Exceptional 1978 Tula TsKIB MTs 7-12 O/U Shotgun Serial 780791 Deluxe Engraved Russian Sporting Gun

Offered here is a 1978 Tula TsKIB MTs 7-12 deluxe over/under shotgun, serial number 780791, a scarce and highly refined example of the premium sporting arms produced by TsKIB SOO, Tula. The MTs 7 series is one of the best-known high-grade Soviet/Russian over-under families, with the MTs 7-12 being the 12-gauge 12/70 smoothbore sporting model. Published references describe the MTs 7 line as a premium custom TsKIB design dating from the late 1950s, with the MTs 7-12 built as a high-quality 12-gauge hunting shotgun.
This 1978 example presents exactly as a serious TsKIB sporting gun should: with a beautifully sculpted coin-finish receiver, fine hand-applied scroll engraving, double triggers, and a well-figured walnut stock showing elegant lines and crisp checkering. The shaping of the action, the engraving treatment across the receiver and tangs, and the overall quality of finish place it well above ordinary Soviet commercial field guns and firmly within the class of upper-tier Russian sporting arms.
Unlike standard production doubles, the MTs 7-12 belongs to TsKIB’s more exclusive sporting-gun tradition—guns built with greater hand finishing, more careful fitting, and a level of presentation intended for the serious sportsman or collector. The model has long been regarded as one of the more desirable TsKIB over/unders, and examples from the earlier Soviet period are especially appealing for their craftsmanship, rarity, and distinct Cold War-era character. One modern overview of TsKIB guns described the MTs-7 as “arguably TsKIB’s best over/under,” which is consistent with the model’s reputation among collectors of Russian sporting arms.