baikal izh-46m review

Have a picture of Baikal IZH-46M?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of stevecheff.

Average Ratings

Value for Money	9.5/10
Reviewer Rating	9/10
Overall Rating	8.8/10

93% Recommended39 out of 42 Reviews

• Overview
• Reviews
  • WoodyKoa's review
  • 4 Comments
• Write your review
• Ask a Question

By WoodyKoa on 24th Jan 2006

WoodyKoa's Ratings

Value for money	10/10
Overall value	9/10
WoodyKoa's recommendation

Good Points

Good accuracy
Excellent adjustable trigger and grip
Very good sights
Surprisingly good construction

Bad Points

Muzzle heavy
No instructions on adjusting the trigger

General Comments

I purchased my Baikal IZH-46 after being loaned one at a local airgun club practice session. I came with a Beeman P-1 and was immediately impressed by the quality of pistols used by the other shooters. The senior man of the club let me use his '46 for the afternoon. That evening I ordered my '46 from Pilkguns and within a week, it was in my hands.
The gun came packed in a heavy cardboard box with cleaning rod, spare seals and other tools.
Fit and finish are good for the most part. The receiver is made from cast aluminum, with blued steel for the barrel, compression tube and trigger. The anatomical grip is for the right hand and has an adjustable palm shelf. Finishing on the metal parts was good, with some machining marks, but these do not detract from the overall good impression of the gun.
The two-stage trigger is very adjustable (angle, weight, let-off, etc), but very little is written on how to adjust it in the manual! The resourcefull owner can google for adjustments. I have not made any adjustments so far (factory setting suit me fine).
The sights have a blade front (blade can be removed via a set screw) and square notch rear (which can also be removed). The sight adjustment knobs are clearly engraved with U/D and L/R with arrows so there is no mistaking how to make an adjustment. Adjustments are firm with a positive click detents. One complaint: the machining was a little off-center on my rear sight block. Not enough to affect me for 10m ranges, but it's a bit obvious when I look at the sight. No CNC machining here: this sight assembly was made by a person. On second thought, I rather like that imperfection: adds a little human connection so rare on most of todays automated manufacture/assembly products.
Cocking and loading the gun is done by fully extending the lower cocking arm and pushing back into place. Not much strength is needed to charge the piston, but the cocking handle at the bottom of the arm was bit simple. I carved up a larger and more contoured one out of koa (hey, I'm a guy, and guys tinker and modify things!). At the same time, a loading port/gate pops up just in front of the rear sight so you can load in a pellet. The port is then clicked back into place and you're ready to go.

Shooting the gun you get the distinct impression that it's muzzle heavy, and it is. Most of the gun in in front of your hand. Good arm strength is a must! I found out that working out with 5lb weights really improved my control. With your arm outstretched, the guns grip angle makes it a natural extention of your arm. It's almost like pointing with your index finger. With the palm shelf adjusted, theres no need to put a deathgrip on the gun, it practically positions itself.
The two-stage trigger has a very short initial movement, then pressure and a nice clean break. Not like the proverbial "glass rod" break found on high-end match pieces, but very crisp none the less. The factory setting is good for most people, but beware: if you're used to non-match triggers, this one will let go before you know it! I don't put my finger near the trigger until I'm coming down on the target.
One advantage of a muzzle heavy gun: almost no muzzle flip. Your sight picture remains very solid, providing you don't over squeeze the trigger and pull the gun over. You do your part, this gun will put your pellets where you want them. I've been able to group 1/4" bench-rested with a custom made mount (attached to a 300lb workbench!). My offhand groups are nowhere near that, typically 1-2" on a good day at 10m. Because of the guns grips and it's natural shooting position, I find it hard to keep out of the black! I get very few fliers when shooting, it points so well. Put your front sight in the black, and your shots will place in the black. The is absolutely no vibration or recoil when I fire, making it a very pleasurable experience. No twang of a springer, just a moderate "pack" sound as she discharges. I can shoot in indoor and out without disturbing anyone.
The grips have an adjustable palm shelf that moves up or down to fit the shooter's hand. I've noticed that the grip does loosen up on the grip frame after a time. I intend to get some epoxy barrel bedding compound and fill in some gaps between the grip and frame to iron out that problem. I also have rounded off some of the left side grips' edges to make it more comfortable and added Bondo autobody filler to fill in some areas to make a better grip to hand fit. Don't knock this! When you see another shooter and their grip has Bondo on it, it means they took the time to match their gun to them to get the best possible score!
This is not a fast shooting gun: she tops out at 470fps, so good follow-through is a must (ie: keep in shooting position for a few counts after your shot). Otherwise you'll relax your hand, move the gun and the shot is still traveling down the barrel! Again, zero movement and vibration from the gun itself.

As I said, I got mine from Pilkguns of Tennesse, and service was excellent. They provided excellent service and has a great websight with many articles on match airgunning. In my near future, I'm planning on putting a scope on it (B-Square makes one) for silhoutte shooting!

All in all, a great gun to learn the craft of match pistol shooting. A single pump pneumatic forces you to slow down and fire. The '46 is not in the same caliber as the high-end single shot airpistols, but then again, it's not priced the same. A match quality gun for under $300US. Very easy to shoot and very, very fun!

Total Respect: +7