suggestions on a good bullseye pistol

[Brick]

Originally Posted by aubie515

I must be odd because I actually like the looks of the IZH. I'm not normally a fan of wood stocks, but for some reason the IZH is appealing to me. What I like most about the IZH is that it's not picky about the ammo it uses.

The Russians waste no time or effort on anything that doesn't make the pistol shoot well! The interior of the barrel and the trigger-group machining and polishing are as good as you'll find anywhere. But the bead-blast finish is strictly utilitarian, in fact I had to flush my pistol out with kerosene and solvent to get the excess blasting material out of the works! I liked the stocks, at least after I got them shaped to fit my hand. Which is the reason they're supplied over-size to begin with. Each shooter has to custom carve them to fit.

Have Fun!
May all of your fliers be 10s!

[Brick]

Originally Posted by Marksman

Im gonna try shooting bullseye pistol this summer, however I do believe my Ruger 22/45 is lacking for that sort of thing, I was thinking of upgrading to the Ruger mk3, I find that the 6" bull feels best in my hand, but I was wondering what up grades I should do, other then a trigger job and upgrading the sights... Or if any one from Schuykill County knows of a good bullseye pistol smith to go to..

Go take a look at the Firearms (for sale) section of this Forum. DanV1317 is advertising a lightly used S&W Model 41. Get one of these and you'll be set for a lifetime!

[paul]

I'm buying an IZH-35M for bullseye in a couple of days, hope it works out as i don't really have the money to spend on a pistol that won't perform. I actually like the looks of the thing, but then I'm a scifi fan.

[Brick]

I wish you lots of success with your Izmash monster. Be sure you're getting the full set, it should have included with it a weaver base, combination tool, two magazines, bore brush, cleaning rod, and owners manual and some other doo-dads. Earlier than 2001 they included some repair parts also. Check the shroud screw occasionally when you're shooting as they tend to loosen. In fact replace them with american made metric hardware (preferably cross-tip) as the Russian screws are too soft and it's easy to bung up the screwheads. Watch your ammo, I haven't heard of an IZH that "likes" Federal, mine wouldn't feed it reliably at all. But then I never did find an ammo that it liked, including RWS and Eley.

Lots of luck!
May all of your fliers be 10s!

[paul]

I'd already asked about the parts kit and weaver mount, didn't know to ask about the combination tool. thanks.

[Brick]

Give us a report on your purchase after you wring it out a bit and don't forget the IZH has a grip safety and it can be a real PIA so make sure the pistol is well seated in your hand!

[paul]

I picked up my Izzie 10 minutes before the bullseye match, got some interesting bits of info from the guy who was selling it, he's one of the better bullseye shooters in the area and he said that he's put 5 bullets into one ragged hole with it. I believe him, the fit and finish are a bit rough but all those people who told me it was built like a tank weren't lying, I shot about 100 round through it and only had one issue, I was in a rush and didn't seat the mag properly and when it tried to chamber a round it almost bent this .22 90 degrees. No damage to the gun what so ever, just racked it and it spit it right back out. The previous owner had already replaced all the soft screws that it came with with nice hex ones from DJ Precision. The gun had a nice heft to it, the grip was a little uncomfortable but I've got a fused joint on my thumb so that's not unusual for me. It didn't seem to affect the groupings I got. I sighted it in during the match, it grouped well but 5 or six inches high for me, a few clicks and i was in business. I'll spend some time this weekend dialing it in from a bench rest so I can be sure I know where it's shooting.

Now this is only my second time shooting bullseye, but the first time I shot was with a Smith and Wesson Model 41 that was dialed in to perfection and had a fancy red dot on it. I was able to hold the 8 ring on rapid fire with that one and my groups were about the same size with the Izzie, despite shooting with iron sights. The S&W also selIs for about 3 times as much. I have no doubt that at this point the gun shoots better than I do. I plan on getting as many spare parts as I can for this thing because I think it will be at least a couple of years before I outgrow it.

A few interesting things, it apparently has a grip safety to comply with US import laws, but there seems to be a way around it. Not sure if I can explain this clearly , basically, if you adjust the trigger the right way it actually pulls the grip safety in flush with the handguard, those were some crafty russians. I have heard of people having to pin it in or even tape it, but perhaps they just fiddle with it enough. The trigger was nice and crisp, I couldn't feel much creep at all and no overtravel, but then I'm more experienced with military issue weapons and their triggers are quite a bit more crude than something like this. Also, theres a very well thought of german gun, the Feinwerkbau aw93, that was designed by the same guy as the Izzie, which is good news because IZH35 magazines are impossible to find, but they will accept AW93 mags with slight modification.

It seems like a pretty quirky gun, but I think I kind of like it. I'm sure there are other things about it that will pop into my head but thats about it for now.

I've also got to give some kudos to Harrisburg Hunters and Anglers Club, all of the shooters there have been very helpful.

[Brick]

GOOD! If you sucessfully fired 100 rounds with only one stoppage you've probably found the right ammo for this gun. I just hope it isn't Lapua Midas!

The trigger IIRC is adjustable for weight of pull, sear engagement and length of pull (there's a screw on the side of the trigger and you can loosen it and move the trigger fore and aft to get the right fit).

If the stocks are too large for you, you can cut them down to fit correctly (the Russians make them oversize specifically so each shooter can custom carve them to fit). If you do, just make sure that you do so and maintain your "natural grip" (i.e. the grip that allows natural aligment of front and rear sights). If you want custom stocks Arnie Vitarbo can custom carve them for you. I believe his services are available through Neil Johnson's catalog website. I'm not familiar with the AW93, but I know the Walther 600 (?) is a IZH35M that the German company finished and tuned.

Last, to get you a bit more grounding in bullseye competition, go over to www.bullseyepistol.com and look around the site carefully and you'll find the Army Advanced Marksmanship Unit Pistol Marksmanship Manual. Download it and read it through a few times, all the information you need on technique and basics are there.

Sorry I spelled Johnson's name wrong, it's Neal and his website is http://www.nealjguns.com/ and btw anyone interested in any kind of shooting competetition should have his site bookmarked as a resource!