Page 6 - IZH Baikal IZH 46M Match Pistol Reviews

When reading, ignore Things I like,Things I would change and, Anything else airgunners should know? Just read through. Though I waited for just over six months, my IZH 46M is here. This air pistol, has won many an international competition, and now it’s in my hands to shoot in my basement and back garden. I wanted a top of the line pistol that didn’t break my pocket book, and every thing that I read, kept coming back to the IZH 46M or Izzy. First impressions: 1). Absolutely no plastic, just wood and metal. 2). It comes with a “read owners manual before use” stenciled on the side of my Russian pistol’s barrel. 3). This manual is NOT giving me the info I need. It has more WARNING pages, than helpful and useful information pages. 4). This is a big hand pistol. I tried reading the manual…I really did. So, after that failed, (lack of real helpful info) I decided to take the gun out back to shoot, and figure out what the adjustments were by my self. This SSP (Single-Stroke Pneumatic) does about 475 fps to 500 fps, depending on pellet weight. And cocking the Izzy (IZH) is effortless. Wow, it’s quiet, my neighbours won’t be able to hear me when I’m shooting, unlike when I’m using my Diana RWS 350 Magnum. The front sight blade is a breeze to swap out, and the adjustable rear sight flips around with an easy undoing of a couple of screws. (Be careful, they’re left handed threads, and turn the opposite way than you normally would turn). Here is an "example" from the manual on “sights”

Sights: The sights on your air pistol are designed for accuracy. The front sight is all metal and the rear sight is all metal with adjustments for windage and elevation. See Figures 9a and 9b. Here is what I have found out. Down, is clockwise. (Knob top right.) Left, is clockwise. (Knob on left of rear sight). Trigger: The Izzy has a fully adjustable two-stage trigger, which gives you 5 different ways of finessing. Here is what I have found out. 1= Reserve trigger creep – turn clockwise to decrease travel, for after the shot slack. 2= Final creep (second stage length) – turn clockwise to decrease. 3= Trigger weight – turn clockwise to increase trigger pull. 4= trigger shoe adjustment – on trigger blade. And 5= First stage length – turn clockwise to decrease first stage travel. This trigger can be adjusted so light, you’ll wonder who just shot out your basement window. The geometry of this pistol is such that it forces your hand/wrist into a “locked” position. This is very different to shooting a “non” 10mm match pistol, but very common to match pistols. I have an assortment of targets in my back garden, ranging from tin cans to bottle caps, and my favourite…Dum Dum Pops. And yes, I do serious 10 mm paper targets as well. I’m using RWS R-10 Match 7.0 grains wadcutters. I noticed on my first 30 shots, that I was grouping the best I have ever done with a pistol. I should sign up to shoot 10mm competition (I thought to my self.)

Then just around 50 shots my hand started to move…side to side and up and down…I cancelled my newfound thoughts of Olympic 10mm, and put the Izzy down to “read” the “instructions” again, while resting my wrist. I’m a little tired of reading comments people write such as; “The grips are to big. They should make them like a regular hand pistol grip…Rubber grips would be nice”……Come on people, the grips are the size they are so that YOU can customize THEM to fit YOUR hand! I thought this comment by someone known as Tex Force said it rather well: “Re-contouring grips is a rite of passage among 10-meter pistol shooters. The gun is not yours until it has rasp marks and wood putty.” And as Carson wrote on PA comments; “No factory furnished grip could possibly fit every hand size and shape, and the IZH 46M grip doesn’t even pretend to do so. It’s intended to be customized.” Well put Carson! Custom grips are available on the Web, if you want to spend about $150 or more. Oh, and when you put your Izzy away for any period of time, always remember, DO NOT CLOSE THE BOLT. Keeping your bolt open when not used will keep your seals in great shape and they will last for a long long time. The bottom line is, that no matter how good I get…this gun will be there to let me know that after every shot… I’ll never be as good as what this gun can offer. Cheers, Mark

Bought two, have another on back order. I even like the oversized grip which allows me to shape it to every wrinkle in my palm. Started with a moto-tool, increasingly finer grit sandpaper, ending up with steel wool and an oil finiish.

Not a thing..If you miss, it's you, the pellet but not the air pistol.

.Stop wasting time and money. Go with Tom Gaylord's "picks" I've adopted Tom as my personal shopper, and have not been dissatisfied.

Everything! the finish, trigger, sights and accuracy will amaze you.

Nothing

If you are in the market for a world class match pistol, look no farther, It will delight you. also look at Pauls video on this gun, then order it quick.

Wonderfully accurate.

Very little adjustability on the grips-which my size large hand fit fine.

