by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
IZH MP532 single stroke target rifle.
This report covers:
- What is it?
- Two rifles?
- Why so impressed?
- Sights
- Finishes changed over time
- Dimensions
- Not a true target rifle?
- Adjustable weights
- Weight
- Summary
It’s been quite a while since I did an historical report and this may not really be one — I just don’t know. I did a web search and didn’t find the rifle I’m covering today for sale new anywhere. Several used ones had sold in the U.S., but they are kind of scarce here. I think they must be more available in other countries including Canada (?) because the velocity is quite low. It’s below the Canadian limit (for airguns) of 500 f.p.s.
What is it?
The MP532 is a single stroke pneumatic 10-meter target rifle. It has a crude target stock that doesn’t have an adjustable cheekpiece or an accessory rail on the bottom of the forearm. The buttplate does adjust up and down for fit.
Apparently the first versions of the rifle had wood stocks made of a single piece of lumber and they had the reputation for cracking at the pistol grip — just like the FWB 150 and 300, before the company stabilized them with a vertical pin through the grip, and also just like the Anschütz 250. The two MP532s I have both have “firewood” stocks made of laminated pieces of wood. Reader Vana2 would be so proud! Maybe they are not exactly what Vana2 showed us how to make, but they are thicker laminates than I typically see in rifle stocks.
Apparently the Russians fixed the stock cracking issue with a laminate stock made of thick sections of wood.
Two rifles?
Yes, I have 2 MP532s. They came from a recent selloff of airguns from EAA (European American Armory), the only company that imported them into the U.S. A batch of IZH as well as some other airguns were recently sold by them, and 4 MP532s were in the batch, along with several more IZH 46s and 46Ms. I also bought a 46M that I plan to test against my 46 head-to-head. Then, perhaps at the next Texas Airgun Show, I will sell the 46M and one of the 532s. I also got a couple other airguns in this sale, so I’m stocked up with historical airguns for some time to come. Now, back to the 532.
From the comments I read online it looks like EAA started selling 532s around 2004. I first saw them at IWA in Nuremberg in 2006. I was blown away that they existed and wanted to buy one but the Russians in the booth didn’t think they were available in the U.S. I guess they were unaware of EAA.
Why so impressed?
I said I was blown away. Why? Well, I had owned an IZH 46 for many years by that time and I knew what a wonderful target pistol it is. I figured the target rifle would be just as nice, and apparently it was because it was not much more than the pistol in a rifle stock. It’s no more powerful. It’s not easier to pump. The triggers on the two I have are no better than my pistol triggers and I have even adjusted one of them to no avail. In fact, the two-stage rifle trigger I have played with has no good stop for stage two. So it acts like a single stage trigger that goes off whenever it wants to, and not when you are ready.
The other 532 has a delightful 2-stage trigger that breaks crisply. So there might be a way to adjust the trigger than I just haven’t discovered yet.
The reason I like it so much is the 532 is a 10-meter target rifle and I am attracted to all 10-meter target rifles — especially when they are vintage. This one wasn’t vintage when I first saw it, but being Russian it looked exotic and also resembled the target rifles of the 1960s more than the target rifles of today.
Sights
The front sight is a globe that accepts inserts. One rifle I got had a single insert in the globe and it is the old-style aperture. The other rifle came with no inserts but I was able to fit a 16mm Walther clear plastic aperture insert that reader Kevin recently sent me. It’s loose until the threaded sleeve is screwed tight, but then it locks up and stays in one place, which is all I need. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfectly centered because the rear sight adjusts for that.
One rifle came with a single front sight insert. Fortunately it is one I can use.
The other rifle had no front sight insert, so I installed a clear 16mm Walther aperture.
The rear sight is a target peep that Americans have panned over the years. They say it looks cheap compared to other 10-meter rear sights. Well, it is a little Spartan compared to other 10-meter target rifle sights, but it does everything they do, so who cares what it looks like? Beautiful is as beautiful does. Naturally I will have a lot more to say about the sights when I test the rifle(s) for accuracy. I think because I have two rifles I will test both of them. Why not?
