Baikal IZH 18-MN - Am I convincing myself to buy a bad rifle?
- Thread starter LeftHandGuy
- Start date
alberta boy
Well-Known Member
I will tempt you again , they're still here . There's a couple for sale locally , one in 223 and another in 7.62x39 . They are going up in price due to the embargo on anything Russian these days . They sell for about $500 CDN when in decent shape , a good price for what they are . I don't know if I could ship one across the border , your import restrictions are tougher than ours . I also have a Savage 219 in 30/30 , there's a picture of it on here somewhere . I could ship that ............... but I'm not going to . I like it too much and I'm kinda selfish lol . Maybe take a look at the regulations on shipping a Baikal to you from here . If it's possible , I could go through IRUNGUNS like we did last time . Food for thought .
AB
LeftHandGuy
Well-Known Member
IDK if these links will work for everyone, but I do think it's interesting:
Vs
It's the same frickin gun! And frankly I like the £25 one better!
Vs
It's the same frickin gun! And frankly I like the £25 one better!
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
It's not the same gun. The dearer has interchangable chokes. Since Baikal bores are chromed, most smiths won't touch them (i.e. alter the choke or install removable chokes).
Single barrel Baikal shotguns (and other similar) are really meant for frugal hunter shooting at stationary targets either in tree or on the ground. They are designed for an era and culture where shooting moving game was considered waste of ammunition. If you were really adventurous you might shoot a trotting hare, but never a flying bird...
And for that reason they're quite limited in usability. Having the ability to change chokes gives at least little bit extra versatility.
Single barrel Baikal shotguns (and other similar) are really meant for frugal hunter shooting at stationary targets either in tree or on the ground. They are designed for an era and culture where shooting moving game was considered waste of ammunition. If you were really adventurous you might shoot a trotting hare, but never a flying bird...
And for that reason they're quite limited in usability. Having the ability to change chokes gives at least little bit extra versatility.
Mmmm,.....no one informed my Baikal single she was incapable of dropping flying game/vermin (my first shotgun back in '75) even with super full choke & Grand Prix 30gr 5.
Bought one again recently as a nostalgia trip & it's/I'm still capable.
The present one has a trigger that would put many a rifle to shame... don't know if they're interchangeable with the rifle?
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Mine were fine on winged game.
And I think you'll find the singles are not chrome plated bores.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
Might be age and market dependent. Mine is, as were half a dozen others that I went through few years ago (trying to find multichoke, or at least non-chromed, but had to settle for chromed since my purchase license was expiring). They all were somewhat modern. I don't know how many factories have produced the Izhmash design.
LeftHandGuy
Well-Known Member
OK, same action then. If you had both in the same room you could exchange barrels quite safely.
Hey. I resemble that remark (to quote Homer Simpson)
?
Perhaps that was true. I don't care. All the classic military rifle chamberings (7x57, 6.5x55, 30/06, 303 etc etc) were designed for the battlefield. Make damn fine deer cartridges though.
IDK about about hunting in Finland, but you will find that most stalkers in the UK consider shooting moving deer unethical before they worry about ammunition expenditure.
I have only ever shot two pheasants on the wing. Both with @McKenzie 's single shot 12 bore Greener GP. IIRC it had a minimal choke...
Oh sure. I wish my own GP was one of the rare ones with the multi choke. Ditto, the ability to switch chokes surely make the Earnhardt more desirable, assuming one can find compatible chokes. Not sure it makes it in excess of 10x more desirable though!
WRT rifle and shotgun barrels being interchangeable, I have read both that they are, and that some are not. I think that the earliest production ones were not, but some more recent ones (including those sold under Remington branding) were. I would love to have that as a problem to figure out!
I had the same issue with L/H using right-hand bolted rifles. I bought a Baikal o/u in 308 and it worked very well. I had a nice short scope on top which was ideal for deer and boar.
