Baikal IZh-35M

Target pistols often begin life as more common handguns pressed into a competitive role. The classic example is John Browning’s 1911 which still serves as the dominant platform for top end competition guns in both speed and precision disciplines. The Russian Margolin 22 Long Rifle Practice Shooting Pistol is similar in that it is a "conventional" handgun primarily used for competitive target shooting in use since the 1950s. By the 1960s the Russians were competing with the IJ-35, a well-regarded target pistol.

They were rarely seen outside of Russia and only a handful of non-Soviets had ever shot one, however, they were a dominant design until the Italian FAS ( Fabbrica Armi Sportive, Sporting Guns Factory) Model OP 601 "Domino" was released in the 1970s. FAS is a family-owned business started by Massimo Mencarelli in the early 1970s in Milan, Italy.

The FAS OP 601 chambered in 22 Short is a rapid fire competition pistol and the FAS SP 602 chambered in 22 Long Rifle for international Standard pistol to compete with Pardini, Feinwerkbau, and Hammerli. German manufacturer Feinwerkbau released their AW93 after a delay which was essentially a refined IJ- 35 given a once-over by German designers, meaning it was made more complicated. In response, Baikal, the export trademark of the IZhevsk Mechanical Plant, decided to update the IJ-35.

They also added a different upper shroud mounting system, grip safety, and a bottom mag release. This became the IZh-35. The IZh-35 is a Soviet-designed target pistol for conventional international competitive shooting, par- Ideal for ISSF disciplines such as 25m Pistol (previously known as Sport Pistol) and Rapid Fire as well as the .22 Caliber phase of NRA/CMP Precision Pistol and the 22 Rimfire Pistol Distinguished program.

While designed to use iron sights, Baikal includes a rail for mounting optics such as the ubiquitous Ultradot. ticularly disciplines requiring rapid fire such as 25 Meter Pistol (Sport Pistol) and Rapid Fire. Designed by V. A. Yarygin in 1973 and manufactured at the IZhevsk Mechanical Plant, the prototypes were tested by the state in 1976 and made official for Soviet teams in 1979, replacing the previous XP-30 and XP-31 Soviet standard sport pistols.

In 2008, the IZhevsk Mechanical Plant renamed the IZh35 as the MP-35M (Mechanical Plant-35M). This was anew, from-theground-up, competition-specific design. The Margolin was a more conventional design that would go on to use various modifications such as grips, different barrel lengths, compensators, weights, etc. When designers sought to replace it, rather than taking a previous, more straight forward design, they started anew with specific objectives.

Shooting has been in the Olympics since the first modern Olympiad in 1896. In fact, Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin was a French competition shooter. The International Shooting Union (known in France as UIT, Union Internationale de Tir) and later as the International Shooting Sport Federation, refined the rules over decades. Given a more established rulebook, Russian designers made a gun specifically for them.

They wanted to bring the barrel down as much as permitted to minimize recoil effect in rapid/timed fire. The Margolin was criticized for this and the design did not allow

In use since the 1950s, the IZh-34 and 35 series that largely replaced it twenty years later was anew, ground-up design rather than a modification of an existing design. The trigger has an adjustable trigger point and stop. The five-round magazine locks the slide back after the last shot. anything to be done about it. The designers also wanted to maximize the sight radius length to 220mm and a barrel length of 153mm, both the limit of the rules.

The rules also allowed for a variety of grips and trigger positions and lengths. The designers wanted these to be easily adjustable by the shooter. To keep in line with these requirements, the hammer, sear, and trigger mechanism were moved up and placed horizontally. The hammer is at the top and pivots down to strike the firing pin. The red dot on it also serves as a loaded chamber indicator (sort of) by showing that the hammer is cocked and warning that the chamber is presumably loaded.

Of course, a cocked hammer with the red dot exposed on the top doesn’t necessarily mean a cartridge is chambered but cocking the hammer with a filled magazine inserted certainly will. As always, the best policy is to inspect regardless of what an indicator claims. Other manufacturers tried to lower the barrel in their guns, however, they still have to fit rulebook standards. The typical compromise was to sacrifice barrel length for other parts and/or by moving the magazine to the front of the trigger guard.

