by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
IZH MP532 single stroke target rifle.
This report covers:
- BIG discovery
- The test
- Sight-in with RWS Meisterkugeln
- H&N Match Green
- Qiang Yuan Training pellets
- Trigger has great control
- RWS R10 Match Pistol
- Where are the good groups?
- H&N Finale Match Rifle
- RWS Hobby
- Still unaware
- The second rifle
- First shot — ah HA!
- Finale Match Heavy
- Qiang Yuan Training pellets
- Rear sight
- Summary
BIG discovery
Settle in, kids, because today holds a huge discovery. Today I shoot the two IZH MP532 rifles for accuracy.
The test
I shot off a rest at 10 meters. Since a single stroke pneumatic doesn’t recoil, the gun can be rested directly on the bag. I shot 5 shots at each target so I could test more pellets, and there were also two rifles to test. I began the test with the latest rifle that was made in 2007.
I started the test by pumping the lever 3/4 of the way 20 times to flex and warm up the pump cup. Then on every shot I pumped 3/4 of the way, relaxed and then pumped all the way. We learned in Part 2 that this makes the rifle shoot as fast as it can and also keeps the velocity stable.
Sight-in with RWS Meisterkugeln
The first pellet I tested was the RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle wadcutter. And the first job was to sight the rifle in. Where would the first pellet land? Imagine my surprise to see that it struck the bull near the center. Okay, sight-in is over and that was shot number one of the first group. Four shots later there were five pellet holes that measure 0.299-inches between centers. Notice that this is a somewhat vertical group.
Five RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets went into 0.299-inches at 10 meters. The highest hole was the first shot.
H&N Match Green
Next up were 5 H&N Match Green target pellets. They went into a 0.39-inch group that is also vertical. I will discuss that in a while, but notice that 4 pellets are in a small hole on the bottom, with one pellet higher and apart from the rest. I will have something to say about that later and it goes with the vertical groups.
Five H&N Match Green pellets are in 0.39-inches at 10 meters.
Qiang Yuan Training pellets
Next I tried some Qiang Yuan Training pellets. They made a round-ish group that measures 0.24-inches between centers. This is the first group that wasn’t vertical and I wondered why.
Five Qiang Yuan Training pellets made a nice cloverleaf that’s 0.24-inches between centers. This one isn’t vertical.
Trigger has great control
I was now in a position to better evaluate the trigger and it is wonderful. I feel stage two every time and it breaks like a glass rod. At 13 ounces it’s heavy for a 10 meter rifle trigger, but it’s so predictable that it works.
RWS R10 Match Pistol
Next to be tried were the RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets. Five of them went into a nice round 0.265-inch group at 10 meters. But they are just as low on the bull as the heavier pellets, so I decided to adjust the rear sight up. It moved one click and then stopped. I couldn’t get the knob to rotate more. I wondered what the problem was and I will get to it in a bit. It has to do with those vertical groups, too.
Five RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets went into 0.265-inches at 10 meters.
Where are the good groups?
These groups may look small to some of you, and for a sporting air rifle they are, but they are large for a 10 meter target rifle. A Daisy 853 will shoot smaller groups than this! Don’t worry, though. I discovered the reason and it’s coming up soon.
H&N Finale Match Rifle
The next pellet I tried was the H&N Finale Match Heavy wadcutter. Five of them went into 0.149-inches at 10 meters. That is a decent group and it’s also the best one with this particular rifle, but I think it’s not the best the rifle can do.
Five H&N Finale Match Heavy pellets went into 0.149-inches at 10 meters. It’s worthy of the gold dollar!
RWS Hobby
The last pellet I tried in this rifle was the unbiquitous RWS Hobby. I hadn’t quite discovered that big thing I told you about yet, but I was getting close, so I shot these Hobbys better because I shot them differently. And they grouped better for me. Five went into a nice round 0.175-inches at 10 meters. That’s trime territory!
Five RWS Hobbys made this 0.175-inch group at 10 meters. That merits the trime!
Still unaware
At this point in the test I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what. I knew I couldn’t adjust the rear peep any higher by hand, so all the groups had to be low. That was a big clue, but I hadn’t caught on just yet. It was time to shoot the second rifle.
The second rifle
The second rifle was produced in 1997, making it 10 years older than the first rifle. I used the same warmup procedure (20 partial pumps to warm the pump cup) and a partial stroke before every pump stroke for each shot.
This rifle has a clear plastic aperture insert for the front sight, and I selected one that was only ever-so-slightly larger than the bullseye. It was very difficult to work with. If I shoot the rifle again I will swap it for an insert with a larger hole.
