New Mag-fed Rimfire Carbine from Russia — Coming Soon
Russian arms-maker Baikal has a new mag-fed rimfire repeater chambered in .22 LR, .22 WMR, and .17 HMR. The new Baikal MP-161K “Small-bore Magazine Carbine” combines Russian reliability/simplicity of operation with modern styling and ergonomics. The fiberglass-reinforced polymer outer shell copies the design of recent Beretta carbines — that’s not a bad thing. The MP-161K features a modern thumbhole stock configuration with a comfortable hand grip and adjustable cheekpiece.
The MP-161K comes with standard iron sights or you can attach a Weaver-type rail to the top of the receiver for mounting telescopic optics. Standard magazine capacity is 10 rounds, and the curved magazine “disappears” completely into the receiver housing. That’s a nice feature for someone carrying the gun in the field — one less projection to snag. The gun is light-weight. Without scope the MP-161K weighs just 5.72 lbs. (2.6 kg).
The Baikal MP-161K will be sold in the USA by European American Armory (EAA Corp.), which has recently resumed importation of the Baikal line of firearms. EAA does not expect to have MK-161Ks in stock before mid-December, if then. Price has not yet been set. We’ll try to give you a hands-on report from SHOT Show 2011 in January.
