your thoughts please.

[rsc1960]

I have a rather nice condition Right Handed (not done much) baikal number ??27 ? 12 bore shotgun over and under with 1/2 and 3/4 chokes ( i think),

 

I am about to join a shooting group and would like to get something a bit more upmarket for shoot days,

 

so for general shooting of game birds,pigeons and the odd clay day what are the most common set chokes used,

 

i am looking at selling on the baikal and then looking for another gun.

 

so what do you use or think i should be looking for.

 

IE: 1/4 and 1/2 etc et.

 

thank you RSC

[Sharpshooter.123]

1/4 and 1/2 will do what you want on clays, I prefer 1/2 and 3/4 on game or half half if it's a good day, everyone has there choke preference

Multi choke is a must really

2nd hand id look at lanber multi

Make sure it fits you and your shooting

Edited November 22, 2013 by Sharpshooter.123

[Underdog]

whats wrong with the Ruskie?

 

U.

[r1steele]

If you shoot well with the Baikal why go for something more upmarket that may not suit you as good. I'd rather use a £200 gun that works for me than a £2000 that doesn't. I would be happy to stick with the choking you're using and not be bothered with multi chokes. Multi chokes aren't a 'must', a hell of a lot of game is shot with old SxS without the need for multi chokes and a lot of pigeon shooting is done with a semi with just one choke in it. Being on target is more important.

[welshwarrior]

1/2 1/4 will see you right but 3/4 will also be fine.

[johnlewis]

I agree what's wrong with the gun you are use too, also if you spend a fortune and then miss every shot or even drop or damage a gun that cost a arm and a leg.

[rsc1960]

thank you guys.

 

I know this is going to sound posh,(but im not and never will be)

 

but i feel ? .....when i used the baikal and when asked i was a bit reluctant to say what i was using on a corporate day with the top man etc,

 

i like the baikal and its in top condition no more than 300 carts down it since new,( it has sat in my cabinet for a couple of years until the new job came along and now i'm being asked to attend company shoot days.)

 

i was also thinking of a 20 bore but will that be looked down on as they all use 12's

 

thank you RSC

[flynny]

If you want to go a bit "posh" and have a spare 1000 quid you can't go wrong with a 2nd hand berretta silver pigeon,

 

Just my opinion,

 

Atb

 

Flynn

[bostonmick]

thank you guys.

 

I know this is going to sound posh,(but im not and never will be)

 

but i feel ? .....when i used the baikal and when asked i was a bit reluctant to say what i was using on a corporate day with the top man etc,

 

i like the baikal and its in top condition no more than 300 carts down it since new,( it has sat in my cabinet for a couple of years until the new job came along and now i'm being asked to attend company shoot days.)

 

i was also thinking of a 20 bore but will that be looked down on as they all use 12's

 

thank you RSC

 

I think you are looking at this from the wrong angle,first you should not buy a gun because it fits in with the crowd it needs to fit you and one you can shoot well with.a baikal is not really a high use gun as when I had one many years ago they kicked like hell.a 20 bore is fine loads of people use them with great effect.if your main concern is about image I would not take up this sport.if you do not have the passion for it then you will never reach any decent standard.

[browning123]

I presently have two Berettas, I sold a Baikal U/O 12g last year due to upgrading!

Sorry now as I have never shot as well as when I used the Baikal - thinking of buying another.

Edited November 22, 2013 by browning123

[retromlc]

The reality is on a shoot day there is a degree of what car, gun, connections you have, people do a lot of business on the peg as they do on the golf course, it shouldn't matter when the birds are falling but it does. Plus I think owning something nice adds to the experience, shallow but that's how it can be, if you are on a syndicate self maintained shoot then it's no so important what you shoot. Although if an old guy is standing there with a SxS will be considered competent regardless of how many birds he brings down.

[Marki]

The reality is on a shoot day there is a degree of what car, gun, connections you have

Sad but true. There is nothing wrong with trying to fit in and it can help build connections, get invites and generally enjoy the day. Having one special gun that makes you smile when you bring it out is a very good feeling. That said nothing gave me more pleasure than the day I won a competition with an Hatsan Pump. Smug isn't a strong enough word.

