Baikal MP 61 certainly looks very unusual. How does the air rifle, which was developed and built in Russia, perform? How powerful and precise is Baikal and for whom is it suitable? These are the questions I try to answer for you in this post and the accompanying video.
The design of Baikal MP 61
The two materials used in the design of Baikal are almost exclusively metal and plastic. All mechanical parts are made of metal, all other parts are made of plastic. The design is pretty sturdy. At first glance, I can’t see any weak points of structural nature that tend to be the first to break.
The stock is made entirely of plastic and is adjustable in length. Thus, it can be well adapted to the shooter.
I find the unfortunately only 9.8″ (6 cm) long 11mm prism rail a bit too short. The best solution is to use a special one-piece offset mount. If you want to attach a red dot, however, the overall length of the rail is sufficient. Alternatively, of course, you can shoot using the open sights. The fixed front sight is located at the barrel end in a front sight tunnel; the rear sight is adjustable both in height and laterally.
The magazine of Baikal MP 61
One of the highlights of Baikal MP 61 is of course the 5-shot magazine. This makes Baikal something very special in the world of spring-piston air rifles. Once the magazine is fully loaded, you can fire the five rounds one after the other without having to reload in between. After using the side bolt action lever, you can fire the next shot. The lever can be operated with moderate strength.
The magazine is made of high-quality polymer plastic. Two of them are included in the scope of delivery. Additional optional magazines can be purchased at a low price of less than 10 Euros.
The shooting feeling
I would classify the recoil of Baikal as medium. This makes the small, lightweight rifle easy to shoot. Of course, as with most rifles, it takes some practice at first. But I don’t consider Baikal to be a difficult rifle to master. Once you have shot through the first 10 magazines, you will get used to the handling.
The pre-travel can either be shortened or lengthened by turning the small screw in front of the trigger guard.
The low weight of Baikal allows for longer and comfortable sessions in a standing position. At the same time, the rifle lies securely in the hand with its pistol grip.
The manual safety doesn’t need to be deactivated between each shot. Once deactivated, the five shots can be fired one after the other. Cocking with the side-mounted lever works without too much effort.
My conclusion
The target groups for the rifle are definitely price-conscious shooters and plinkers. Any shooter who sees shooting simply as a fun hobby, who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money and is looking for a robust rifle, is really very well advised with Baikal MP 61. For just around 100 euros, you can get a spring-loaded air rifle with a stick magazine that holds up to five pellets. If you want to compare the rifle to others in its price range, here’s a nice overview of all the air rifles I’ve tested so far.
The rifle has been 100% reliable on all the days I have shot it.
Thank you for reading!
Have a nice week!
Best wishes!
Yours, Andi
Interesting link:
Do you already know my international YouTube channel? HERE you will find videos of more powerful air rifles in English.