Some colleagues and I did a comparison of double rifles at our club range and the Baikal came out tops. One of the advantages of the Baikal is the ability to adjust the point of impact using a small knurled wheel set between the barrels, a feature not found on several doubles. Handloading ammunition was interesting, The best advice, work up the required load on a range so that you have tight groups for each barrel and then adjust barrels at 100yards and you should be able to put six shots into a 4 inch circle.
Good luck.
Some colleagues and I did a comparison of double rifles at our club range and the Baikal came out tops. One of the advantages of the Baikal is the ability to adjust the point of impact using a small knurled wheel set between the barrels, a feature not found on several doubles. Handloading ammunition was interesting, The best advice, work up the required load on a range so that you have tight groups for each barrel and then adjust barrels at 100yards and you should be able to put six shots into a 4 inch circle.
Good luck.
half-baked
Well-Known Member
They do exist, and pop up every now and then over here. Not that it would be of much help to you... Likely not the most popular export caliber to the UK.
BUT, really hope you'd come upon one. Being rimmed, it makes a perfect round for break- open rifles.
And while not the most trendy and sexy cartridge, can hold it's own and performs very close, if not equal to, a 30-06.
Had one of the 12 cals as well. My very first own shotgun, bought at the age of 15, for the grand price of 150 FIM. Worked wonders.
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
The Spartan range did have chrome bores I think...
I worked for York Guns for a while which was the main Baikal importer to the UK for many years. Rifles and combination guns only came in occasionally and in small numbers, and I never ever saw a 7.62X54R turn up.
Yes, Zombie 'thread', (and some!). The Baikal single-shots did sell 20 odd years ago and appeared to have some popularity among gamekeepers and estate workers as what Americans would call 'truck guns' - throw it into the back of a pick-up or Landie and don't worry about dents and scratches. If you could sort a scope out, they allegedly shot OK to normal woodland stalking distances, but I suspect most were used with the factory irons on very short-range shots.
LeftHandGuy
Well-Known Member
IF, I do ever pick one up, more than likely I will put a Skinner peep sight on it.
McKenzie
Well-Known Member
It was a ‘sawn off’ so it had no choke.
LeftHandGuy
Well-Known Member
I have such happy memories of using it I bought one to take home whilst I was in the UK this past summer. Not as nice as yours but it only cost £40.
My truck gun is a Baikal .308 with a spare 12gauge/bore barrel, I can change the barrel in 10 seconds flat. That, I feel is the definition of versatility! I bought the .308 off a gentleman from this forum, immaculate and well cared for, I use it only with home cast lead 170grn flat nose to approx. 2000fps ( with a following wind ). This is my go - to humane despatch tool, it works. As an aside, ALL of my Baikal shotguns and the rifle have chrome lined barrels.
I have an old Swarovski 6 power scope on it and if I can, I will post some photos.
Regards
Nick.
I have an old Swarovski 6 power scope on it and if I can, I will post some photos.
Regards
Nick.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
If you're using factory front sight, I don't predict any sort of success. Factory rear "sight" is very low, doubt that you can get as low with anything mounted on the rail (that only exists on the rifle models). Of course it's somewhat trivial to fit a front sight with barrel band or something.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
Russia is CIP member and according to anecdotal evidence they've delegated the proof rights to e.g. Izhmash. I've seen several examples, in some case whole lots, where CIP stamped Izhmash guns wouldn't pass CIP proof in European countries that are located "more west" of Russia.
So I'd be somewhat concerned fitting a rifle barrel to Izh-18 (MP-18). I know you described just opposite situation and maybe you had gunsmith (and proof) involved. Just don't want people getting an idea that barrels are interchangable in Baikals.
LeftHandGuy
Well-Known Member
Definitely good to consider this. Fortunately I have some good friends with some decent metalwork ability who could likely make a taller blade for me, or as you suggest I could likely use or modify one from something else. At the moment it's just a pipe dream anyway....
theomegaman
New Member
I've got a side by side hammer .410 baikal,love it! I did once have a single barrel 12g.....never again.
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