Baikal Choke markings

[Westley78]

Hi,

Can anyone help me identify the choke on my Baikal 27E-IC please?

it has two sets of barrels, these are 26.5” skeet 

and these are 28.5” game

any help would be appreciated 👍🏻

[Dibble]

Just guessing but full and extra full going on all the baikals I’ve seen

[scarecrow243]

i would say it full and modified or half  ie F M

[enfieldspares]

Maybe 1.0 =1mm and 0.5 = 1/2mm? 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Top pair are Skeet and Cylinder

Lower Pair are Full and Half

[wymberley]

3 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Top pair are Skeet and Cylinder

Lower Pair are Full and Half

Everything else makes sense converting the given mm into inches so I'd swap the skeet for a tight 1/4 or loose 1/2 - would this be Light Modified in funny money?

There used to be a member who worked for Baikal in the UK and who said they had all tapered chokes which were opened up by cutting off the barrels to suit.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I was simply going by the markings!  The only change would be that the 1/2 is labelled Modified.

[Westley78]

Thanks for the speedy reply’s and helpful input guys much appreciated...👍🏻
 

My intention was to use the baikal I have to get me started with shooting pigeons either roosting or over decoys and at the risk of sounding like a complete idiot would these barrels & choke combos work?

[TIGHTCHOKE]

The Open Barrels will be fine for shooting decoyed wood pigeon.

[Westley78]

2 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

The Open Barrels will be fine for shooting decoyed wood pigeon.

Thanks tightchoke 👍🏻

[TIGHTCHOKE]

You're welcome, get out there and shoot some.

[wymberley]

57 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

I was simply going by the markings!  The only change would be that the 1/2 is labelled Modified.

Disagree I'm afraid. The 1/2 is a 1/2 in any language.

If the 1/2 is 0.5mm and the so called skeet is 0.4 then it's more likely to be as I said earlier - the 0.4mm being c0.015"

As you rightly say, those barrels for decoys and t'other set for roosting if necessary.

[Westley78]

2 minutes ago, wymberley said:

Disagree I'm afraid. The 1/2 is a 1/2 in any language.

If the 1/2 is 0.5mm and the so called skeet is 0.4 then it's more likely to be as I said earlier - the 0.4mm being c0.015"

As you rightly say, those barrels for decoys and t'other set for roosting if necessary.

Thanks Wymberley, I would have used the open barrels for both 🤦🏼‍♂️

[wymberley]

14 hours ago, Westley78 said:

Thanks Wymberley, I would have used the open barrels for both 🤦🏼‍♂️

Pleasure. I think the more correct term for the choke in question is 3/8. All I would add and especially for roosting is just to check tha Cyl barrel pattern. If it is actually true then anywhere between a 25% and 35% pattern is to be expected. Have to confess that in spite of my earlier post, I've just noted the differing barrel lengths.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

14 hours ago, wymberley said:

Disagree I'm afraid. The 1/2 is a 1/2 in any language.

If the 1/2 is 0.5mm and the so called skeet is 0.4 then it's more likely to be as I said earlier - the 0.4mm being c0.015"

As you rightly say, those barrels for decoys and t'other set for roosting if necessary.

Except it is labeled "M"

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Except it is labeled "M"

You're quite correct. However, I'm British. All four of the criteria detailed are some sort of foreign jargon. However, two, possibly now three, of them are also used by ourselves -  we (real) English speaking folk. 0.5mm in real money is as near as damnit 0.020" which makes it 1/2 choke which I understand that some call 'modified'. A rose by.........and all that.......but it's still 1/2 whatever it's called.

[enfieldspares]

The shorter barrels are Baikal Skeet barrels. These O/U guns were sold as a combo with a spare set of fitted barrels and fitted forend so you'd 28" general purpose barrels and 26" Skeet barrels. This from a time when Skeet was the big thing in the 1970s and everybody though that twenty-six inches was the length of barrel to use. The Americans, and others, for some reason called a half choke a modified choke. Same as they called an improved cylinder choke a skeet choke.

Edited February 22, 2020 by enfieldspares

[Westley78]

On 22/02/2020 at 12:12, enfieldspares said:

The shorter barrels are Baikal Skeet barrels. These O/U guns were sold as a combo with a spare set of fitted barrels and fitted forend so you'd 28" general purpose barrels and 26" Skeet barrels. This from a time when Skeet was the big thing in the 1970s and everybody though that twenty-six inches was the length of barrel to use. The Americans, and others, for some reason called a half choke a modified choke. Same as they called an improved cylinder choke a skeet choke.

Thanks Enfield spares,

that sounds about right as they were purchased as a set around 1990 from a dealer in Lincolnshire. At that time I was in my early teens and just getting in to shooting clays and was struggling with lifting longer barrels, hence the 26” barrels would have suited me and the 28’s were a mainly a spare set for if/when I went game shooting.

I am now 6ft 4” and getting back into shooting, first some clays then hoping to get permission to shoot pigeons on the local farms, in your opinion will this gun be ok for practice clays and decoying & roost shooting?

 

[enfieldspares]

Twenty six inch barrels have fallen out of fashion and certainly if you tried to sell a gun with just those barrels it'd command a lower price than the same gun, identical, except for barrels of twenty-eight inches. For decoying and roost shooting it depends on how good you are.

I'm not very good so need as open a choke as possible. Yet some are so good that they can shoot Skeet with a gun bore full choke. So do you need the wider spread of the open chokes? Or are you good enough to use the longer barrels with the tighter choke?

The other relevant thing is the other side of the coin of the saying that the longer the barrels the nearer the bird. And that is that the shorter the barrels the nearer to your ear is the bang. Which will long term affect your hearing if you don't take precautions.