 

I've not been shooting very long but I would say that if you are planning on spending a bit of money then make sure the gun is right for you.

[bruno22rf]

Sssssssh-I never told you this but if you cut about an inch from your barrels you will get 1/4 and 1/2 choke-borrow a choke gauge if you want to be sure-then pop along to your nearest gunsmith and ask him to pop the bead back on and drop a blob of solder on the centre rib-should be no more than £20. I have to agree, however, with some previous posts-if the gun works for you then do not rush out and replace it-I bought a Browning 525 last year after giving away my old Baikal 16g hammer gun-BIG mistake shots/kills wise

[Underdog]

Well now yes the snobs, They are everywhere! if your not one then don't fear them. They are usually very thin and shallow and have something missing in their lives!

 

Non of my guns are top dollar and non are multi choke.

 

I have turned up to formal shoots with auto's, pumps, a crappy old Baikal single and a whole array of front stuffers, oh not forgetting the .410s! I did not care what they thought and still don't!

 

One chap I know in a small syndicate uses a Baikal like yours and has for years, say's he has tried others but never does as good and I have seen him shoot, he don't miss much!

Another feller uses an old sxs non ejector that the stock looks like it was used to dig his ferret out with!

 

Carry a slip with you so you can be discreet if it helps and just as an old keeper friend says to me `keep taking plenty no notice young...`

 

Adjustable reamer is the way to open chokes but it will tare the chrome coating in the barrels. Just buy a cheaper cartridge that may shoots a bit wider for the tight barrel!

 

U.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Underdog

[r1steele]

 

I think you are looking at this from the wrong angle,first you should not buy a gun because it fits in with the crowd it needs to fit you and one you can shoot well with.a baikal is not really a high use gun as when I had one many years ago they kicked like hell.a 20 bore is fine loads of people use them with great effect.if your main concern is about image I would not take up this sport.if you do not have the passion for it then you will never reach any decent standard.

I bought a new one over 20 years ago as a work gun when I first started keepering and have shot thousands and thousands of cartridges through it 2-3 hundred a day sometimes and it is still good and never has it kicked like hell. I've put allsorts through it and a hell of a lot of heavy stuff. If your Baikal works for you stick with it.

[shaun4860]

Well now yes the snobs, They are everywhere! if your not one then don't fear them. They are usually very thin and shallow and have something missing in their lives!

 

Non of my guns are top dollar and non are multi choke.

 

I have turned up to formal shoots with auto's, pumps, a crappy old Baikal single and a whole array of front stuffers, oh not forgetting the .410s! I did not care what they thought and still don't!

 

One chap I know in a small syndicate uses a Baikal like yours and has for years, say's he has tried others but never does as good and I have seen him shoot, he don't miss much!

Another feller uses an old sxs non ejector that the stock looks like it was used to dig his ferret out with!

 

Carry a slip with you so you can be discreet if it helps and just as an old keeper friend says to me `keep taking plenty no notice young...`

 

Adjustable reamer is the way to open chokes but it will tare the chrome coating in the barrels. Just buy a cheaper cartridge that may shoots a bit wider for the tight barrel!

 

U.

Nobody mentioned anything about these on a formal shoot?

 

I would have thought more would have been said about an auto or a pump on a formal day than anyone using a Baikal (wish I still had mine...lol)

 

Only problem I have ever had with Baikals is that are very short in the stock and low in the comb, but maybe thats my odd shape, once I had put a longer recoil pad and a comb raiser on it was fine

 

Oh and it was 1/2 and 3/4 choke which I eventually had opened up to 1/4 and 1/2

 

Shoot with what you are happy with, If YOU want a nicer gun then by all means get one, but dont be pressured into it by others

 

[r1steele]

Nobody mentioned anything about these on a formal shoot?