The rear sight is made from the pistol rear sight and turned into a peep for the rifle — exactly as Diana did with their model 70 and 72 youth target rifles.
Finishes changed over time
The two 532s I have come from different time periods. The earlier one was made in 1997, according to the date code in the serial number. The metal on it is polished bright and deeply blued. The later rifle was made in 2007 and is matte all over. Matte is preferred for competition since it doesn’t reflect much light, but shiny blue looks better.
The rifle made in 1997 has a shiny blue finish to all the metal.
The rifle made in 2007 is finished matte.
Dimensions
For this part I’m, only measuring one of the two rifles. The overall length of the rifle is 42 inches, stem to stern. The barrel appears to be 28-1/2 inches long, but that’s deceptive, because there is a hollow shroud that extends the front sight far from the rear one. The true barrel is 15.5 inches long. It’s not much longer than the 11-inch IZH 46/M pistol barrel. So my remark about the Russians turning the pistol into a rifle is correct. All, that’s been done is to turn the cocking/pumping mechanism 90 degrees to the right to make the rifle a sidelever.
The length of pull is 13 inches, which is very long for a target rifle. A standard target rifle pull is 12 inches or less because the rifle is held differently than a sporting rifle. But the 532 buttplate adjusts out to a 14.5-inch pull that’s suitable for a giant.
The buttplate adjusts for both length of pull as well as height.
The buttplate also adjusts both down and up by 3 inches in each direction. That gives the shooter a huge range of adjustment to suit almost any adult alive.
Not a true target rifle?
I don’t think the Russians ever intended the 532 to be a true competition rifle, any more than they intended the 46 pistol to be a true competition pistol. World-class Russian shooters shoot FWB, Walther, Steyr and Anschütz target airguns the same as everyone else on the planet. You might think of this rifle as their Edge or Challenger PCP gun for wannabe and starting target shooters to use. And I bet that a lot more of these guns go to duffers like all of us who just want to know that their airgun can outshoot them.
Adjustable weights
One rifle I have came in its original box and it came with 6 sliding weights on the barrel. Each weight can be positioned along the barrel and held in place by a lock screw. Or they can be removed altogether, though to get them off requires the removal of the front sight, and a special spanner will be needed.
Six weights allow you to set the rifle for many balance preferences. They also remove.
Weight
The rifle weighs 10 pounds exactly with all 6 weights installed. That makes it a little light for a world-class target rifle and heavy for a youth target rifle. I imagine the Russian position on this is similar to what the American father’s position would have been in 1950, “Son, when you are big enough to hold a target rifle like this you are big enough to have one.”
Summary
That’s our first look at the IZH 532 target rifle. In Part 2 we will look at the power as well as the trigger pull, trigger adjustability and the effort required to pump the rifle.
I’ll also tell you how I brought both rifles back from the grave after they sat around unused for 12 to 22 years. Should be fun.
B.B.,
This rifle reminds me of two other rifles that you reviewed. The Mauser 300SL (/blog/2016/11/mauser-300sl-target-rifle-part-4/) and the Sharp Ace Target (/blog/2016/12/sharp-ace-target-standard-part-3/). Both were also styled as target rifles but neither also were fully capable to be such. Is there a specific class of shooters that these guns were being marketed to? Not to ten meter target shooters nor to sportsmen. Backyard plinkers might qualify but I think those might look for something cheaper. The way those marketing guys think is definitely not that of a shooter.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
I think I hit it in the report. Wannabes and people just wanting accurate airguns are the target market. Beyond that I don’t know.
B.B.
Siraniko,
“Is there a specific class of shooters that these guns were being marketed to? Not to ten meter target shooters nor to sportsmen.” You are thinking like a Western Capitalist! Try this mindset: USSR era shooting club gun, With not much to choose from and not all to many Rubles to buy what little was on offer. Might even look good to someone with a bit of potato spirits burning in their gullet!
shootski
Shootski,
Less money for pellets if you buy vodka first. Then again the chances of hitting the target go down inverse to the amount imbibed. Vodka after hitting the target!
Siraniko
AAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOO!