This pistol was on back order for about six months. Well worth the wait! Amazing accuracy. Trigger is out of this world. Just a thought seems to make it fire. Easy to pump, load and a true bargain on this quality of a pistol. Buy one and you won't be disappointed.

White dots or something to make the sights easier to see would be helpful.

I put a tiny dot of white enamel on the front sight and two more on the blade to make the sights much easier to get on the target.

Design, accuracy, long rifled barrel, quiet.

The grip. In addition to the grip being too big, the geometry is a little strange. I find myself having to push the top of my hand forward for the barrel to be level. Other guns that I have shot are the same or very close to the barrel/grip angle relationship of my glock handgun. For me, I need that relationship to be the same as to not screw up my muscle memory when drawing my glock. I will be making a new grip for this shortly. Bright white dots on the sights would have been nice

This is a very good airgun and would by another.

This pistol shoots awesome. The feel and balance are great. It is much more accurate than myself. The iron sights are easy to adjust and even with them it is accurate. The scope makes it that much better. I'm buying another BSA scope for my RWS model 52.

The manual. Hard to decipher the trigger adjustments.

If you've ever wanted a really nice target pistol, buy this one. You won't be disappointed. More than worth the money.

Everything--quality of workmanship, accuracy, ease of use, adjustability of the trigger and sights, self-contained power supply, included extras.

Nothing--it is NOT the absolute PERFECT air pistol, but I doubt you could improve it much without adding substantially to the price. The included manual is a poor, cheap printout of the .pdf one available online at EAA or Pyramyd Air--same text, but with poorly printed, mismatched illustrations and photos.

This is a GREAT air pistol. If I could buy only one air pistol, it would probably be the IZH 46M--in fact, I might not have ever bought any others if I had bought it first. The gun is so accurate that there is never any doubt about misplaced shots: YOU did it, it's NOT the gun's fault, which uncertainty is something I dislike about my less accurate "plinkers" (Beeman/Webley Tempest & Crosman 2300KT). I thought long and hard about the price before I finally bought the "Izzy," but once I shot it its price never bothered me again; it is worth the $365 I paid. The best trigger and sights I have yet experienced on an airgun. To me, the grip is NOT a problem, as so many others seem to think, when I consider that any serious match competitor will personalize and modify his guns to an obsessive degree to gain the most infinitesimal physical or psychic advantage. No factory furnished grip could possibly fit every hand size and shape, and the IZH 46M grip doesn't even pretend to do so--it's intended to be customized. I wear XL to XXL gloves, and I have been working my grips very slowly over the past few weeks with a wood rasp and sandpaper, removing each uncomfortable edge, bump or "hotspot" until it now is approaching a custom rock-solid "glued in" fit that has become a natural extension of my arm. The dry-fire feature, also criticized elsewhere, seems fine to me as I don't discern any difference in feel between it and a "live" shot, but that might just be me.

Reliable, accurate, durable. Very good value for the money.

Rubber grips (maybe optional) would be nice I think.

I shot around 500 times and the rubber o'ring seals look ok, I didn't notice any loss of power eider, it is very reliable and (as everybody knows) it is very* acurate. I like it very much. Price is more than fair.

This pistol is a dream to shoot. The gun is extremely accurate at 30 meters. I agree it requires a light touch. I took less than 50 rounds to dial in the BSA dot sight. It has plenty of power to move swinging metal targets. Smooth action and a light trigger.

The grip needs some work, BUT it's adequate. It’s a comfortable pistol just the way it is, and worth every penny.

I purchased several mid priced target pistols until I found this one. Invest in the IZH 46M and skip the rest. Buy lots of target pellets, you’ll need them. Follow ALL safety rules and enjoy, it’s hard to put down.

Quality construction. No machining marks. Excellent trigger. Very accurate.

Someone needs to make a aftermarket grip.

While not cheap it is well worth the money! Hours of enjoyment!

Trigger and sights are excellent. Cost, Accuracy, and utility are all superb.

I would add a real safety and better/more durable seals. Better customer service from EAA the importer.

I have now had this gun for over a year and love everything about it except the seals which wear out much too fast or pop out to be lost forever. I have had a lot of trouble getting replacements and getting a response from EAA. This gun is VERY quiet, very predictable and a great deal of fun to shoot. Use light target pells of best results. My favorites are the RWS Meisterklugein at 8.2 grains and the RWS hobby, both wadcutters. I can keep them within a quarter at 12 yards. I shoot mostly in my garage and have no noise problems. The slight pffft barely audible 10 feet away. I wouldn't use this for anything but target practice, but for this it is fantastic.

The most accurate pistol of any sort I have ever shot. Solid construction and quality. The iron sights are quality and I don't feel handicapped using them. It is one of the only guns that I would consider having two of.