The Hammerli 280 and Morini CM are examples and both have barrels that are much shorter. These guns with shorter barrels seem to be more ammunition sensitive and a shorter iron sight radius makes it more difficult to notice slight sight misalignment, a vital concern given the small margin of error on bullseye targets in all forms of conventional competition. Other than rulebook-specific design parameters, the IZh- 35M is a blowback Shape them to your hand. design constructed out of steel.

The barrel is fixed to the frame. It has detachable single column box magazine, which is inserted in the grip. Variants include the IZh-34, first introduced for the 22 Short, the second model IZh-35, and the later IZh-35M. This design became a main stay of the Russian .22 caliber pistols for ISSF competition. The pistol uses a unique feed that keeps the bore very low in the hand, includes large, adjustable iron sights ideal for competition shooting, and a fully adjustable trigger system.

Despite its crude finish, the IZh series was refined in the areas that mattered—and nowhere else. It is a competitive pistol that retailed for around $400 in a market where its next cheapest competitors with similar features were at least three or four times more expensive. They have become more rare and now fetch double that. The quality of this pistol is most readily displayed by the fact that Walther refined it and put their name on it.

Walther released their KSP 200 in 1998 which was a more refined version at twice the price of the original. Because the Russian original is rough around the edges, Walther focuses mostly on the grip as that’s the shooter’s primary in-

Far top Top Loosen the screw on the trigger and it can be slipped back and forth along the trigger base. The two hex wrenches show the forward and rear limits of movement. Far bottom This one is covered by the left grip panel when assembled. Bottom This is accessible from the top when the pistol is fully assembled, unless the scope rail is installed as shown here. If the rail is installed, the top shroud can be removed to access it.

Some shooters that use an optic drill a hole through the scope rail to make it more accessible;.others don’t bother, preferring to set and test a setting and then just leave it alone. terface as well as more refinement with the adjustable trigger.

While still a blowback 22 Long Rifle pistol, the IZh-35M is bit different than more "normal" rimfire handguns such as the Ruger Mark I-IV variations, High Standard, Browning Buckmark, and 1911 conversions based on Bob Marvel’s design having been made from the ground up to compete in ISSF pistol disciplines. Overview It’s been called the "Perestroika Pistol", "Glasnost Gun", or just "Russian Target POS". The quality is Cold War-era Russian.

Anything not requiring finishing, polishing, or refinement was bead blasted and left as-is with tool marks in place. The finish is black-oxide over bead blast, resulting in a coarse matte finish with enough tooth to rip the cotton off a swab. This does not have a mirror finish as the IZh-35M is meant for business, not for pride-of-ownership; if the part isn’t related to the trigger pull or other critical function, the part wasn’t polished and left alone.

Most obvious is the rough mill finish on the inside of the slide rails, but it doesn’t seem to cause any problems with function. The original target grips supplied by the Russians were blocky and purposely over sized for the shooter to shape as needed. The trigger allows adjustment for pull weight, pre-travel (take up), sear engagement, and trigger position and all are readily made by the shooter with a screwdriver, three of them without any disassembly.

The factory iron sights are classic International style being adjustable, large, and square Partridge type ideal for shooting round bullseye targets. Although ISSF disciplines still don’t allow optics, the IZh-35M was designed in an era when they were becoming common and the pistol includes a scope rail and screws which mounts to the upper barrel shroud. Of course, largely due to this being of secondary importance in the ISSF, this is a bit of an afterthought.

To do a thorough cleaning, the shroud along with any attached optics have to be removed to get to the internals. However, basic maintenance and lubrication can be done without removal. Luckily, and probably not by specific design, replacing the shroud usually doesn’t effect zero too bad. Of course, this is a non-issue when using iron sights. Let’s start with disassembly and cleaning. Begin by clearing; remove the magazine, pull back the bolt (17) by pinching and pulling on the bolt’s finger grooves.

Press the Bolt hold back latch (86) and lock the bolt to the rear. Confirm the chamber is empty. Rudimentary maintenance can be done here by brushing the faces of the bolt and

This can be modified to secure the shrouds if the optic rail isn’t stable enough. Using a #7 bit, drill a hole through the push button connecting the bottom shroud and tap at 1/4-20. Mount a 1/4-20 set screw 3/8" long. This set screw can be adjusted to apply pressure to secure the shrouds when assembled in place. breech and lubricating the big moving parts. To disassemble further, remove the grips (70, 72) by unscrewing the grip screws. On the underbelly of the muzzle, you’ll find a spring loaded button.

