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Baikal info.....any experts on here please


Diver One
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I've just been given a Baikal 12g SxS

i cannot see any model number on it anywhere, just the serial number C1646

can anybody shed a light as to its age from the serial number, please?

ill try to resize and post some pics to see if anyone can identify it

 Thanks  in advance IMG_3679.JPG.ae0ceda8d7f62dca1dae6d57ab003011.JPG

 

 

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1 hour ago, Vince Green said:

good gun, I have always like Baikals. I bet it handles and shoots better than you could ever have expected

Looks 70s or 80s. The C refers to the place of manufacture I believe. Later 7 digit numbers the first two numbers are date.

It's having its first day out on Sunday !

. I may take the stock off and give it a refinish. It stands me at a bottle of JD, so no loss

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Its an IZH26 which was produced as a successor to the IZH54 as a slightly cheaper to manufacture model. The straight joint between action and stock confirms this. If you open it you will find it has ring set strikers which make replacement easy, should it ever happen. Inside it has V springs rather that the later coil springs on the IZH58 and later on the IZH43. Its a quality box lock which will serve you well. There is a picture of my IZH26 in the SxS section on here which shows it as a magnum 2 3/4" but this was something they did at the time,,,,sometimes ! Its worth checking that the chokes havn't been trimmed down to open them up instead of getting them properly honed out. There should be some cross hatching on the end of the barrels if they are not cut down.

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16 minutes ago, Velocette said:

Its an IZH26 which was produced as a successor to the IZH54 as a slightly cheaper to manufacture model. The straight joint between action and stock confirms this. If you open it you will find it has ring set strikers which make replacement easy, should it ever happen. Inside it has V springs rather that the later coil springs on the IZH58 and later on the IZH43. Its a quality box lock which will serve you well. There is a picture of my IZH26 in the SxS section on here which shows it as a magnum 2 3/4" but this was something they did at the time,,,,sometimes ! Its worth checking that the chokes havn't been trimmed down to open them up instead of getting them properly honed out. There should be some cross hatching on the end of the barrels if they are not cut down.

Thanks...the knowledge base on here is amazing!

there is still cross hatching/engraving on the end of the rib. I will look a barrel ends tomorrow as it's all tucked up for the night n it's new home. My drop in brass choke gauge gives it as 3/4 and full

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There is a chance that I am completely mistaken about the model and on closer inspection it does indeed look like an IZH54 !! . Have a look at the trigger plate,just in front of the trigger guard. Does it have some Russian letters followed by 54 ?. When you push the top lever over does a "pin" protrude from the left hand side of the action just in front of the lever( a Greener cross bolt) ?. If so then this really is an IZH54 and is very desirable indeed. The action innards are  made to a high standard, not just machine pressings and the overall quality and balance I find perfect. Don't worry if the chamber is on the slack side and cartridges may rattle a little. They were made for paper cases used in foul Russian weather and this goes some way to prevent them sticking. As to the chokes, its a pretty tight bore, around .722 to .724 so they will be near to half and full. If you find that the gun suits you then it may be worth opening the chokes to 10 and 20 thou. under bore size for a really versatile game and pigeon gun. Mine runs at 5 and 18 thou. under bore size and does all I want it to.

 

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The Greener cross bolt confirms it, you own an IZH54 !!. You mentioned re-finishing the stock. As this is an Anson and Deeley type box lock removing the stock is a little more involved that the typical later Baikal system of a through bolt. Unless you are desperate to see inside the action it may be easier to try a sympathetic stock re-finish in situ, keeping a little of the patina of nearly 60 years use. Good screwdrivers and plenty of Plus-Gas and patience will get it apart. If you need a blow by blow description of the disassembly process, don't hesitate to ask. Another small point is that you can de-cock the gun without the need for snap caps by opening the action-push the safety forward-gently pull both triggers simultaneously and close the gun. Its now uncocked, as the indicators will show. This is a page from the slightly earlier versions owners handbook without the ring set strikers but identical in every other aspect to give you an idea of the inner workings.1301837488_IZH54actionimage.jpg.46f05015b1a9afad8ad634f546980fe5.jpg

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@Velocettedo I take it that an IZH54 is a good thing then?....sounds like it might be

 cannot find anything near the trigger guard

heres a few more pics

IMG_3696.JPG.444ac51b1c4d3f199445d9e992c97648.JPGIMG_3702.JPG.76aec953e946352e516eab48ca0242b2.JPG

3 minutes ago, Gordon R said:

I never cease to be amazed at the expertise on here, but my expertise meter has just gone off the scale. 🙂

I knew today was going to be a good day . Went to read my mums leccy meter and the digits were my Date of Birth!

Side pin

 

IMG_3699.JPG.3793d567207bf16e8a0de6197c99921c.JPG

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This just fascinating now, very similar to mine but not quite, so,,time for the big guns. have a look at this website and contact Aleksei with your pictures and he will be able to tell you all you need to know about your gun. He really is the authority on Baikals and is extremely helpful.