I decided to shoot only the three best pellets from the first rifle, which were H&N Finale Match Heavys, Hobbys and Qiang Yuans. However, things never got that far.
First shot — ah HA!
The first shot with H&N Finale Match Heavys hit the target about 6 inches below the aim point. So I dialed in a lot of elevation into the peep and shot again. The sight adjusted up easily. Shot two was still below the target, so I cranked in a bunch more elevation — AND RAN OUT OF ADJUSTMENT! The adjustment knob suddenly stopped. It felt just like the one on rifle number one. OH! The rear sight on rifle number one was adjusted as high as it will go and the rifle is still shooting too low! I’m learning.
Finale Match Heavy
Five Finale Match Heavy pellets hit the target about 1-1/2-inches below the aim point. They landed in an extremely vertical group that measures 0.429-inches between centers. I was almost certain the rifle was not responsible for the size of the group, and I also knew it wasn’t me. I thought it was the rear sight.
Rifle 2 put five H&N Finale Match Rifle pellets in 0.429-inches at 10 meters. It’s a straight line, up and down!
And then it happened. Everything became crystal clear and I know the problem.
Qiang Yuan Training pellets
I then shot 5 Qiang Yuan Training pellets into another vertical group. Two shots are above three shots, with each “group” being small enough to hold a pellet by the tail. But 5 shots are in 0.445-inches. The only way this can happen is if the rear sight was moved while I shot. So I pushed on it and, sure enough, it moved. THAT WAS THE PROBLEM!
There are two pellets in the top hole and three below. Can you believe that? This rifle can shoot, but I need to get control of the rear sight! Five pellets in 0.445-inches at 10 meters.
I had been creeping up on the rear peep, trying to get my eye as close as possible to the peephole, but in Part 2 the first rifle’s buttstock was adjusted so long that it was very difficult to get close to that sight. Sometimes I did and other times I didn’t. The butt on rifle two wasn’t adjusted, so I got close to the peep every time. If my glasses touched the peep hole disk they pushed it forward, moving the location of the hole and changing the impact point up or down.
No sense going any farther with today’s testing. I need to find out some things about the sights and what can be done to correct the situation.
Rear sight
I’m going to write a report about that rear sight because I have just discovered a lot about it — stuff I haven’t told you yet. First, the two rifles have different rear sights! And the differences are big and they matter! Next, how you sight the rifle makes all the difference in the world. With the first rifle, when I didn’t push my face forward, the sight remained upright and my groups were smaller. When I pushed my face forward I hit the sight and it folded forward and down. Now that I know that, I am sure I can shoot better groups.
I know the MP532 isn’t an air rifle many of you will ever even see, but there are some fundamental principles at work that apply to all airguns. So this stuff is worth learning.
Summary
I had no idea this report would take the direction it has. From the shooting I did I can tell the MP-532 is about as accurate as an AirForce Edge or a Crosman Challenger PCP. It’s a worthy design that’s based on a single stroke pistol whose reputation is well-known to many of us.
We will press on and make this rifle perform to its capability before this is over. Stay tuned!
Nice report (as usual). Being a detective is part of the fun in shooting these old(er) air guns. I will be interested in seeing the “nuts and bolts” that make up the respective rear sights on these two rifles.
The rear sight subject brings up a problem that i am having. I recently purchased a Diana model 52, and think that it is just great (powerful, well made, accurate, etc.) but decided that I would not mount a scope on it. I subsequently purchased a Gamo rear aperture (like one on a Daisy 753) and all went well at a range session, until it popped off of the rifle, twice! Do I need to drill and tap the base for a “stop screw” like the scope mount bases? If so, what screw size and thread pitch recommendations would you have for me?
Thanks again for keeping me entertained and informed on a daily basis.
Billj,
It sounds like that sight does need some kind of mechanical stop. It doesn’t need to be very large. But let’s wait to hear from the rest of the gang before you do anything.
B.B.
I’m just glad to see the H&N Match Greens enter your pellet rotation. I quite like them in my HW75, and they’re stocked by D&L Airgun, unlike the Sig Alloys.
One thing I have noticed is that the alloy pellets, being harder than lead, have a tendency to cleanly punch through a lot of materials that the heavier lead H&N Sport or Crosman premiers will dent and deform against (empty tins and the like)
Chanman819,
I didn’t mention it but those pellets also gave me a 2-hole group. The bottom looks to be all but one of the pellets.
B.B.
Chanman819
I’ve also had good results with the H&N Greens.
