I've had the pistol now for several years, finally had to replace the piston cup. It's a good, accurate pistol. With proper ammo these pistols can hold their own on the range. It's a good way to get started. As for "which pistol to buy", that's always a tough one to answer. Personally, the single stroke pneumatic power plant is a nice intermediate choice between something like an old FWB Modell 65 (spring powered) and the newer CO2 or PCP pistols. It's self contained like a spring powered pistol but shoots smoothly like the CO2 or PCP pistols. The trigger is adjustable to a very nice let off. Some folks gripe about the grip, but it works fine with my XL sized mitt. I'm waiting for the chronograph I (finally) ordered to get here before tearing in to replace the air chamber. I'm curious as to what the Mac1 part will do to it. Sometimes you can find them on the used market. Mine was actually a gift from a friend. Of course, you can also find other pistols out there on the used market. I'm intrigued by the Air Arms pistol, but PCP takes a lot more paraphernalia to run and I've not had a chance to play with one. If you'd like to know what you can do in 10 meters, the Baikal is a good place to start. A good place to talk with knowledgeable folks about 10 Meter Olympic pistol shooting is over on Target Talk, hosted by Pilk Guns. Their classifieds sometimes come up with used 10 Meter pistols of diverse makes and vintages. And the folk are great at helping newcomers to the sport. They are more "competition nerds" over there while GTA is more of a general airgun knowledge tank. In other words, for specialized questions on the Olympic sport of 10 meter pistol shooting, Target Talk is the place to go.
One of these days I need to file the grips to fit my hand, but they're already a bit small.
Last year while up north I purchased an Air Venturi trigger for the IZH 46M. Life got busy when we got back and it wasn't until this week that it got installed. It's pretty straight forward. Just loosen the trigger screw and slide it off the front of the bar. Loosen the fingerpad screw on the new trigger and slide it up so that there's enough access to maneuver it around and get it slid onto the bar. Adjust it for distance from the backstrap of the grip. Tighten the lock screw with the supplied allen wrench. Slide the pad down do the desired position and twist it around to accommodate your finger properly. Double check for fit by dry firing. Tighten both screws down, check again. Dry fire it a few more times to see if it's set up properly (mine was) and you're good to go. It makes a LOT of difference in the feel of the pistol. One of these days I need to file the grips to fit my hand, but they're already a bit small. That's the trouble when you've got an XL hand with extra long fingers... But this trigger has made a big difference in trigger control, now to improve my technique.