I'm not a fan of the red dot scope. While accuracy is good, the opportunity for parallax error is significant at ranges closer than 25 yards. I only gave a 4 on value for the money because I think there could be better combo options than the red dot included.

My particular example loves CPH (cardboard box) 10.5 gr. the best with JSB exact 8.4gr. next. This pistol is fantastic with the Leapers 6x Bugbuster scope using the "Taco Hold". If you only have one air pistol then this should be it.

This is one of my favorite pistols. I liked it so much that I bought one for myself. Best thing about it is the superior accuracy and the ease of use. It has a nice light, smooth cocking arm. Great open sights, too. It happens to be one of my favorite 10-meter pistols to recommend to my customers. Workmanship and quality of the machining is there too. This Russian company produces an outstanding product.

I would add a safety. Because there isn't one, you do have to be careful when it is cocked and loaded. The trigger is so light to the touch that you could easily misfire it. The other thing I would have changed would be the design or look of the bulky wood grip. I supposed it serves its purpose with the carved groove for your thumb but, well, I'm a woman and we like pretty things.

This is a great gun for the money. I would recommend this pistol to the novice or the professional. It is perfect for that target shooter to keep his edge in the off season. It is a must have. RWS 7.0-grain Hobby pellets gave great accuracy results. Well worth the wait if out of stock.

The oistol appears to be very well made. The fit between metal parts is close as the wooden components of the grip. The lever is smooth in operation and the firing procedure is smooth and flawless as well.

More detailed instruction manual needed.

Plan on spending time modifying the grip to fit your hand. I used a dremel tool to do mopst of the work and finished with some fine sandpaper. This is not an hour-long project, but will be a work-in-=progress for several weeks as the shooter adapts to using the pistol.

We are still getting acquainted but this pistol is smooth and shoots better than I imagined. This pistol likes to be gently held, the more I tighten my grip the less accurate I can shoot

An optional custom grip would be nice to have available. For this price I would not suggest any changes. I have not gotten the scope yet as it is on back order so I do not have any comments on that part of this terrific package so far.

Be sure to find a pellet this gun likes as there are some that don't fit well and this gun will let you know it is not happy. Be sure to close the breech lock firmly. A light grip will work wonders for your accuracy. Buy one before anyone figures out what a deal this really is

the pistol is a outstanding value which is ready to shoot out of the box

better instructions

I purchased a IZH-53M as my first air pistol., the Baikale 46M is my second. I am a NRA pistol instructor and Find that I can keep my edge by shooting everyday with this air pistols.

Incredible value for a dead accurate pistol. Consistent, consistent, consistent. This thing is worth every penny. In fact, I think it is under priced! Like others have said, the stock grip is not very comfy straight out of the box but it is designed this way. File and sand to your liking and you have an ergonomic masterpiece! It will take some time to get it perfect but just do a little bit at a time and you will be very happy with the fit. Once you get everything dialed in, you will have a hard time telling if you hit your target as you can put 10 rounds through the same hole :)

Nothing. For this price, you can't go wrong.

I mounted a red-dot to this just for fun but found I was more accurate using the iron sites. A red-dot just adds weight and makes the balance weird. Try it with the stock sites first before going scope crazy.

I bought one of these a couple of years ago based on the dealer's representation that it was worth the money. I was a bit leery due to the country of manufacture, but decided to take a chance. I'm glad I did: The 46M is worth every penny. I have run several thousand rounds through it (mainly sitting on my coach, trying to shoot through the same hole in the target across the living room), without any mechnical/maintenance issues whatsoever. The quality of the materials and worksmanship is excellent. If you're concerned that "this is some piece of shoddy important junk," don't be.

The one "problem" with this pistol is the grip. The right side is fine, but the front of the left side ends in a straight line, rather than being "indented" for your fingers. (You can see this on the picture.) This makes it a bit harder to grip, particularly if you are shooting freehand for a considerable time. But a little work with a Dermel Tool (or even a small wood rasp and some sandpaper) gives you a custom/personalized grip. Just go slowly, and take off the wood in small increments. (You can't put it back if you take off too much.) The result actually makes the grip look better, and it will improve your accuracy and comfort.

Because of the design, the pistol is a bit "front heavy" in your hand. I made things worse by putting a Red Dot sight on top. (I'm not a true 10 Meter shooter -- but more of a Couch Commando.)

Very easy to dial in and shoot consistantly. Alot of adjustments you'd not find on a gun 3x the price. Came with extra breach/piston seals, tools and front sites.

More erganomical grip (had to put something)

Very sensitive to lubrication (type/quantity). Mine started leaking at the valve after ~1000 shots with regular lubrication, but was able to get working again thru cleaning / switching to a synthetic lubricant.