Te Hopo
01-26-2010, 12:16 AM
Warning, there are a LOT of pics.
I'm fairly new around here, but not new to rifles.
I joined this forum while searching for info on the .38-303 and have stuck around learning all sorts.
There seems to be a fair bit of interest in the Baikal IZH18MH (Remington/Spartan SPR18) so I thought I would share this write up on my project rifle.
I started this write up on another forum when I first got this rifle back in the middle of 2009, I'll just copy and post the relevant posts to here.
My aim is to make a handy little carbine, that is as at home in the bush hunting pigs and deer as it is at home in the mountains chasing thar and chamois and was inspired by the rifle featured in NZ Guns & Hunting in 2005.
Getting Started
To begin any project, you need a rifle.
The donor rifle is a standard single shot break open Baikal IZH-18MH.
They are available in NZ in .223Rem, 7.62x39, .308Win, .270Win and 30-06Spring.
After reading about one in .223 in NZ Guns & Hunting (in a nutshell, they found them to be commendably accurate and good value for money) I went straight to Reloaders Supplies website, downloaded the order form, obtained the necessary police signatures and faxed the forms back to Reloaders.
The rifle arrived a few days later for the princely sum of $375+20p&p. :D
The Stock
I ordered the plain birchwood stock for this seeing as I was thinking of modifying it and painting it flat black.
Instead, I get told they only do walnut on the .270, so thats what I have.
The Baikal stock and fore-end are made of a nice dense walnut and finished to a reasonable standard, the fit is tight, but the wood is a little proud on most joins and the checkering is ok with few over-runs.
Now interestingly, the IZH-18MH rifle stock and the IZH-18M shotgun stock are one and the same.
With 10mm of cast off, 36mm of drop to the comb, plus a drop to the heel of 60mm, it is clear this rifle was designed to use open sights, mounting a scope was an afterthought.
With a shotgun these dimensions are are measured from from the sightline, whereas on a rifle they are measured from the bore line.
Also a shotgun has approximately a 25mm longer length of pull, and there are also a couple of other key dimensions that differ between a shotgun and a rifle stock.
All these dimensions combine to dramatically influence the way a firearm handles and points when you bring it to shoulder.
Reducing the LOP is easy, changing the drop to the comb and heel is not.
I don't want to glue a piece of wood onto the comb like you sometimes see on sporterized .303s, so instead I will be aiming to overcome this dimensional problem by mounting the scope as low as possible on the rifle.
As is, it points beautifully and the open sights are a breeze to line up.
The recoil pad is very substantial, soft (thankfully) and the fit is smooth.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0188.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0177.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0178.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0179.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0187.jpg
Now I will be finishing the stock to a higher standard, removing wood to improve the fit, shortening the LOP, thinning the fore-end down to a more comfortable grip, and maybe some carvings to really set it off.
Final finish will be rubbed oil.
Action & Metal work
All surfaces are smoothly polished and deeply blued, infact the finish on the metal is worlds ahead of the wood work.
The open sights are adjustable if you have a screwdriver handy, but are very solid and contoured.
The barrel has a beautiful twist to it that looks stunning, I've never seen it on another rifle, it also has a rounded end and a deep cut crown, no chance of the rifleing being damaged here.
The trigger is a single stage, has a fair amount of creep, is pretty rough and breaks at 1.45kg (about 3.5lb), so far I've found it easy to use.
The rifle has a button safety above the trigger that is easy to reach with your trigger finger that works by blocking the trigger and hammer, the cocking indicator is made of white plastic (the only plastic on the rifle) and is very easy to see.
The sling swivels are small and I will be replacing the one in the stock with a larger detachable swivel, the fore swivel is fixed to the barrel and will have to stay as is.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0180.jpg
Scope
At the moment I have mounted an NcStar compact 4x30 on it in aluminum rings, all up $90 worth. (it's off one of my .22s)
Eventually I will mount a better scope in steel rings on it, but this will do for now.
The first thing is to set a budget- theres little point in mounting a $1000 scope on a $375 rifle and the final scope will be of modest magnification, 4x or less (even a 4x is too much when shooting a bailed pig at 10m or a surprised deer).
The scope also has to be compact so it won't look out of place on such a rifle.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0185.jpg
Conclusion
With a little blood, sweat and dollars you can create a one of a kind rifle that will give a great deal of satisfaction.
I took it for a shoot this afternoon to sight in and test it out.
Recoil was easily manageable, I thought it might kick, but nope.
The open sights are zeroed at the factory and were a little low with the Frderal Premium 130g rounds I was using.
Adjusting the sights was easy, the rear moves side to side, while the front adjusts up and down with another screw, a few turns and it was spot on.
After mounting the scope, I started zeroing it in.
3x3shot groups and I'm good to go.
Best group was 2.3" at 150meters and a pinecone at the same distance
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0183.jpg
If there is a downside to this rifle, it's the muzzle blast, it's certainly no pop gun and even with earmuffs, was very loud.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0180-1.jpg
I'm fairly new around here, but not new to rifles.