Two of them?! Talk about hen’s teeth! I tried for years to get my grubby little paws on one of these and you come up with two! Long after I had given up my search for one of these I stumbled across one for sale, but the price told me he really did not want to sell it. Baikal also makes PCP target pistols and rifles, but I do not think they were ever imported into the USA.
Very likely the stock is over bulked like the pistol grip so that you can form it to fit. My Izzy fits into my hand so nice, but my son-in-law says it does not sit in his hand right.
It is a cult thing I guess, just like all the other Baikal airguns. You either like them or you cannot stand them. No, you are not going to see one of these in the Olympics, but they do shoot. You have to pay double what one of these things are going for now to get better. You also have to pay your dues to need better.
By the way, I really like that rear sight. Have you tried an Edge insert in that front sight? I cannot remember if it is larger or smaller than the “standard” 18mm.
RR,
And I know where there are two more. I’m just sayin’.
Yes, there is extra timber, just like an FWB 300 stock.
The insert I used is 16mm. If the Edge is 18mm it might work.
B.B.
BB,
I think the Edge is 19mm. The FWB300, etc. are 18mm.
The IZH rifle and pistol have a very unique valve. It’s a pop open valve, as you find it in some old crosman guns and the Sharp Innova. This decreases lock time and improves efficiency, but he trigger has to handle the forces on the valve stem. Very unique in a target air gun!
Mel,
I know nothing about the insides of these airguns. I never took one apart.
B.B.
B.B.,
Today’s blog jogged my memory. I now recall seeing an IZH MP532 quite some time ago on a certain auction site. I was intrigued by its form-follows-function lack of fanciness. I chose not to get it because I already had a Feinwerkbau 601 by then, and the price attached to the IZH MP532 was a bit too high, I thought.
Of course, if you find the rifle to be spectacular, I might just regret not jumping on it, or at least not making an offer.
Michael
Michael,
I think the 532 was priced like the 46M pistol, so in the beginning they were probably $400 and over the years they probably increased to $600. That’s just my best guess.
I saw one that had sold on an auction site for $835 about 5-6 years ago, so, yes, they are pricy when they become available. For that kind of money you can buy almost any vintage European target air rifle you want, and I think you would be getting the better rifle.
B.B.
B.B.,
Good point about what that kind of money could purchase. If I were to buy another classic single-stroke pneumatic to keep my Feinwerbau 601 company, it would of course be a Walther LGR. That would be a sweet duo!
Still, I am drawn to utilitarian looks like this MP532 has and am quite interested in reading more about it, especially given how nice the IZH 46M is.
Michael
Got an email from PA today. It seems Gamo is going Gaga over mutlishot break barrels.
Just thought I would mention again that next weekend is the 7th Annual North Carolina Airgun Show.
http://www.tmacsairgunservice.com/page/airgunshow
RR,
Enjoy the trip and have (safe) travels. A fellow from South Carolina on the Daystate Owners Club site was touting the same event.
Chris
Chris,
Daystate Owner’s Club? Touch you. Next thing we know you will be attending those exclusive Daystate Owners events. 😉
It is really quite an event. It can take a couple of hours just to take a “quick” look about. Of course it is worth the trip just to get some of that Carolina BBQ.
RR,
“Touch you”,…???? Never heard that phrase uttered before. The name does imply a bit of aloofness,.. I will admit. A largest number of posters are Euro based. It is interesting to get some new perspective. They can talk a wee bit funny too! 😉
Exclusive site?? Not really. Just like here,.. and,…. no need to even own a Daystate product. Like any site, you have to sign in to view the comments and to comment/reply. A good resource if you are considering one.
Chris
Chris,
Never heard it before?! Wow, you are back in the sticks.
I was referring to that other airgun retailer in the SW USA. Every year they have an event that is exclusively for Daystate owners. It is sponsored by Daystate.
That brand is VERY popular in the UK. The quality is most definitely top shelf. Unfortunately, so is the price. What many on this side of the pond forget is over yonder they may only own one airgun, so they go for the best they can. This is why the quality of so many of the European airguns are top shelf. Now that they are invading the US market they are rebranding Chinese stuff to offer stuff at prices that do not freak out the average American. I may be wrong, but I think in the long run many will regret such.
