Vostok .22LR target pistol - comments?
Damian R. Kanarek
Has anyone had any experiences with this Russian target
pistol? Thanks...
Damian
Doug White
I know several people who have owned them and liked them. I would be a
little suspicious of any of the last ones they shipped before they closed
up shop (about a year ago?), but the older ones shot fine. The exterior
finish wasn't as nice as what one would espect for a precision pistol,
but they apparently did a nice job on the innerds where it counted.
Doug White
C...@vm.urz.uni-heidelberg.de
gwh...@tiac.net (Doug White) writes:
#In article <46tb62$e...@xring.cs.umd.edu>,
# om...@io.org (Damian R. Kanarek) wrote:
#< Has anyone had any experiences with this Russian target
#<pistol? Thanks...
#<
#I haven't shot one personally, but assuming you mean their free pistols,
Couldn't he rather refer to the IJ-35 .22 standard pistol (semi auto) ?
The free pistols are sold here under the TOZ brandname.
Regards, Alexander Eichener c...@vm.urz.uni-heidelberg.de
Risto Alanko
#SUBJECT: Vostok .22LR target pistol - comments?
#Hi,
#Has anyone had any experiences with this Russian target
#pistol? Thanks...
I believe you mean the MCM Margolin aka Baikal aka Vostok. The one with an
open slide, height adjustable front sight and the rear sight on a "bridge"
over the slide. This pistol is a design from 1950s, it is meant as a target
practice pistol. It was also used as a match pistol, both in smallbore
target and smallbore rapid fire matches. It has been very popular in Soviet
Union (the only choice for many) and in Europe, too.
The Vostok is a bit old-fashioned now as a match pistol, but one of the best
practice and plinking pistols I know. All parts are solid steel and take a
lot of use without repair. The barrel is much better (inside) than in most
US .22LR pistols, the bore is a bit tight and very accurate. The gun works
well with most cartridge brands, it is built to work with the cheap Soviet
iron-case stuff. The only ammo that didn't cycle it was the old DDR-era
Schönebeck.
On the other side, it is not a real match pistol. It has no adjustments for
trigger pull (well, all trigger group parts are hard enough too stay tuned
if you can stone them to your taste) and the barrel line is quite high. The
barrel needs an extra weight (I made one myself). Without a barrel weight,
you really learn to aim and squeeze the trigger right! The plastic grips
resemble a pocket pistol grip from 1940s, I carved my own target grips from
plywood.
What can I say more? The gun I recommed to all who look for their first
pistol. MY first target pistol (the other choice was Ruger MkII) and the
pistol I have shot my best results yet. Although I have other choices now,
the new Baikal IJ 35 and the Sako 22-32 match pistols, I still use my Vostok
a lot. I can't resist it, with my own special 15 round mag and a silencer ...
*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*
Risto Alanko ala...@ruuvi.me.tut.fi
Laboratory of Machine Design, Tampere University of Technology, FINLAND
*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*
Workshop
#
# #FROM: om...@io.org (Damian R. Kanarek)
# #SUBJECT: Vostok .22LR target pistol - comments?
#
# #Hi,
#
# #Has anyone had any experiences with this Russian target
# #pistol? Thanks...
#
#
#
I used one of these pistols for a number of years, and the only
problem that ever developed was a fracture of the firing pin. I made
another from silver steel, hardened and tempered, and had no other
problems in many thousands of rounds fired during competitions.
The version I owned came complete in a wooden box with a series of
barrel weights, and it also had an adjustable muzzle brake
which could be set to move the barrel over the right amount on
recoil for rapid-fire shooting.
The virtues were the reliability with a wide variety of makes
of ammunition, the ease of dismantling without tools, and the
"feel" of the gun in the hand. I'm sorry I sold it.
Peter Waring
mkhtenan...@gmail.com
# Hi,=20
#=20
# Has anyone had any experiences with this Russian target=20
# pistol? Thanks...
#=20
# Damian
I had one of these about forty five years ago, lovely gun, came in a wooden
case with all the accessories. I used it at Bisley, the well known British
rifle and pistol range. It had one characteristic which I found quite amusing.
If you adjusted the trigger pull so that it was very light, when firing a shot
the action of the gun recoiling would apply sufficient pressure on the trigger
to fire the next shot, in practice you could empty a complete magazine in under
1 second; the nearest thing I ever had to a sub-machine gun; oh happy days!