Indians For Guns

The scope mounts for the Baikal IZH-18MH .222 Rem arrived last week so I fitted them and a Hawke TG 6-24x50 AO scope and took it to the range on Saturday afternoon. Put a selection of ammo through with the worst group being 1.3" @ 100 metres using Prvi Partizan FMJ BT 55 gr and the best group 0.55" with Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip 40 gr. Shot from prone using sandbags under the fore-end and butt.
Incredible accuracy from a cheap-as-chips ( £215 retail in the UK ) Kipplauf type break-barrel single shot. I think that I`m going to have to get a IZH-94 `Express` double in 30-06 just to see what it might be capable of.

here is the link for us guys
http://www.guncity.co.nz/223-baikal-izh ... 22199.html

Have fun..

Navi, even closer to home......your home anyway, is the Remington SPR18 which is the same rifle but tarted up with a walnut stock ( and a nickel-plated receiver should you want one. ) so a little more refined. Still ugly though.
http://www.remington.com/products/firea ... /SPR18.asp

Grumps,

Just curious.Why not the MP-221 "ARTEMIDA" SXS double rifle?How accurate do you think would it be?

http://www.baikalinc.ru/en/company/99.html

Thanks.

Vikram,

The Artemida has not been sold here for reasons that only Baikal know. There have been reports of it being sold in Australia and they have been very favourable. Somehow, their tieup with Remington to market their guns in the USA has been a complete flop. If they could get the Artemida here, it would sell by the wagon load. I would be one of the first to buy one.

Cheers!

Vickers we were discussing the MP-221 on this forum about a week ago.........Have you broken your rule and started hitting the alcopops ?
Remington have now deleted the gun from their 2007 catalogue. What the problem is no-one knows but apart from a few deliveries in Europe a couple of years ago none seem to have escaped the Baikal factory. There were rumours that some got to Australia but I tend to doubt their validity as that would really have p****d-off Remington.
The shotgun on which it is based is in full production, the barrels in calibres up to 9.3x74R are available in the IZH-18MH/SPR18, The combination guns and the IZH-94 Express double O/U double rifle so that wouldn`t appear to be the problem. My suspicion though is that the problem does concern the barrels and that Remington didn`t like the hammer forged `barley twist` barrels used in those other rifles and wanted plain tubes because they wouldn`t look so peculiar in a SxS double.
Accuracy ? From a SxS double ? Don`t expect anything exceptional. SxS doubles are designed for close range work and the barrels are regulated for 50 or 75 yards. 6" @ 75 yards grouping was considered adequate for a SxS double in the old days. Better is possible with more time spent on regulation but not much......the SxS format is not conducive to tight grouping between the two barrels. The O/U format is technically far superior and a lot more accurate. The IZH-94 Express has a regulating screw that moves the lower barrel allowing user regulation to optimise accuracy with a particular cartridge/bullet combination. I had one here briefly and found that it didn`t compare with the accuracy of the Fabarm Asper which is the bench-mark for O/U double rifle accuracy.....but then nothing can compete with the Asper. With a lot more playing with different loads/bullets and the regulation screw I`m sure better grouping than I managed could be obtained ...... but it would take a lot of time.
SxS double rifles sell on tradition and nostalgia because if people considered practicality and accuracy they`d use the O/U format. Nothing wrong with that providing one realises the limitations. They are excellent for close range dangerous game in Africa where a fast and reliable second shot is required and fast handling is necessary.
The newer generation of O/U doubles are coming into their own for general hunting at longer ranges than formerly. Because of this it is now quite common to see them used with scopes - the IZH-94 has a short dovetailed rib precisely for this purpose.