I’m interested in the test of this rifle as I made an attempt to get one years ago – I was trying to find a 10M target type rifle that wasn’t a PCP or CO2 powerplant and which could be bought here in Canada without a license (as I hadn’t gotten around to getting one back then). I inquired with the company that was importing and distributing Baikal back then but they told me they didn’t have any and weren’t planning to bring any in. Fortunately I found a used FWB 602 that was part of a batch that were detuned for the Canadian market. This seems rare with target rifles here, presumably because pretty much everyone serious enough to want to spend the money needed for a new 10M rifle is willing to spend the time and money to get a license. Maybe this batch my rifle came from was brought in for a youth shooting program? Being in the under 500fps category could make things easier for something like that.
Nowhere,
I’m also in Canada! I suspect that target rifles only had a little bit more power above the no-license threshold to provide enough velocity for any heavier pellets they might be used with. From my experience, actual firearms are far more popular and common than airguns anyway, so the market probably wasn’t big enough to justify a unique model.
I wonder if your FWB was part of a batch bought for a club. My old air cadet squadron had Anschutz model 64s that were bought using donations from the Lions club, as well as C No.7 Enfields from the organization at large. I’m not sure whether the Daisy target rifles came from the parent org or were bought by the squadron, but the 753/853c are probably the most common 10m air rifles*
*I’m still kicking myself for not jumping on a 953 when they were available/when I saw one available used.
B.B.,
What could be the reason for the rear sights being loose? It’s not as if this rifle was a springer that will shake its parts loose. If the rear sight is simply loose you might want to go over the other screws that might also be loose before resuming the accuracy test. Looking forward to the rest sight article.
Siraniko
Siraniko
I have seen acurracy go away when screws get tightened on some guns. Mostly springers and nitro piston guns though.
I myself want things tight. Don’t want to relie on loose screws to make accuracy. Eventually that could make for inconsistent results I think anyway.
Siraniko,
I have no idea why the rear sight is spring-loaded to move, unless the Russians meant it to protect the eye of the shooter. But it does seem to cause a problem.
I have a lot to show you guys about these two sights. I don’t even know yet if I have discovered everything.
B.B.
BB,
Since I will not likely be fortunate enough to have one of these ladies decide to reside at RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns, any and all details will be greatly appreciated. As are others, I am VERY interested in many close-ups and explanations of the rear sights of both of these beauties.
Waiting is not going to be easy.
RR,
I feel the exact same way and I have them here to look at! The more I look the more I seem to discover.
B.B.
BB,
Thought you might be interested in this.
https://www.rapidairweapons.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17625&cat=269&page=1
RR,
Thanks! That’s just what I need.
B.B.
Is it possible to scope the IZH, to see how it performs with the meopta on top?
Mel83,
It is possible to scope the older gun. The newer rifle doesn’t have 11mm scope dovetails.
I hadn’t thought of doing that, but it is a great idea. Let me think about how I would do it. The scope can’t be in the normal place because of the breech that flips up.
B.B.
BB
Looks to me like this gun is a pretty darn good 10 m shooter.
You know me I always say stretch them out. But by the velocity report you did I’m betting even at 25 yards both of your guns won’t cut it. On the low side on velocity is what I think. Maybe they would be good at that distance on a calm day but I’m thinking not.
So maybe this gun is a good design for what it is suppose to do. And if they was as available as a FWB 300 I would probably try my hand at modifying one.
You never know I might end up with one. But it is probably one of the better grouping guns you have tested in a while at 10 meters. Well besides some of the high enders.
GF1,
Not to long ago there was a mod kit you could get for the 46 and 46M that would convert it from a single stroke into a multi stroke. From what I understand it would have the 46M shooting around 800 FPS.
RR
Now that’s interesting.
GF1,
The problem now becomes finding it again.
GF1,
By the way, this is what you are looking for.
I lost it. let’s try again.
Something else I dug up.
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=34357.0
RR
Thanks for the info.
B.B.,
10 meter ain’t my thing,…. but it seems that you have two rifles that are meant (just) for that,… but the sights are adjusted full up already, and still hitting low. Moving and eye bumping things aside,… it is interesting that the ocular can move at all,.. once set. I am thinking of opposing screw designs as well as set screw-lock grub screws. If going spring only,… it had better be stiff,
Are you sure the power of both rifles is up to snuff? Are they original? If so,… I would think that they could be adjusted to 25 yards without bottoming out at full up. Maybe not?
It will be interesting to see your assessment of the situation.
Chris
Throwing back a bit here. I recently got a Beeman P17, and was thinking the micro reflex sight you used would be nice. How did you mount the sight? I can only find the sight in a Picatinny/Weaver mount.
MMCM13,
Get a set of these to adapt that base to your pistol.
/product/utg-11mm-3-8-dovetail-to-weaver-adapter-2pcs?a=4148
B.B.
Thanks