifle, manufactured the 7-4. While the 7-4 was not intended for military use, several design elements derived from the military heritage are evident. The left and right hand models have many interchangeable parts. The action is simple increasing the reliability. The weight is above the IBU minimum of 8.75 lb. (3.5kg) which adds stability and should be more resistant to damage. The rifle requires no special tools for fieldstripping and the trigger can be adjusted in place. The only tools needed are a 1/8” (3mm) diameter straight steel rod for loosening thumbscrews and a straight bladed screwdriver.

There is no up, back, forward and down motion with the action on the biathlon rifles. Rebolting has been simplified and much faster by making half as many motions. Just pull and push in a straight line. The arms lock by a very slight over-center of the central pivot. This is true of both the right and left-handed models.

The left-handed rifle uses a right-handed bolt receiver and action modified to rebolt from the left hand side. The stock, crossover arm, and bolt handle are the only parts of the rifle specific to the left-handed model. This bit of engineering allows the manufacturer to reduce tooling and keeps parts more readily available. The left-handed crossover is simple, elegant, and the most distinguishing feature of the rifle. 

It’s unfortunate the rumor about the cross over is filled with phrases such as “rube goldburgh, complicated, very mechanical and just plain weird.” None of this is true. The only piece with any truth is the action works “backwards” which has a negative connotation. Yes, the shooter moves the bolt forward to open it and pulls it back to cock the firing pin and lock the round into the chamber. Here’s why this is true:

On the right-handed model the bolt assembly is operated by two arms which pivot on each other (form a V shape). The actuating handle hangs below the arms attached half way along the rear connecting arm. The forward arm connects to the rear of the bolt mechanism and the rear arm pivots at the rear end of the action. It’s difficult to describe so look at the photo. All parts of this action remain on the right hand side of the rifle. To actuate the action the shooter pulls back on the handle before pushing it forward; very traditional and “normal.”

On the left-handed rifle, the engineers replace the rear arm with crossover piece which still attaches to the front arm in the same manner as the right-hand version. Instead of terminating at the rear of the action, this crossover arm pivots and continues to the left hand side of the rifle where an actuating handle is located. The length of the arm on the left side is about 1.5 inches. Again, look at the photos. In order to push the bolt closed the left hand lever must be pulled back which pushed the right hand end of the arm forward just like on the right handed model. It is simple and elegant and works very well. Rebolting times are equivalent to the right hand version.

Using the “backwards” action does take a few rounds to get used to if you are familiar with the pull/push of a traditional bolt. If you are like most lefty shooters you grew up on right handed rifles which require dropping the rifle from position, reaching across the gun to rebolt with the left hand or changing hand positions to rebolt with the right hand. Either method is awkward, takes time and requires the shooter to reset the position after each rebolt. Inefficient at best and the shooter can develop some bad habits.

I’ll admit, the first time I used the left handed action there was a bit of difficulty but not with the rebolt. After 1,000’s of rounds on a right-handed gun my pattern was release the shot and drop the rifle to rebolt which I didn’t have to do. My problem was overcoming the habits I learned on the right-handed gun. After 100 rounds or so I was keeping the rifle in position and became used to the push/pull motion. After 500 rounds it was normal and fast.

Any lefty shooter using the Izhmash left handed bolting mechanism who has not been on a right handed gun will take right to it. Experienced lefty gunners who adapted to a right-handed action will make the jump very quickly as the benefits soon become very obvious. The best analogy is having two cars, one with an automatic transmission and the other requiring manual shifting.

The only issue the left-handed action has caused is with the open bolt policy at most ranges. When the action is open the handle is forward and the bolt appears to be closed. The action is so free when the rifle is placed barrel up on a rack the weight of the bolt slides back exposing the open chamber but pushing the handle forward. This bolt freedom also happens on the right-handed model but the bolt is at the rear of the action. I’ve never encountered any hassles after the action is explained to the range safety officer and tactfully suggest they stop looking at the handle position and examine the chamber to verify the bolt is open.

The fit of the rifle to the biathlete is very important. Fortunately, the 7-4 has the ability to make adjustments helping the athlete obtain the best performance from the gun. From the factory there is 1.96” (50 mm) of adjustment in the butt plate. This range is accomplished by the use of spacers. My setup required 1 3/4” extension. Short lengths of ski pole were cut and longer bolts used to move the plate further from the stock.

There is very little reduction in heart rate or breathing between the ski phase of the race and the start of shooting. When shooting prone, being too low causes excessive movement or the athlete to hold their breath for extended periods of time. A biathlete’s forward arm angle is approximately 30-45 degrees up from the ground. A lower position is more stable but interferes with breathing.

The hand-stop on the 7-4 is contoured to fit the hand, is infinitely adjustable and contains a swivel to hold the sling. The factory supplied sling is a heavy cotton weave, 1 ¼” wide and has a very military surplus look to it. The adjustment is by a rethreaded ladder lock and holds very well. The hook on the butt end is stamped and is compatible with aftermarket cuffs 

The arm cuff is how the sling attaches to the athlete forming a triangle (sling, forearm, upper arm) and stabilizing the rifle during the prone shooting. The supplied arm cuff is pretty crude and difficult to adjust and surprisingly uses a triangular ring which holds the sling in the same spot every time.

I replaced the factory sling with a custom sling and the cuff with a rigid carbon fiber custom piece both created by me.