RR,
Not so far back as you may think. I think you are “out” more. I am 7 miles to the nearish small town.
I was thinking the same thing. The Euro crowd has limitations that we do not have. The culture is older and more embedded into the mindset. I can easily see where they would get the best that they can afford,… even if it is only one rifle.
That said,… there is quite a lot that go the extra mile to get proper permissions and can get the same stuff we enjoy. Basically,… firearm permits.
The one thing they win out on is moderator use/sales. Still a bit sketchy on this side of the pond,… but are very widely welcomed/endorsed/encouraged over there. Go figure?
As for events,… yes,… the SW one, would be a good one. “They” do have their own as well. Somewhat upper crust from what I gather. Normal, everyday stuff as well though. However,… on this side of the pond,… they can really promote the full power capabilities without restrictions.
Chris
Good place to have some of that BBQ is Lexington Barbecue in…Lexington, my Tarhell Better Half’s hometown. It is about 90 min from the show site in Hickory, though. Bad luck the show wasn’t held last weekend when FM was in NC. 🙁
They usually have a vendor there selling BBQ.
Lexington Airguns is usually there also.
Any and all potential accuracy aside,….. that gun has a face that only a Mother could love! 😉
Good Evening to one and all,………. Chris
Chris USA,
“…that gun has a face that only a Mother could love!”
That quote reminded me of a ’60s song’s lyrics:
If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, don’t make a pretty woman your wife!
Get an ugly girl to marry you.
I can see a wood rasp doing wonders to make that stock fit like a fine set of leather shooting trousers!
shootski
Shootski,
I failed to consider that the blocky shape was (meant) to be custom fitted. Noting that,… I wonder how many (actually) were ever modified with a rasp, saw or other means?
Chris
Chris,
Probably not too many, but if I end up with one that is exactly what will happen to her. I reshaped that block of wood that was my 46M grip into something that just begs me to slide my hand around it. That stock has a lot of potential.
Hey Everybody,
I am taking a step back a few days to the Synergis. I saw a video a little bit ago where the person demonstrated that if you cock the Synergis with the rifle canted to the right, the magazine will just fall out. There is no latch, magnet, etc. holding it in place. Awkward.
B.B.,
I know I’m late to the party but please let me know if/when you are selling one of them. I love my 46M. You may be able to get RidgeRunner and I in a bidding war to help pay for some of your high dollar scopes and mounts. If the rifle is as accurate as my 46M it will be a winner.
Don
Don,
Two people asked about those rifles on Friday and I referred them to AirForce who owns them. What has happened since them I don’t know, as it has happened without my knowledge.
You might contact them on a week day if you are serious. You never know if the other two were tire-kickers or not.
B.B.
Note to all,…
Over at the HAM site they have 3 articles on the Extreme Benchrest 2019. Lots of great pics showing the who’s who in the industry and awesome looks at some very high end PCP rifles. Just look at some of those bi-pods and adjustable front rest! Also, some new rifle brands that very few are probably even aware of. You could spend several minutes on each picture just studying the guns, rests, scopes, equipment and the individual shooter’s set-ups.
The range is in the midst of giant cacti of all varieties that justify a quick view in their own right.
Worth a quick look if only to drool a bit and wish you were there. 😉
Chris
B.B,
I liked how the video shows the variable fulcrum of the IZH pistol. I wondered how that was done. I can see it when I step thru the video. – Don
Don,
You know, I never thought of that. I just added that remark on the fly, which is why it went so fast.
\When I review the 46 versus the 46M I will dwell on that longer and make sure it gets through.
B.B.
B.B.,
That would be great. Thanks. – Don
BB,
I have been out of the country and I am catching up so sorry for the late question. Any chance that I could get one of those 46-M pistols? Maybe in the next Texas show?
I have been looking on-and-off for a while and they are elusive, or very pricey.
Thanks!
Henry
Henry,
I will probably be selling mine at the next Texas show and the other one will also probably be for sale there.
B.B.