Aleksei Morozov's page | The Sporting Bookworm's Hermitage: Where books are old, and guns are art, and hunting is for conservation. (wordpress.com)

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1 hour ago, Velocette said:

Here are some images which seem to be the same as your gun.

https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/a-izh-54-in-the-house-a-sweet-old-russian-gal.357204/

That does look the same as mine.......and my serial number pre dates it 

also in the right "light" mine seems to have 1963 engraved on it which would tie in with the BNP proof markings of PB in the cross swords indicating  a date of 1964.

shot it yesterday and it shoots and handles very nicely. It appears to be choked at 3/4 and full which is a bit tight for my level of accuracy so I am thinking of getting them opened up to 1/2 & 3/4.  I think the sympathetic stock restoration could well be a no goer as it has some very deep scratches on it, along with a lot of dried BLO or similar at the action/stock margins. However it looks like a pain to remove the stock. I've taken trigger guard screw out and the concealed one behind which goes through to behind the safety. Removed the one through the Bakelite pistol grip 'crown??'.  Looks like there are more behind the plate and this is where I get twitchy having not done one like this before. Googled Anson and Deeley action/stock removal and it may be above my pay grade

I have also emaile Aleksei and Baikal to see if they can shed anymore light on it. Bit weird as I cannot see any markings on the sides HOWEVER all the serial numbers are the same...action, barrels, forend all have c1646 on them

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Taking the stock off isn't too tricky for the gentleman amateur, just a little fiddly to re-assemble. First, take off the fore end and remove the barrels.  Remove the two screws from the bottom of the action, in front of the trigger guard followed by the one you have seen under the rear of the trigger guard. Push the top lever to the right and remove the screw underneath it. The stock may feel loose at this point but first you need to gently tap out the trigger plate from action using a thin piece of dowel or brass rod through gaps in the action flats. If you hold the action with the firing pin holes towards you, below them in the gap down the centre of the action flat is the place to tap. If it hangs up at the stock end, again a gentle tap with a thin rod through the screw hole behind the safety will release it. I made a drift out a a short piece of bicycle spoke. The trigger plate should drop free now and the stock will come off. Its worth keeping a note of the location of the two screws under the action as these will be timed to fit exactly. The pistol grip plate is purely for decoration and can be replaced after restoration. Re-assembly is largely a reverse of what happened first, with a degree of fiddling to get the safety operating parts in place. I wouldn't worry about that now, just get the stock to your satisfaction and we can talk through the process in detail. As a last resort we could meet up and I'll willingly show you how its done. Its a scarce and interesting gun you have there and worth keeping in good fettle.

If you do get the chokes opened out, make sure the gunsmith measures the bore first and opens them up in your case to 20 and 30 thou UNDER bore size. If they assumed .729 as the standard bore you would end up with each barrel at least 5 thou more open than you wanted as the Baikal barrels are pretty tightly bored. Mine has a nominal bore of .710 and an actual size of .715 !

Edited by Velocette
addition.
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Thanks for that. My local Gunsmith ( that I Got this from ) is going to whip the stock off for me, to save any unpleasantness. 

There are a couple of pretty deep scratches on it and a few dings. I was thinking of using Slippery D's finish as I have used It before.  However I believe the stock may be Beech and have read  there could be issues with this finish onto bare Beech? Any thoughts?

I could use Tru Oil ( achieved a nice finish on my 725 Sporter with it )

in either case case I don't know if the stock will need darkening /staining a bit first?

 It f so, water or spirit based stain?

questions, questions, questions

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There probably as many ways of finishing a stock as there are members on here, but, I have used this method with Baikal beech stocks. After sanding down, steam the dents and scratches out with a damp cloth and soldering iron. I stained the wood with a water based walnut dye (bought as a powder from the bay of E) mixed quite strongly to give a fairly dark finish. Sand this down to flatten all the whiskers.  I then started the process of dressing it with a mix of 50% boiled linseed oil, 40% proper turpentine and 10% alcanet? oil. Lots to start with lightly sanded in with 400 wet and dry and let the oil/dust slurry fill in the grain. Leave to dry for a few days then repeat until you find life is no longer worth living. Its ready then !  Alternatively, tru-oil may be a lot quicker and easier. The main thing is that the  walnut dye does seem to give a reasonable finish on beech. If you cannot find any, PM me and I'll pop some in the post.

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Hi I’ve owned a few Baikal shotguns over the years. My first brand new gun was a Baikal single shot my brother and my self bought from l think it was called Freeman’s catalogue in the late sixties. I owned side by side and over under Baikal.I bought a new single shot in the early eighties, when it arrived by post my friend commented you should bin the gun and keep the box it will be worth more than the gun in a few years. A few family members did well with this gun as I did with the first one. Reading this about Baikal shotguns l remember l kept the box and instructions and it lasted just as the guns do.

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9C60506B-997E-4075-BE61-4CD95375EB5E.jpeg

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