Baikal MP-654K "2020" Variant info

[IanC]

I just picked up a Baikal MP-564K which has a 2020 production serial number T20005852. I have always held off on buying one of these due to the cost but found a guy who I guess regretted buying his who was selling one unfired with the box, manual and extra seal. When it arrived in the mail I was quite happy with what I found inside. For those of you with little experience with them the MP-654K isn't a replica its a an actual Makarov produced as a BB gun instead of a pot metal version. I am not terribly familiar with them, I have done some google searches but have not really seen a lot of info on them come up lately. So if anyone can provide some insight on what generation this one is based off I would appreciate it. There have been a lot of changes over the years but according to what I have read this is a Gen 6 model but there really aren't a lot of them out there.

I figure it only fair that if I ask some questions that I might as well put some info on here as well so here is my short review on the pistol.

Out of the box the pistol is very well made, which is in the same factory that actual Makarov's are still produced at IZH under the name of Baikal. The bluing is very uniform and dark, the sights are a little crude but functional. All the parts are steel and are very robust and tough. This is not a blow back pistol but the slide will pull back to the rear and slid back forward with incredible force as it is no doubt uses the actual Makarov spring.

Shooting the pistol:
When removing the magazine it requires a tremendous amount of pressure applied to the release and is more or less a two handed affair. Be careful not to bend back the tip of your nail on your pointer finger removing the magazine as I did. Inserting a co2 cartridge is fairly simple just screw it in like many other pistols. Loading bb's is also a fairly easy task they even have a little tab to make the spring on the magazine stay in place. With the magazine charged with Co2 and BB's simply insert the magazine back into the pistol with a good tap until it seats. For my test I shot a pop can at 10 yards. The trigger works in both single and double action and the slide mounted safety will actually decock the pistol. The double action pull is rather long but smooth with a breaking point of what feels like a light 16 lbs. As for single action it is much lighter at only 7-8 lbs. Accuracy was fairly decent I was able to hit the can most of the time but had enough shooting after 2 magazines. I had some trouble degassing the magazine and its probably best to fire all the gas before removing the cartridge. I removed the magazine and unscrewed the cartridge but it got stuck so had to pry it out which made a loud pop and then the co2 came out. Unfortunately when I did this the piercing tip and seal also came out luckily I was able to find them. Right now I have them in a baggie to put back together later.

I really cant say its much of a shooter but that's not really why I bought it. To me it is a very cool collectible and a bit of a piece of history in a way.




What frame size would this be?

[triggerfest]

That's a very nice and clean looking Baikal you have there. Looks indeed like a collectors items.

Baikal builds sturdy stuff, I do appreciate their products very much.

[IanC]

I guess there is not a lot of info on here.

[Dozer]

I don't know what info you're looking for or what you mean by "2020 variant" other than black.
But I'm sure that's the standard color.
I've only seen it in a woodland camo other than black and nickel.
Be sure you're reading the serial # correctly for the year.
It's the 5th digit from the left.
Later models were not issued with the Baikal branded box like mine.
I love my '05 Makarov in nickel.

[miro]

it is no doubt uses the actual Makarov spring.

Nope, not actual This spring is from a gas-gumshot non-lethal version of a pistol, it is clearly weaker than a spring from a combat pistol. But technically, you can buy a recoil spring from a combat pistol separately and install it on the MP654к, which is what many people do.

[CatShipTwo]

There's a guy who did a fantastic job summing up the MP-654K Line. He also labelled all production years from Gen 1 to Gen 5 - each with their individual perks. His page is a must read for anyone interested in the Baikal Makarov's. Cannot link directly due to my new user status, but it's basically pistolplace wordpress mp-654 in google and bob's your uncle.

Contrary to what Dozer said, the production year are the first two numbers after the letter T.
Cross checking with the manual confirms this, mine was assembled in 06/2017 and 'conserved' in 2020.

My nickel T17 (2017) is one of the less sought after models (cast), while the priciest models are the early ones with CNC machined slides (T98-99).
Some models with blowback do exist too. All generations are still pretty commonly sold in germany, for novelty prices ofc!

Sorry for the slight necro.