Push it, and the lower shroud (75) slides forward and removes. The aft end of the lower shroud tucks in above the front of the trigger guard. Slide the bolt reward and hold it. Remove the upper barrel shroud (76) by unscrewing the three shroud screws on the sides. You may have to hold the bolt to the rear to accomplish this. By design, the sights are still on the frame so disassembly can not For the S&W magazine to fit, a chamfer needs to be beveled at the back of the magazine. affect the iron sight zero.

The scope rail, however, is another matter. Push the shroud rearward and down. Allow the bolt to move to its forward position and move the forward end of the bolt down to clear the front of the barrel block. With the bolt’s nose end down, let it slide along with the spring and guide rod off the front past the muzzle block.

This is the limit of disassembly recommended by the factory and there is no need to strip the gun any further as removing the upper and lower shrouds along with the bolt with firing pin exposes all critical parts for thorough cleaning. The firing pin is subject to the most fouling. Plus, it does not have a spring so fouling that impedes its action can create a potential slam fire situation. A rinse with light mineral spirits or similar solvent washes away crud, followed by a light gun oil such as Rem Oil.

Don’t use a solvent with dichloromethane or methylene chloride, especially, with the magazines which contain plastic parts. Grips The Russian-made grips were purposely blocky and over-sized. Walther included more refined grips with their KSP 200 and aftermarket makers such as Morini in Switzerland also offer options. Russian competitive shooters considered it a rite of passage to personally work with their gun in order to shoot well.

The idea was for the shooter to determine their best fit as apart of the learning experience. Even more refined grips will likely see some modification as a shooter forever tweaks things to chase those extra points. For many shooters, an ideal grip will have three flats in the front, one straight across and the others at 45 degrees on each side. Port side should bevel towards a flat, keystone-shaped middle matching the shooter’s fingers, with another bevel off the other side.

Gripping pressure needs to be front-back to avoid any twist or torque that might very slightly induce misalignment as the trigger is worked while firm grip pressure is maintained. The thumb rest area needs attention as well. Your favorite woodworking tools or a Dremel with appropriate bits are fine. As always, patient trial and error is the order

The feed lips may need some attention with a jeweler’s file. of the day as you can’t just put wood back on after gouging it off. Some shooters apply an epoxy putty or Bondo and then apply their shooting grip to create a mirrorimage of their hand, letting it cure before use. You could purposely remove a bit more material than desired or use this to build up an area that was "modified" more than intended.

The key point is to set the grip up so that the firm grip needed to control the pistol doesn’t induce even the slightest deviation to alignment. For conventional competition, all this is done with one hand unsupported. Many shooters believe they understand and have a solid position and grip, maintain great sight alignment, and consistently-smooth trigger control. Bullseye targets scored in conventional competition routinely demonstrates that belief is often false.

Trigger Adjustments Let’s begin by going over the five basic trigger adjustments standard in the IZh-35M. The pre-travel screw and overtravel screw (both 25) are on the bottom of the trigger base (23). The trigger (26) is attached to the trigger base and can be removed by loosening the trigger screw (27) and repositioned forward or backward as desired. These three trigger adjustments can be made without disassembling anything.

The trigger pull adjusting screw (14) is accessible from the top when the scope rail is not installed. Some shooters drill through their scope rail to make it more accessible; others don’t bother as they set it once and leave it alone. The sear engagement is adjusted with a screw that is near the safety and rear sight and under the left grip panel when assembled. Remove the left grip panel and look for a small setscrew on the front of the rear sight housing.

The screw is threaded into a black plastic cylinder to prevent the setting from changing during firing and takes some force to turn. Be sure to use a properly fit screwdriver as the metal is a bit soft, so be careful not to strip the slot. Turning the screw in (tighten) reduces sear engagement. A small, round window in the frame just below the manual safety reveals the tip of this screw and shows how the adjustments change the resting position of the sear. The screws are painted in with ared paint in my example.

This is like a light thread locker, so be patient and don’t force things. To begin adjustments, unload and clear the pistol. Cock the hammer. Take off the grip panels and tie down the grip safety if need be. Turn the overtravel screw out two or more Notice the difference in the bevel at the bottom rear. turns. Screw the sear engagement screw in until the hammer falls, then back out 1/2 to 3/4 turn. Pull back the bolt to cock the hammer to make sure it stays cocked.