A Baikal is a good gun. There's snobbery that some will laugh but let them. I've had the odd Baikal in my time....I liked the 2 3/4" Magnum side-by-side....and they work and kill the target dead. I also own and shoot a Boss so let the scoffers scoff. I liked my Baikals.

My only worry would be that at 6' 4" (as I am) it is short stocked for you. To have it lengthened will cost the same as to lengthen a gun of a higher value. Your £100 Baikal will still be a £100 Baikal even after you paid £80 to lengthen that stock. That's your call.

But from a sentimental view you only ever have one "first gun".

And eventually if you ever have kids that becomes "Dad's first gun". And always will be. I'm lucky that my "Dad's first gun is a Henry Clarke 12 Bore boxlock ejector in its original leather case bought for my father in 1919 when he was twelve. My advantage? Maybe not!

The other long term outlook is that I'd have confidence that when it comes that with the chokes suitably opened out and the overall "OK" given by a competent gunsmith that it'd safely take suitable specification steel cartridges. My "Dad's first gun" won't. You have the advantage!

[wymberley]

2 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

Twenty six inch barrels have fallen out of fashion and certainly if you tried to sell a gun with just those barrels it'd command a lower price than the same gun, identical, except for barrels of twenty-eight inches. For decoying and roost shooting it depends on how good you are.

I'm not very good so need as open a choke as possible. Yet some are so good that they can shoot Skeet with a gun bore full choke. So do you need the wider spread of the open chokes? Or are you good enough to use the longer barrels with the tighter choke?

The other relevant thing is the other side of the coin of the saying that the longer the barrels the nearer the bird. And that is that the shorter the barrels the nearer to your ear is the bang. Which will long term affect your hearing if you don't take precautions.

A Baikal is a good gun. There's snobbery that some will laugh but let them. I've had the odd Baikal in my time....I liked the 2 3/4" Magnum side-by-side....and they work and kill the target dead. I also own and shoot a Boss so let the scoffers scoff. I liked my Baikals.

My only worry would be that at 6' 4" (as I am) it is short stocked for you. To have it lengthened will cost the same as to lengthen a gun of a higher value. Your £100 Baikal will still be a £100 Baikal even after you paid £80 to lengthen that stock. That's your call.

But from a sentimental view you only ever have one "first gun".

And eventually if you ever have kids that becomes "Dad's first gun". And always will be. I'm lucky that my "Dad's first gun is a Henry Clarke 12 Bore boxlock ejector in its original leather case bought for my father in 1919 when he was twelve. My advantage? Maybe not!

The other long term outlook is that I'd have confidence that when it comes that with the chokes suitably opened out and the overall "OK" given by a competent gunsmith that it'd safely take suitable specification steel cartridges. My "Dad's first gun" won't. You have the advantage!

True enough but not so much as it once was, but you'll soon see the advantage once you get yourself tucked up in a hide. Then it won't be too long before you realise also the advantage of two triggers. Again not too popular. Consequently, you should be able to sort out the slight disadvantage if the open choke turns out to be a little more open than you'd like at a reasonable cost.

[Westley78]

2 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

Twenty six inch barrels have fallen out of fashion and certainly if you tried to sell a gun with just those barrels it'd command a lower price than the same gun, identical, except for barrels of twenty-eight inches. For decoying and roost shooting it depends on how good you are.

I'm not very good so need as open a choke as possible. Yet some are so good that they can shoot Skeet with a gun bore full choke. So do you need the wider spread of the open chokes? Or are you good enough to use the longer barrels with the tighter choke?

The other relevant thing is the other side of the coin of the saying that the longer the barrels the nearer the bird. And that is that the shorter the barrels the nearer to your ear is the bang. Which will long term affect your hearing if you don't take precautions.

A Baikal is a good gun. There's snobbery that some will laugh but let them. I've had the odd Baikal in my time....I liked the 2 3/4" Magnum side-by-side....and they work and kill the target dead. I also own and shoot a Boss so let the scoffers scoff. I liked my Baikals.

My only worry would be that at 6' 4" (as I am) it is short stocked for you. To have it lengthened will cost the same as to lengthen a gun of a higher value. Your £100 Baikal will still be a £100 Baikal even after you paid £80 to lengthen that stock. That's your call.

But from a sentimental view you only ever have one "first gun".

And eventually if you ever have kids that becomes "Dad's first gun". And always will be. I'm lucky that my "Dad's first gun is a Henry Clarke 12 Bore boxlock ejector in its original leather case bought for my father in 1919 when he was twelve. My advantage? Maybe not!

The other long term outlook is that I'd have confidence that when it comes that with the chokes suitably opened out and the overall "OK" given by a competent gunsmith that it'd safely take suitable specification steel cartridges. My "Dad's first gun" won't. You have the advantage!

 Thanks enfieldsspares your response is very helpful and confirmed what i had already suspected i.e. that i need to consider an investment of some sort.

You are 100% right, as my first gun and a baikal it has a higher sentimental value than it does resale value and for that reason along i will probably just keep hold of it and look for something else for me to use rather than spending money trying to change. 

My dad has a classic s/s and as he is nearing 75 i assume that when the unfortunate time comes that will be passed down for me to look after and take out on the odd pheasant shoot in his honor. 

So at this rate my son (or daughter) could end up with a nice small collection  

Thanks again 👍

16 minutes ago, wymberley said:

True enough but not so much as it once was, but you'll soon see the advantage once you get yourself tucked up in a hide. Then it won't be too long before you realise also the advantage of two triggers. Again not too popular. Consequently, you should be able to sort out the slight disadvantage if the open choke turns out to be a little more open than you'd like at a reasonable cost.

Thansk wymberley,

I did think that the single trigger on my Baikal would be a drawback when out in the field, even more reason for an upgrade  😉