 

I would have thought more would have been said about an auto or a pump on a formal day than anyone using a Baikal (wish I still had mine...lol)

 

Only problem I have ever had with Baikals is that are very short in the stock and low in the comb, but maybe thats my odd shape, once I had put a longer recoil pad and a comb raiser on it was fine

 

Oh and it was 1/2 and 3/4 choke which I eventually had opened up to 1/4 and 1/2

 

Shoot with what you are happy with, If YOU want a nicer gun then by all means get one, but dont be pressured into it by others

 

From what I can remember I think the majority of Baikal o/u's are 1/2 and 3/4. Just about anyone you ask seem to have this configuration.

[shaun4860]

From what I can remember I think the majority of Baikal o/u's are 1/2 and 3/4. Just about anyone you ask seem to have this configuration.

I bought mine from a shop called Budget Guns And Tackle

 

It was sold as a "Shop Soiled" new gun, double trigger ejector, you had a wide choice of chokes, for some reason that's what I chose,

 

The postman brought it...lol, that's how long ago it was, it came with a manual in Russian and English,

 

[fieldwanderer]

My mates baikel fired both barrels as he broke it one day. It destroyed itself and, if his cousin wasn't wearing steel toe caps, would've taken some toes with it! Fortunately, it just resulted in the most impressive bruise I've ever seen.

 

But, until then, it was a good gun and accounted for a large number of anything it was used against. It did kick well though.

 

I have to agree with others, fit matters much more than fitting in; you'll suffer more for not hitting a barn door than you will for using a post driver and out shooting most others on the shoot.

[GingerCat]

If you shot well with it why change it, it's two tubes of metal and some wood, functionality is far more important than aesthetics.

[r1steele]

I bought mine from a shop called Budget Guns And Tackle

 

It was sold as a "Shop Soiled" new gun, double trigger ejector, you had a wide choice of chokes, for some reason that's what I chose,

 

The postman brought it...lol, that's how long ago it was, it came with a manual in Russian and English,

 

I had mine from Steve Smiths in Hexham when Hexham had gun shops and tackle shops. Mine is a posh one, single trigger ejector but I've turned the ejectors off on mine as it's a pain faffing around looking for ejected cases.

[rsc1960]

wow.

 

thank you for all the nice comments,

 

I am in the sport because i love it and the main reason for buying a new 12/20 bore is that i have the funds to do so and want one that i am happy to continue to learn and gain experience with, the baikal shoots like me..........fine, as said i have only used about 300 carts through it and thats not for the lack of shooting but the lack of time to do it, but now i have become part of this team (so to speak) i want to replace it and continue shooting with a new gun.

 

as we all know, nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

RSC

[humperdingle]

Hi mate, don't want to contaminate your wanted thread so i'll put this here

 

I purchased a very nice Beretta 686s a while back because, like you, I wanted a 'nice' gun for clays.

 

Really wish I hadn't, because my success rate fell considerably from the semi auto i'd been using.

 

Lesson learned and I now have a Baikal 27E-IC, like I mentioned in the other thread. It fits me nicely, is in great condition, but cost me peanuts compared to the Beretta.

 

Basically... My advice would be: Buy the 'nicer' gun, try it if you can before you buy, but KEEP the Baikal until you're sure about the new gun. You may well regret selling a good fitting gun like I did.

[sidelockshooter]

If you can pull a trigger as we say, it does not matter if you use a cheap gun or an pricey one! People do not care, some people have all the gear & no idea as they say! If the Baikal comes up alright, stick with it! One comment you'l hear from many people, is that the barrel's on Baikal's are very well made! Good luck!

[Dougy]

I look at it this way,

 

On some of the shoots i have beaten on, some year's ago, you got some right posh cars Top of the range 4x4s, jags Bentley s etc all married up with simalar tastes of shot gun's pairs included, and there weren't many of them that out shot an old timer using his trusty Baikel that he shot just about everything with. Just imagine the look on there faces when they realised his shotgun only cost him about £75. out of a catalogue.

 

You can remortgage your house to buy a shotgun but it may not make you a better shot.