TargetTalk

I have a chance to buy a brand new Baikal 35M for $450.00. I want a bulls eye 22 caliber gun and was looking at the Benelli MP 95 and MP 90 and a couple others in the $800 + range. Do I want to consider this Bakal or stay away from it and spend more money on a Benelli, Pardini, Morini, etc etc.
Help.......I have owned a Baikal 46M Air Pistol but I need a good shooting and investment in a bulls eye 22. I need it ASAP so I need help in making a decision. thanks guys for your help. Dave - Central Florida

Thank both you guys for your input. I went ahead and bought the 35M tonight. If nothing else I will use it for some time until I want to buy another 22. dave

Nah you wouldn't want that Baikal---just send me the details I'll take it off the guy's hands. I have an adage "like chicken soup, it wouldn't hurt." A Baikal 35M is a crap shoot, their are some (few) that are uncontrollable beasts and others shoot the pants off the competition. I owned three---the first (brand new) one was an "alibi gun," shot beautifully in practise and always stove piped in RF in a match---bye-bye#1. #2 Was a Walther KSP200 and it functioned beautifully out of the box, I couldn't get the awful creep out of it. I kept it and shot it for four years---bye-bye #2. Now number three was a real challenge it had a doubling problem, which I fixed, the mags all factory adjusted to the gun functioned perfectly and I liked shooting it in Standard Pistol. I let a guy quick talk me out of it with a big wad of $100's. So at $450 for a "brand new" 35M is a good deal and if you luck out you will have a gun you will like. I would avoid all the usual geew-gaws like Morini grip, special trigger, weights etc. Take the gun as it comes, clean out the machining grit, lubricate the slide---clean out the magazines, blow a little bit of graphite into them and go shoot. You could fool around with various ammo brands---I used the cheapest Aquila that the other guys threw away and had a great gun----enjoy "Doc"

I bought an IZH 35M as a back-up pistol a few years ago. I have been so impressed that I offloaded by main pistol and now use the IZH exclusively. In close to 10,000 rounds I have never had a misfeed or fail to fire and only once have I had an alibi which was caused by the ejected case jamming at right angles as the bolt slammed closed.
I have fed the gun a variety of ammo but in the past 18 months it has been mainly using the Federal Gold Medal 711B and once or twice I have used up some of the old Fiochi Maxac Soft (Red packet).
When I got the gun I had a basic trigger job done and using the information in the archives in this site, I was able to dremel the grip to fit a human hand.
It cycles fast (five shots in less than a second if you want!), has very little recoil and is great to use in rapidfire. It shoots better than I ever will and costs less than half other brands. Spare parts? I bought a heap just in case but it seems these things hardly ever break down and if they do, you can make your own replacement part easily with a hammer and anvil and a ploughshear.
Having said all the above, was I just lucky? I know of three other shooters who use an Izzy. One fiddled with his and finds it now doubles regularly. Probably needs to adjust the sear. The other two have no problems and one has even gone to the expense of having custom grips made.
Here is Oz we will see a lot more of these guns being used at clubs because they are cheap and seem to use all sorts of ammo. Only problem is whenever a shipment arrives it sells out within weeks.

Enjoy shooting it. It might not be the best or fanciest looking pistol in the line but it gives good results. Everyone knows when you are loaded by that heavy clink of metal on metal as the bolt slams home.

Wow Colin. What a testimony. You made me feel so much better with a testimony like that. I did a field strip cleaning this afternoon and as soon as it cools down a bit around here I will head out to the shooting range. I shot it about 25 rounds or so before I bought it and I loved the feel. It just seems to be to good to be true that a pistol this cheap could shoot so well. My Match Dot should be in tomorrow and I will try to break this new gun in. Well, thanks for the uplifting comments from across the world. Thanks again Colin. dave