After the rifle was fit for length I began adjusting the cheek comb. As supplied the comb is very adjustable with height being set by plastic spacers (saves weight) and the lateral adjustment made by slots capturing the bolt heads of the mounting hardware. My cheekbones are very shallow and even with the spacers removed the comb was too tall so I made replacement from basswood enabling me to lower it and easily shape it to fit my face. After the comb was fit in a satisfactory manner the basswood was used as a plug to make a mould so I can replace the wood with carbon fiber to save a bit of weight.

The sights mount onto a dovetail above the action and is also very adjustable for eye relief. Most biathletes keep the eye relief between 1” and 3”. Another wonderful aspect to the bolt mechanism is it is contained completely inside of the rifle. If the shooter wants a close relief there is no interference or potential to become poked in the face by the rearward movement during rebolt. Each click of the adjustment knobs moves the bullet one diameter at 50 meters. There are knobs for both windage and elevation. Each click is positive and the knobs are easy to turn while wearing gloves used during a race. The markings on the knobs are in Russian and not at all intuitive. The best way to remember how to move the point of impact is to write it onto the rear sight snow cover which is visible during shooting. A little ditty is ”clockwise right up.” A clockwise turn and click moves the POI right or up. The front sight is a two part tubular housing that screws together. The front aperture is held by index pins in the forward sight piece which is attached to the barrel. Screwing on the sight tube captures the aperture pinning it in the notches between the mount and tube. The flip-down snow cover keeps the sight clear of debris and also covers the end of the barrel.

The five shot magazines are made from injection molded plastic with steel springs and removal tab. The design of the magazine while in the rifle is very clean. The magazine is held in place by an indent on the forward side engaging a locking tab inside the rifle. The release for the locking tab sits just ahead of the magazine. A sweep of the receiver by a finger pushes the release and grabs the removal tab in one simple motion. Inserting the mag also depresses a different tab allowing the firing pin to strike the rim of the cartridge. For dry firing, just remove the magazine and the firing pin remains clear of the chamber wall.  

The mags are stored in a stock mounted holder facing to the left. The bullets face down and removal by the bottom of the mag places them up and ready to insert with a simple rotation of the hand.

The trigger is two stage and adjustable for pull and travel. These adjustments are easy to make with the trigger in the rifle and require a small bladed screwdriver. The race legal pull weight is 500 grams, which is just over 1 pound. The pull is smooth and consistent. The safety locks the trigger and fills the space in front of the trigger making access difficult but not impossible. Moved into the “fire” position the safety is well clear and offers no hindrance to the gloved finger.

Shooting the Rifle

Enough of the tech stuff; how does the rifle shoot?

I received the 7-4 at the beginning of July. By the end of the month I had tweaked the fit and shot approximately 2,000 rounds and felt very in tune with the gun. The summer race season was in full swing so most of my training was actual racing. For summer biathlon the rifle is not carried but stored on a rack while the athlete runs. When entering the shooting lane the rifle is retrieved, shot and returned to the rack.  

Shooting while calm is a great way to learn the art of marksmanship. Under the stress of racing, any small bobbles or actions requiring fine motor control become difficult with a pulse on. I typically enter the range with a pulse between 170-180 beats per minute and breathing about 20 times per minute. By the time the first shot is fired my heart rate has dropped to 155-160. I try to focus my fine motor control on the first finger of my left hand.

 Actions taken for granted while calm should require no thought when pulsed up. The design of the 7-4 has taken the needs of a stressed athlete into consideration. The mags are easy to find and slide right into and out of the receiver. The weight of the rifle stabilizes the hold if the shooter has good bone-to-bone support.  

Using the rifle during the summer is very nice and the gun really comes into its element during the cold weather. Besides squeezing the trigger, there are no design aspects of the rifle requiring fine manual dexterity which makes the rifle user friendly while wearing gloves. The gloves I use while racing are similar to a thin deerskin work glove on the palms with light insulation covering the back of the hand.

The mags come out of the holder and easily load. The mag lock is depressed and releases the magazine with one sweep of the finger, falls straight out and is easy to grab. The tabs on the sight covers are large and open with a flick of the finger.

The bolt handle feels a bit large during warm weather use but feels natural with gloves on. The fore and aft motion does not require the user to grab the handle. To rebolt, the handle can almost be smacked forward with the thumb and shoved back with the trigger finger. The pinky, ring and middle finger remain on the pistol grip during this motion. The large, open trigger guard makes finding the first stage of the trigger very clean. 

I did have to make slight adjustments to the fit of the rifle to accommodate the thicker clothing used during the winter. Biathlon rules forbid the use of padding under the racing suit which might present the athlete with a stabilizing effect during the shooting. I usually race in a medium weight undergarments, thin windproof shirt and topped by a lycra racing suit. This combined with the thickness of gloves required the hand stop to be moved towards the front of the rifle to keep the familiar feel of the 7-4.

Accuracy

As much as it pains me to admit, the rifle shoots better then I do. What I have noticed is the rifle has better accuracy in the cold temperatures. The only reason I can think of is the rifle was designed to accommodate the contraction of the metal in cold temps and everything ”tightens up.” This does not imply the rifle is a poor shot at 80 degrees. 

When warmed up for shooting and relaxed I can consistently put 5 shot groups into a  4 cm. target at 50 meters from the prone position. In the cold this group tightens noticeably. I have not had a chance to shoot from a benchrest I felt was holding the rifle consistently enough to provide an accurate picture of the rifle’s capabilities.  

At race pace the rifle is not a detriment to performance. Any shooting errors are all on me and I have never felt let down by the rifle.