IZH 46M

[doctp12]

First time poster, thanks for having me.

I shot bullseye many years ago, .45 cal. Colt Gold c up, did OK.

Want to get into serious competition with air pistol at 10 meters. Just purchased a new IZ 46 M.
Need everyone's advice about "break-in, most accurate pellets used, and serious modifications to make this a "world class" pistol.
Getting custom grips made as we speak.
Am I wasting money and time on this gun? Should I just purchase the best PCP pistol out there...? Steyr, etc.
Just not crazy about the extra stuff... air tanks, gauges etc.

All advice welcome.

Tom

[Rover]

You need a Pardini K58, Walther LPM1, or one of the FWB100,102,103 guns. You can then forget the extra crap and have a top of the line AP.

[holmqer]

From a sandbag I can hold the x ring at 10m with an IZH 46M, one handed, nowhere near that good. I have 15K shots with mine and had to replace the main piston seal around 12K. Some of the more skilled folks in the local AP league shoot around 550 with an IZH 46M (The state championship winner is usually in the 550 to 560 range).

I just took a round rasp to the stock grip and custom fit it to my hand, I took my time at it, slowly working towards an ideal fit a little every day for a week. I maybe spent between 30 and 60 minutes at it, and it now feels like an extension of my hand.

So bottom line, very few people are talented enough that an IZH 46M would hold them back.

High end PCP AP give you greater flexibility in adjusting grip angle, and may be more fun depending on your preferences, but an IZH 46M will do a great job for almost anyone.

[doctp12]

Thank you, that lets me know that any limitations will be me!

I realize that there are slight variations amongst IZH 46M pistols depending on when made, parts fitting, trigger adjustments etc., but what pellets do you and the top shooters use with this gun for the best accuracy and consistancy?
Besides the grips, do you advise any modifications to get the best out go this pistol?

Your help is really appreciated!

Tom

[spektr]

Hi Tom....
As an engineer, I can say that virtually any quality pellet will be indistinguishable from one another in a good gun at our level of ability. You have a good gun so don't be cheep. Hobbys are a good start, I shoot Vogel oranges, there are many comparably priced and equally good offerings. If I were capable of world class shooting, it might be a different story. There are a couple choices to make that seem to matter. I shot the larger diameter offerings in my 777 and the gun loved them compared to the smaller one. If I feel the pellet gently swedging its way into the gun by giving me a slight drag feeling when I close it, my brain is at ease. That doesnt make it right, it just makes me feel better....... Enjoy the gun...

[C. Perkins]

I started with an Izzy and would average in the 540-550 range with my best at 551.
Very accurate pistol but a bit on the heavy side, nose heavy.
I very much like a heavy gun but not so much up front, but heavy and balanced.
Grips were pretty good for me with my large to extra large hands, only had to Dremel a little wood where my fingers would wrap around the left front of the grip.
The light(pistol) pellets were good to me.
The Izzy is a very capable SSP.
Did some work to the trigger to get rid of the gritty pull and it came out very smooth.(this took a lot of patience and time).
If you shoot an 8, it is not the pistols fault :)

I sold it and moved on to an LP1p, just got annoyed with the SSP and wanted to go to compressed air.
I did add two weights to my Steyr, one at the rear and one at the front of the cylinder.

Clarence

[holmqer]

Early on, I used to alternate between Gamo Match and RWS Meisterkugeln Pistol to see if the higher priced pellet was worth the money, and found no difference in results, my average over the span of a few 60 shot matches were within 2 points with the two pellets trading places for best results. At this point my personal accuracy was much worse than the pistol and the pellet.

As my scores began to go over 80%, I started to see a distinct difference, and my average with RWS became consistently 5 points higher in a 60 shot match by the time I was shooting 83%, and I abandoned Gamo. I noticed that the Gamo was a bit more prone to flyers due to less manufacturing consistency in the pellets.

Until I start shooting Expert or Master, I really doubt that anything better than RWS Meisterkugeln will make a difference in my results. I know that the guys who shoot 540+ in our local leagues have tried higher priced stuff and saw no benefit at their skill level.