Turn the take up screw in until the trigger bar contacts the sear, push the trigger bar down with your finger and turn the screw one more turn. Release the trigger bar and turn the screw out until the trigger bar just engages the sear. Screw in the overtravel screw until the hammer will no longer fall. Turn the screw out until the hammer will fall, then out another quarter turn. Set the let-off weight by adjusting the screw on top of the barrel.

Removing the rear sight provides a large window from above on the secondary sear, making lubrication easy. To remove the rear sight, back out the elevation screw until the sight lies flush with the top of the frame. Use a pin punch to push out the pivot pin, pushing from the end opposite the manual safety. Remove the rear sight by sliding it to the rear, being sure to capture the spring and plunger on the left side with your thumb. This spring is for the elevation screw detent.

While not too strong, ease the sight off to retain it. As you reduce sear engagement, the second stage gets shorter. It is a good idea to also hold the grip safety in while making this adjustment, so the sear does not bind against it. With the sear disengaged, a dab of grease on the working surface of the secondary sear (visible in the small, round sear engagement window just below the manual safety) helps smooth trigger action.

The grip safety has a finger which, at rest, captures the sear and prevents it from rotating out of engagement with the hammer. Adjusting the sear engagement screw

Reversed the follower button by drilling a 3/16" hole through it, press the bottom body tabs flat, and bevel the back bottom edge to engage the magazine catch. This is a simple trial-and-error fitting process. alters the resting position of the sear. Sufficient adjustment will change the resting position of the sear so that it is beyond the reach of the grip safety finger intended to capture it. The result is that you can have a trigger with no creep or a functioning grip safety. Pick one.

It may be possible to modify the parts for the new sear position, but it would mean removing the pins out and really getting into the works. A few cautions here. Adjusting the sear engagement incorrectly can make the pistol capable of firing unpredictably. After each adjustment, carefully test by dry firing. When satisfied, test with a single round before progressing to two rounds under closely controlled range conditions to be certain the sear is still reliably catching the hammer while under recoil.

How much creep you can take out of your second stage without making the gun unsafe depends on how square and true the parts are on your individual pistol. Test and check after any trigger adjustment(s) before trusting to normal live fire. Many shooters have successfully gotten reliable two pound triggers doing nothing more than carefully tuning the screws. The example here has proven reliable at 2.5 pounds. Regarding dry firing, many IZh shooters do it without issue.

Yes, that’s normally verboten with rimfire guns, however, this is fine with many target guns due to being purposely designed for it. Conventional rimfire guns have the firing pin compressing the primer-filled rim against the edge of the chamber. Doing this extensively on an empty gun will peen the edge. In the IZh- 35M the sharp end of the firing pin never touches the rim and in dry firing it is hitting the barrel above the chamber with its entire big flat area. Pressure created there is low.

Numerous IZh-35M shooters have reported dry firing their guns for tens of thousands of shots in addition to regular shooting with no ill effect. Knowing how beneficial dry practice is, it would be odd to build a purpose-built target gun that couldn’t be practiced with. Shroud and Optics The shroud screws and rear-blade screw are prone to loosening from the vibration of shooting. This is especially an issue when using optics. The first issue is the original screws slots are shallow and soft.

The correct size for the shroud screws is 4mm-0.7 thread x 8mm long and some shooters replace them. Others tighten up the shroud with a modification. Using a #7 bit, 100-10X is as good as it gets. drill a hole through the push button connecting the bottom shroud and tap at 1/4-20. Mount a 1/4-20 set screw 3/8" long. This set screw can be adjusted to apply pressure to secure the shrouds when assembled in place. Side note, the upper shroud on the Walther KSP200 are not retained by screws.

Instead, the muzzle end of the shroud it is retained vertically with interlocking grooves on the lower shroud and a small diameter pin and spring loaded plunger about three-quarters of the way back on the upper shroud. So lacking one of these modifications, should you use Loctite or other thread locker? This is a nonissue when using iron sights exclusively. For optics, there are mixed opinions. Some insist to not use any. The shroud may need to be removed for maintenance periodically.

Their advice is to diligently check mounting screws prior to each live session; carefully too, as the original screws are soft. Others resort to clear nail polish. This is a mild thread locker, is less permanent than most types of Loctite, and polish can be broken down with oils and cleaning solvents. Going with a thread locker, use one rated for low strength metal such as the purple Permatex Low Strength or Loctite 222.

