IZH Baikal 61 first impressions

[aack73]

 the factory box was sealed in plastic from the factory. that being said this thing was extremely dirty from the factory. as though its been sitting around for a while.looked like new old stock.

1st i tried wiping the exterior down with rem oil. thats when i noticed how rough the stock is. the fibers from my rag were sticking badly(see in pics). the stock is kinda crude finished composite but sturdy feeling none the less. i will sand it down for a smoother and easier to wipe down finish. most of the gun is plastic/composite besides the barrel and side lever arm.

2nd i noticed that the front sight was tilted to the right maybe at 1:30 or 2:00. which was no big deal as i needed to remove the barrel for cleaning. it only needed to be tightened down a 1/16 or so of a turn to align properly.

3rd after cleaning i proceeded to fire a few cphp's through it over the chrony. it shot fairly consistent with a high of 442 and a low of 424fps.my 3rd and final complaint would be the sights. while adjustable the front blade and the rear notch are too large for my preference.

ok that is my objective views and complaints now on to what i did like.

1st the trigger! it's awesome. not as adjustable as older models but was super smooth and light. i dont have scales to measure but would guess it to be around if not under a pound. it felt like a 2 stage trigger with no second stage. just a fairly long smooth pull and bang. it may not appeal to some but i liked it. probably want change the pull length since i'm gonna use it for my young ones to practice with.  did i say smooth.

2nd i liked the adjustable stock. it speaks for itself as it has a quiet a bit of adjustment. nice

3rd it cycled smoothly and cocked with little effort and the 5 shot clip worked flawlessly.

i cant report at the moment as to the accuracy but will real soon. and i'm not a springer guy so i'm not a good judge of firing cycle smoothness etc. i can say its a lot more harsh compared to a pcp. i will get some other's opinions within the next couple of weeks and they can be the judge of it.

all in all i like it. it's a little crude on the finish side but will be better with a little sanding. i guess i really shouldn't expect an air arms for $110.

[grumpy]

Neat gun. Thanks for the review.

Dave

[JonnyReb]

  Sounds like it's a potentially great gun for the kids or for plinking/sparrow sniping. Ran the numbers and your making 3.05ftlbs bro!      my daisy 99 champion i had as a kid would do only 300fps with bb's and i swear it was the most accurate and deadly sparrow hunter i've ever owned, or ever will.  Hope to hear more about this gun as you get to shoot it more.  J

[MichaelM]

they are made for 10 meter target shooting  and have the reputation of being an amazing shooter... the barrels are hammer forged as well...


from what they say you cannot reach the level of accuracy these guns are capable of untill you get to about 5-6 times the price for 10 meter springers.....


BTW I have an older model 1 version thats all metal.... breach,sights everything and the front sights have interchangable inserts.... I just aquiered it so I have done no real testing but its a sure fun gun to shoot!

[redone1992]

Thanks for the review

[GarthThomas]

I almost bought one but now I'm glad I didn't. Up here in Canada they go for $194.99 and for that price I would expect it to be smooth and shiny right out of the box.
Thanks for the review. sorry about your luck

[aack73]

all in all it was a nice little rifle. if interested in one i would look around for an older metal version. i really liked the trigger. but didn't have much luck shooting it. i'm sure it's accuracy was greater than i am capable of shooting it.  i traded it for a co2 crosman nightstalker. i like the co2 gun better. it was intended to be something fairly short and small. gonna let my kids learn some on it