[Wynne G Oldman]

Baikal recommend RWS R10 Match Pistol 4.5mm for the MP-46M, which suit it very well. I use these in mine when I'm feeling flush, and RWS Hobby's when I'm skint. At my level of shooting (average 85) I see no difference in score between either pellet, but the R10's are a more consistent fit in the breech and seem to have a slightly greater velocity than Hobby's, although they are almost twice the price.

[doctp12]

You guys are the best! This is the info I need.

If possible, can you describe the work done on your trigger... if I am not a machinist or real craftsman, can you recommend someone to do the job?

Anything else to be done to the gun... barrel stabilizing, etc...

Thanks,

Tom

[Lenny]

IZH-46 preceded IZH-46M. To the best of my knowledge there are only two variations of IZH-46M. The earlier ones have an in-take hole in the cylinder at the top, the later ones have it at the bottom. I don't know of any other variations.

[PhatMan]

doctp12,

I have had my MP-46M for about three months.

On receipt. I lubricated the seals (30W motorcycle fork oil) and had at it.

For the first half a dozens shots, the factory grease lube was blown out, and by the ca. 20th shot it had settled down, and shot perfectly.

I use JSB Match Light (Green lid, 4.50, 7.33gr.) and H&N Finale Match Pistol (4.50, 7.56 gr.), and these shoot very well indeed.

I am getting some RWS R10 Pistol (4.50, 7.0 gr.) to try.

For me, the grip needed some light sanding to remove sharp corners, and was then sealed with TruOil. The MP-46M has a reputation for having 'large' grips - I have medium sized hands and the grips fitted me perfectly, so who knows.

The grip had a slight wobble, which was cured by applying one layer of 3M electrical tape to the grip mounting stub.

The trigger needed adjusting for weight as it was well below the 500 grams ISSF limit - it is now set to 550 grams, and has a superb and sweet action.

For me, the MP-46M is an excellent pistol.

Have fun :)

Best regards

Russ

[slofyr]

.....

[Lenny]

I know 46 is different from 46M. What I was talking about is two different variations of 46M.

[doctp12]

Maybe I confused everyone... Is there anything that can be modified on a "NEW' IZH 46M" to make it ?? , Grips are being worked on as we speak; better than a Steyr world class pistol.....Of Course... besides Practice, practice, practice!!

If so, can anyone recommend an honest and competent gunsmith?

Tom

[Gwhite]

I don't know of anyone who "tunes up" IZH's. One problem is that it is very difficult to get parts.

The biggest issue most people have is with the weight/balance, and there isn't much you can do about it. There are some people who have gone to great lengths to lighten them, but I think that was a personal project, and not something available commercially.

I'd fix the grips & trigger to your liking, and then shoot it, a LOT. It's a good pistol to learn on, but not worth pouring tons of money into. You are never going to turn it into a Steyr. Save your money up while you learn to shoot the IZH really well. Then you should be able to decide what pistol to go to next with enough info to make a good investment.

[doctp12]

Best advice yet!!

That makes sense to me!

TY.

Tom

[Rover]

At least it's a SSP.

[Wynne G Oldman]

I have one of these triggers on my Izzy.

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/Air_Ventu ... embly/4101

A word of warning though, only get one if you have long fingers, and adjust your trigger before you fit it, as you can't access the screw directly behind the trigger once fitted.

As mentioned before, it's best to adjust your trigger weight to 500g sooner rather than later. It took me a long time to get used to the heavier weight after shooting for around a year with it too light.

[SamEEE]

She'll be right, mate.




Think about that. Rover ain't wrong with citing the classy euro SSPs. Also worthy of consideration is a whole myriad of CO₂ guns which predate PCP, but fell by the wayside for sake of convenience.

As for pellets, Diabolo Basics (RWS Green tin) are quite nice for training. They tend to run a little oversize which is no real drama for a PCP.
SSP might be a little more finicky with pellet size so if you have drama go up to the meisterkuglein 4.49mm (Yellow tin).

Worry about bigger and better things like technique, focus, etc. A coach will save some frustrations early on.
I bought a Morini 162EI, it's pretty baller.

Chur.

[doctp12]

Thanks for your input!

I am interested in the early C02 pistols that you speak of, I love the convenience, of a simple pop in C02 cartridge.
Can you give me some names and model numbers?
How accurate were they?
Are they still in production? Are parts available?
Do you know of any available... only the top of the line pistols.

Thanks from New York!

Tom