spr 18 223

[ssjohnnie]

Well after a long time look for one i found a used one blueing was good but stock need some tlc got a scope mounted and went to the range after  some getting use to the rather long trigger pull it will put 3 shots in 1 inch at a 100 yds even if it gets a little warm it will still group good no walking the target like my H&R dose i like this little gun the rail scope is doing good on this cal. but if it was a larger cal i would drill and tap it for a stronger mount all in all a better made gun than a H&R if i were Rem. i wouid have stayed with this and droped H&R just my 2 cents

[ironglow]

Johnnie;
    It looks like you did OK, but the praise vs raspberry reviews for the Baikals seems closely divided. Some like them..some dislike them.
 Guess it depends upon the example one has at the moment. http://rule-303.blogspot.com/2008/11/remington-spr18-worthless-hunk-of-crap.html
      Although I am pleased that your experience has been positive, It is not difficult to understand why the group who bought Remington also bought Marlin & H&R.
  Another cogent point; that group wants to manufacture as much as possible here in the USA, perhaps that helps to explain their choice.

  There may well be room now for yet another single-shot line, judging how the NEF & Rossi lines ar going...
  Savage..are you listening..remember your fine old 219 series ? The old 219 Savages (IMO) are more reminicent of the classic European "walking rifle" than the current ones.
   I have a 219L, which will soon be going to a grandson. Below see a couple shots of a 219 hornet I picked from forums..

[Brithunter]

Ok I took a look at that article and have a couple of comments about it.

I have a MH-18 in .222 Rem that was sold under the name Baikal here in the UK. Baikal is a trade name the plant which made the rifle is Izhmash denoted by the arrow in the shield logo. The fail to fire is a result of the operator and yes I had it happen a couple of times and it's due to an automatic safety built into the action and normally is caused by not shutting the action sharply enough. We try to "baby" it for quietness as it's a rifle something we tend not to do with a shotgun and the MH18 is derived from a shotgun after all  .

The trigger pull is rather heavy and I don't know why this should be as the shotguns are not like it at all and yes I have a few of them, two of the 12b ones and a 20b that I picked up for walking the field with and very useful they are too and they all have good triggers as they came to me. Now the rifle I lightened it by shortening the coil spring slightly but I will have to have another look and see if I cannot remove the creep from the trigger. the shotguns don't have any so why should the rifle?




As for accuracy well it's certainly not bad at all:-


As this shows and with factory ammunition as well. Now I didn't like that angular style to the forestock nor the unfinished look to the butt so I re-shaped it more to my liking  

Remington is squarely to blame for a lot of the issues with the Spartan as they set a price they are willing to pay and Izhmash has to meet it if it wants the orders. As for the scope rail oh come on get real:-




Before the re-shaping it had a 6x40 scope on it held by Steel Hilver rings. The Hilvers are not sold under the B-Square Lynx brand. I don't like nor rate the weaver rails or mounts  . As for Remington one cannot expect much from them really after all they are still fitting dangerous Trigger and safeties to the Rem 700 are they not? I thought it was standard practice to buy a Rem 700 they either have it re-built or replace most of the cheap and shoddy bits with customs one. First thing to go is the trigger it seems followed by the stamped out bit of plate they call a recoil lug  . Which is why we don't see many Remingtons on the range or in the field after all why bother?

It would not surprise me one bit it the holding company which now owns Remington didn't sell off the land it sits one and shut it down.

Edit:- Oh almost forgot I am looking at fitting a sporting aperture/reciever sight to mine  I have a Lyman 57SME and a a Parker-Hale P-H 17B which look promising  .

[ironglow]

It is a strange that the shotguns have a different trigger pull and I couldn't begin to pretend to know what the possible solution is.
  I am pleased that you can print good groups with it.
  I suppose Remington could close some locations and with the various companies this firm has bought out, surely there is likely to be some consolidation.
  As far as the Remington 700s..I don't buy Remington centerfires because I prefer Savage, Marlin or H&R. If there are problems with the 700s I would suppose that likely as not, the new owners will improve the product. Their CEO is a shooting fan so that is good news. I think if one reads this article, they may have a more positive picture of the purchase.
  It is important to remember that Remington DID NOT buy Marlin and H&R..but rather, the people who bought out Remington plus DPMS and several others, also bought Marlin and H&R.
 
    http://www.ammoland.com/2009/01/23/dpms-supports-george-kollitides-for-nra-board/

[Brithunter]

The grouping is Ok but nowhere as good as my 54 vintage BSA Regent bolt action  .

No I hope Remington survives and it would be criminal for such an old established gunmaking company to go under. It was a crying shame when Winchester went under. I don't trust these Holding companies, it was one of those they shafted Parker-Hale, they stripped off the assets and I beleive that's what happened to BSA as well.

[ironglow]

   BSA is gone ?
     I hate to see that, BSA is a grand old name ...and they have produced some fine guns over the years. I'm trying to recall, but weren't they located in Birmingham ?
   MAN: I hete to see those "oldies but goodies" close up..it's a doggone shame !