I joined this forum while searching for info on the .38-303 and have stuck around learning all sorts.
There seems to be a fair bit of interest in the Baikal IZH18MH (Remington/Spartan SPR18) so I thought I would share this write up on my project rifle.
I started this write up on another forum when I first got this rifle back in the middle of 2009, I'll just copy and post the relevant posts to here.
My aim is to make a handy little carbine, that is as at home in the bush hunting pigs and deer as it is at home in the mountains chasing thar and chamois and was inspired by the rifle featured in NZ Guns & Hunting in 2005.
Getting Started
To begin any project, you need a rifle.
The donor rifle is a standard single shot break open Baikal IZH-18MH.
They are available in NZ in .223Rem, 7.62x39, .308Win, .270Win and 30-06Spring.
After reading about one in .223 in NZ Guns & Hunting (in a nutshell, they found them to be commendably accurate and good value for money) I went straight to Reloaders Supplies website, downloaded the order form, obtained the necessary police signatures and faxed the forms back to Reloaders.
The rifle arrived a few days later for the princely sum of $375+20p&p. :D
The Stock
I ordered the plain birchwood stock for this seeing as I was thinking of modifying it and painting it flat black.
Instead, I get told they only do walnut on the .270, so thats what I have.
The Baikal stock and fore-end are made of a nice dense walnut and finished to a reasonable standard, the fit is tight, but the wood is a little proud on most joins and the checkering is ok with few over-runs.
Now interestingly, the IZH-18MH rifle stock and the IZH-18M shotgun stock are one and the same.
With 10mm of cast off, 36mm of drop to the comb, plus a drop to the heel of 60mm, it is clear this rifle was designed to use open sights, mounting a scope was an afterthought.
With a shotgun these dimensions are are measured from from the sightline, whereas on a rifle they are measured from the bore line.
Also a shotgun has approximately a 25mm longer length of pull, and there are also a couple of other key dimensions that differ between a shotgun and a rifle stock.
All these dimensions combine to dramatically influence the way a firearm handles and points when you bring it to shoulder.
Reducing the LOP is easy, changing the drop to the comb and heel is not.
I don't want to glue a piece of wood onto the comb like you sometimes see on sporterized .303s, so instead I will be aiming to overcome this dimensional problem by mounting the scope as low as possible on the rifle.
As is, it points beautifully and the open sights are a breeze to line up.
The recoil pad is very substantial, soft (thankfully) and the fit is smooth.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0188.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0177.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0178.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0179.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0187.jpg
Now I will be finishing the stock to a higher standard, removing wood to improve the fit, shortening the LOP, thinning the fore-end down to a more comfortable grip, and maybe some carvings to really set it off.
Final finish will be rubbed oil.
Action & Metal work
All surfaces are smoothly polished and deeply blued, infact the finish on the metal is worlds ahead of the wood work.
The open sights are adjustable if you have a screwdriver handy, but are very solid and contoured.
The barrel has a beautiful twist to it that looks stunning, I've never seen it on another rifle, it also has a rounded end and a deep cut crown, no chance of the rifleing being damaged here.
The trigger is a single stage, has a fair amount of creep, is pretty rough and breaks at 1.45kg (about 3.5lb), so far I've found it easy to use.
The rifle has a button safety above the trigger that is easy to reach with your trigger finger that works by blocking the trigger and hammer, the cocking indicator is made of white plastic (the only plastic on the rifle) and is very easy to see.
The sling swivels are small and I will be replacing the one in the stock with a larger detachable swivel, the fore swivel is fixed to the barrel and will have to stay as is.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0180.jpg
Scope
At the moment I have mounted an NcStar compact 4x30 on it in aluminum rings, all up $90 worth. (it's off one of my .22s)
Eventually I will mount a better scope in steel rings on it, but this will do for now.
The first thing is to set a budget- theres little point in mounting a $1000 scope on a $375 rifle and the final scope will be of modest magnification, 4x or less (even a 4x is too much when shooting a bailed pig at 10m or a surprised deer).
The scope also has to be compact so it won't look out of place on such a rifle.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0185.jpg
Conclusion
With a little blood, sweat and dollars you can create a one of a kind rifle that will give a great deal of satisfaction.
I took it for a shoot this afternoon to sight in and test it out.
Recoil was easily manageable, I thought it might kick, but nope.
The open sights are zeroed at the factory and were a little low with the Frderal Premium 130g rounds I was using.
Adjusting the sights was easy, the rear moves side to side, while the front adjusts up and down with another screw, a few turns and it was spot on.
After mounting the scope, I started zeroing it in.
3x3shot groups and I'm good to go.
Best group was 2.3" at 150meters and a pinecone at the same distance
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0183.jpg
If there is a downside to this rifle, it's the muzzle blast, it's certainly no pop gun and even with earmuffs, was very loud.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/dhit/Baikal%20Rifle/DSCF0180-1.jpg