On the sample gun, no thread locker was used as performing a check to confirm screw tightness before each shooting session retained the optic’s zero. Other Maintenance Breaking in the IZh-35M is a journey, not a task. Keep it well lubed prior to every shooting session and flush it with WD-40 and/or something like Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber Cleaner after. An ultra-

1 Pistol frame 2 Trigger base pin 3 Magazine catch 4 Catch spring 5 Pin 6 Front sight base 7 Plug 8 Front sight 9 Front sight screw 10 Lower barrel detent 11 Detent spring 12 Plunger 13 Plunger spring 14 Trigger pull adjusting 15 Trigger base spring 16 Pin 17 Bolt 18 Extractor 19 Extractor plunger 20 Extractor spring 21 Pin 22 Firing pin 23 Trigger base sonic cleaner would be idea. When the gun is new it has excess black oxide and metal chips left over from manufacture.

The idea is to remove any manufacturing remnants and excessive black oxide coating when the gun is new. Also, be prepared to readjust the trigger a few times until you get it just right.

After broken 24 Plug 25 Adjusting screw 26 Trigger 27 Trigger screw 28 Trigger bar spring 29 Trigger bar 30 Base 31 Cover screw 32 Cover 33 Hammer pivot 34 Hammer 35 Pin 36 First sear spring 37 Firing spring guide 38 First sear 39 First sear pivot 40 Grip safety spring 41 Grip safety 42 Second sear spring 43 Second sear 44 Firing spring 45 Pivot 46 Screw 47 Ejector 48 Base screw 49 Pin 50 Rear sight base 51 Rear sight plunger 52 Plunger spring 53 Windage screw 54 Rear sight spring 55 Elevation screw 56 Pin 57 Ball 58 Ball spring 59 Ball spring 60 Rear sight 61 Rear sight slideblock 62 Rear sight screw 63 Pivot 64 Magazine body 65 Follower 66 Magazine spring 67 Magazine cover 68 Button 69 Pin in, maintenance as with any quality rimfire suffices.

When cleaning pay attention to the firing pin as they can be filled with grit. A few lube-shoot-flush cycles fixes this. As there is no return spring, any crud there can prevent free return which might cause the gun to double fire.

Baikal IZh-35M (Speci ications subject to change without notice) 70 Left grip sideplate 71 Sideplate screw 72 Right grip sideplate 73 Palm support 74 Palm support screw 75 Lower barrel shroud 76 Upper barrel shroud 77 Palm support block 78 Recoil spring guide 79 Recoil spring 80 Frame plug 81 Base plug 82 Pin 83 Manual safety lever 84 Pin 85 Magazine release 86 Bolt hold back lock 87 Latch pivot 88 Latch spring 89 Washer 90 Scope mount 91 Scope mount screw 92 Upper shroud screw Magazines Some of the factory magazines need work as delivered.

They are sturdy and made of heavy gauge metal but may need help. Start by deburring the feed lips. The front edge of the rear lips can cause the case rim to hang up if there are any burrs on them. A jeweler’s file is good for this. Check to ensure they are smooth, feed properly, and don’t leave any burrs on the cartridge case. A bigger problem now is availability. Replacement magazines were about $25 each and now are seen for $100 when available.

Luckily, magazines for the Smith & Wesson 22a can be modified for the IZh-35M and these can be had for under $30. Begin by disassembling a S&W 22a magazine. The follower button needs to be reversed for the IZh-35M. Modify the follower by making a counter drill at 3/16" diameter on the opposite side to allow the follower button to be inserted. The S&W magazine tube has tabs on the bottom near the floorplate. Flatten them as they will catch in the IZh-35M.

The magazine catch in the IZh- 35M holds the back bottom edge of the magazine. For the S&W magazine to fit, a chamfer needs to be beveled at the back of the magazine. This is a simple trial-and-error fitting process. While not of much use for most forms of target shooting, the 22a magazine provides a ten-round capacity over the standard five rounds. The 22a magazine spring can also be used to refurbish and original IZh- 35M magazine as well.

This Russian clunker is an interesting target pistol and has been used to win many championships. Due to less availability and higher prices today it isn’t as good of an option, but in its heyday this pistol was every bit as competitive as guns costing three and four times more. It’s rough around the edges and takes some coaxing for top performance, but the IZh-35M is still atop notch conventional target pistol. AG