  Do you use the original iron sights on your BSA, or have you scoped it ?

[Brithunter]

Ahhh ironglow,

        There is a company called BSA Guns Ltd which make airguns in what was the old stocking shop at Small Heath Birmingham but the real BSA company was shut down back in about 1986 or there-abouts.. Now as to iron sights well depends on which BSA we are talking about as I have a few of them  like Five BSA Rimfires a couple of which are scoped. I have Four BSA's in .270 Winchester that can have scopes but two also have reciever sights fitted  . a .243 BSA Majestic with BESA recoil reducer that's scoped but has it's original irons too. Oh almost forgot I just got a replacement fold down iron back sight for the .270 Majestic Featherweight as it was missing. Have not tried to sight it in yet but that rifle has a P-H 6EH sporting aperture sight and a 3-9x42 scope  . Then there is the BSA CF2 in 7x57 which is scoped but still has it's irons, the BSA Model E in .303 (sporterised P-14 from 1949-1953 period) ahs a redfield reciever sight now I took the scope off it.

       Now which one were you referring to? 

[ironglow]

  You have a great collection there..can you slip us a photo ?  Seems like at one time British Small Arms was a "gunmaker's gunmaker"; that is they used to make whole guns or assemblys/parts for other makers.  Man, what a shame !
  I know you will hang on to what you have...but pics please, if you can...

[Brithunter]

Ok please check your PM's as this has gone far enough off topic methinks 

Oh it might be wise to have a towel ready as I have a sneaking feeling your going to like them 

[ironglow]

Ok please check your PM's as this has gone far enough off topic methinks 

Oh it might be wise to have a towel ready as I have a sneaking feeling your going to like them 

  I sure do like those rifles ! they atre beauties...  Below see the only BSA I ever owned, which now belongs to my Marine grandson.
  Not a top photo I am afraid, but the rifle is a thousand miles away, so it will have to do...

[gcrank1]

Brithunter, have you seen the NECG peep that mounts on a Weaver type rail (they also make one for Ruger No.1)? They are well made, and for popping your scope to go to irons.

I was looking at one of these Baikal Rems last fall, NIB, .308 and almost wish now I had bought it. I think it was about $240 and, as said, with a little work might have been as satisfying (or more) than my H&Rs have been. At that kind of price I think of any of them as per-assembled kits worthy of some futzin.

[Brithunter]

Hmmm I believe I have looked at them the problems they bring mean they more trouble than tey solvelike:-

1) You need a weaver rail of base and except for a couple of rifles I don't use nor have Weaver mounts. Those two will be changed when I can get a round to it.

2) As they sit atop a Weaver base this raises the rear sight so you have to mess with a high front sight. Sorry cannot see any benefit to that.

3) You still have to keep it somewhere when the scope is in use. At least with the old traditional Reciever sight it's only the wind arm you have to worry about.

4) There are better sights available than this one.


Now Ironglow that's a beauty   I have a Martini project on the back burner but it's an old large frame action not a cadet size one.

[gcrank1]

Sako had a very trim peep for their (tapered) bases some time back that can be modified to nontapered quite esily, if it would otherwise fit that integral scope 'rail'.

[Brithunter]

Well I will get a round to doing something before long with it. Also need to make a key to adjust the front sight height  however as the rifle is shooting fine with the scope it's not a priority to get a reciever or peep sight fitted. I have a Century Arms P-14 sporter that needs a complete going over. The rear of the action needs re-machining to make it usable with a reciver sight. I happen to have a brand new Redfield that was meant for such a rifle  but as Century just knocked the ears off and then ground it flat with just radiused corners it won't fit and we have never been able to discover what scope mounts Century intended to be used on them so? .

The stock is a God awful shape with a roach belley to the forestock and a poorly defined and shaped cheekpiece. That the awful brown stain they used will have removed and the stock re-shaped and made more refined. I know they are almost white they used such a pale yellow wood under that stain as we did one years ago but i am sure we can do something with it. I have a solder on BSA foresight ramp and a screw on P-H (Williams) ramp plus another foresight ramp which we don't what it came off so one will be used for this "project"..

The rifle was a 303 British but the chambering job must have been done with the last uses of the reamer as it was to tight that we could find no dies that could re-size cases to go back in the chamber except those fired in this rifle. As I had Eight 303's at the time this was no good to me so it was reamed to 303 IMP.

The Century P-14 Sporterwith a cobbled up scope rail:-

As you can see it's a poorly laid out stock with that awful droop belly forestock and no real definition to any of it. The lines sort of blurr into one another rather than flow   

I have a very poor condidion BSA Model D that I was going to try and re-build but it needs a new stock as well as barrel and a complete strip and re-finish so I am wondering about breaking it up and using the magazine and trigger guard which BSA straightend and fitting it to the Century project as after all I will be re-shaping the wood.