Baikal MP-18M

About the Baikal MP-18M

The Baikal MP-18M is a single-shot, break-action smoothbore shotgun produced by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant in Russia. A modernized member of the long-running IZh-18 single-barrel family (rebranded from IZh-18M to MP-18M for export), it is chambered most commonly in 12 gauge, with 16, 20, 28 and .410 bore variants also offered. It uses a hammerless internal-hammer mechanism cocked when the barrel is opened, a manual safety with a cocking indicator, a chrome-lined bore, a takedown design and a hardwood stock and fore-end. Simple, rugged and inexpensive, it is one of the most widely owned entry-level hunting shotguns in the former Soviet market.

The IZh-18 that became the MP-18M was so cheap and durable that it sold for just 28 rubles when it launched in 1964, making it the workhorse first shotgun for generations of Soviet and post-Soviet hunters.

Baikal MP-18M specifications

Post-2008 Baikal export designation of the IZh-18M single-barrel shotgun. Barrel and overall length vary by gauge and market; the values here reflect a typical 12-gauge configuration. Rifled ('N') and ejector ('E') derivatives share the same frame.