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Help with baikal choke / shot type


zar_
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Hello,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm looking for a little help, if possible.

I've a Baikal 27-EM.

I've used this for rough shooting around the farm, but have been invited out to some duck shooting.

Haven't done much with it tbh, am more of a rifle shooter.

My smooth bore shooting to date has been mostly point and shoot, with about as much thought as that.

Is there a choke in this gun? If yes/no, would this impact duck shooting? Does it really matter?

Am shooting in Ireland, so not sure if the steel / lead shot issue is in play here (will of course ask before I go out).
Is there a way to tell on the barrel that the gun is ok for steel shot? Have only been using lead to date.

The gun is just a couple of years old. Was one of the last in the dealer's stock, as he said it was hard to get them now due the sanctions.

PXL_20250111_191139909.jpg.5ec175ea5ce39db7eac342d31604d8be.jpg


Thank you in advance!

 

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I don’t know a great deal about Baikels, but a close up photo of the muzzles would give us an idea if it’s fixed choke or multi choke. If it’s the former however, no one can say for definite what that constriction is, unless it’s stamped on each barrel of course with a series of stars like this: * near the breech under the fore-end. 

It will be more than capable of handling steel shot, if you don’t fancy putting HP through it just use standard steel. It’ll be fine. 

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All older Baikals were choked,and as I remember had chrome lined barrels. You could push a cleaning rod with a cloth patch and see how tight it gets near the muzzles. If you have a digital caliper you can measure the muzzle diameter,half choke would be about.709” if the bore is .729”,full choke about .689”

Edited by TOPGUN749
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Thank you all.

There is a stamp of

18.4(0)

18.4(0)

On the side of the bottom barrel near the breach. This is hidden by the fore stock, apart from the (0)s. So I guess this means unchoked?

Definitely not a multichoke - there are no threads or inserts that I see.

Its a cheap shotgun, but she fires when you pull the triggers and the kick isn't as bad as I had feared it would be.

Good idea about the measuring, I'll stick the calipers in the barrels tomorrow.

Thanks for the help and welcome, this is the first time I've had to ask a question but you've answered many of mine before, I've just been able to find other people asking them first.

 

Edited by zar_
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18.4 is the measurement of the bores equal to .724 inches. So half choke should measure approximately..704” Full choke.684”. Baikals are tough guns and standard steel cartridges (70mm) will be ok up to half choke certainly.

Edited by TOPGUN749
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59 minutes ago, TOPGUN749 said:

18.4 is the measurement of the bores equal to .724 inches. So half choke should measure approximately..704” Full choke.784”. Baikals are tough guns and standard steel cartridges (70mm) will be ok up to half choke certainly.

Thank you.

She is a quite a rough gun, you really have to snap her open for the extractors to work, and snap her closed for the lever to come back.

Have done some clays with her, and you'd know you were working it.

Was too gentle with her when I got it first and thought it was broken!
 

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7 hours ago, zar_ said:

Thank you.

She is a quite a rough gun, you really have to snap her open for the extractors to work, and snap her closed for the lever to come back.

Have done some clays with her, and you'd know you were working it.

Was too gentle with her when I got it first and thought it was broken!
 

Sounds like "she" is still breaking in, perseverance is the way forward and a photograph of all the barrel markings under the breech should allow us to see if there is much choke in your Baikal.

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I think I may have found the relevant stamps on the barrel.

Does this refer to the chokes?
PXL_20250112_113923229.jpg.80b3c7419ba8584bc9525291a6ce2830.jpg

 

I also found this, which I presume is maximum load?
PXL_20250112_114024029.jpg.870597a41b5acd270d4f59d568e02503.jpg

I measured the barrel. Its a cheapo calipers, so may be a little out. Didn't have a clamp so the gun was also moving a bit
1993534941_Screenshot2025-01-12at12_00_25.png.d9050cfa9a0807b2b038558bbf3ba033.png

 

824180122_Screenshot2025-01-12at12_00_34.png.60dd5eb7334b1d9ded561e6df0db8090.png

PXL_20250112_113951479.MP.jpg

PXL_20250112_113940634.MP.jpg

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Looks like Improved Modified in the top (3/4) and Improved Cylinder in the bottom (1/4). It’ll be fine for standard steel if you don’t fancy putting HP through it, which personally I’d have no qualms about.  
The 0.75 and 0.25 are the constrictions expressed as percentages. 

Edited by Scully
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5 minutes ago, Scully said:

Looks like Improved Modified in the top (3/4) and Improved Cylinder in the bottom (1/4). It’ll be fine for standard steel if you don’t fancy putting HP through it, which personally I’d have no qualms about.  
The 0.75 and 0.25 are the constrictions expressed as percentages. 

Thank you.
 

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2 hours ago, zar_ said:

I think I may have found the relevant stamps on the barrel.

Does this refer to the chokes?
PXL_20250112_113923229.jpg.80b3c7419ba8584bc9525291a6ce2830.jpg

 

I also found this, which I presume is maximum load?
PXL_20250112_114024029.jpg.870597a41b5acd270d4f59d568e02503.jpg

I measured the barrel. Its a cheapo calipers, so may be a little out. Didn't have a clamp so the gun was also moving a bit
1993534941_Screenshot2025-01-12at12_00_25.png.d9050cfa9a0807b2b038558bbf3ba033.png

 

824180122_Screenshot2025-01-12at12_00_34.png.60dd5eb7334b1d9ded561e6df0db8090.png

PXL_20250112_113951479.MP.jpg

PXL_20250112_113940634.MP.jpg

The markings mean.25mm of choke (equal to 10 thou) and .75mm (equal to 30 thou) Quarter and three quarters.

16 hours ago, zar_ said:

Thank you.

She is a quite a rough gun, you really have to snap her open for the extractors to work, and snap her closed for the lever to come back.

Have done some clays with her, and you'd know you were working it.

Was too gentle with her when I got it first and thought it was broken!
 

 

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I’d put any cartridge through up to 3”, I have a similar gun but a little bit newer.  But the choice is yours when it comes to your own risk.
However you don’t need high pressure steel for ducks, standard steel would work fine. 

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Well then, time to get some cartridges shot through the old girl and see what your shoulder can stand.

Get some ordinary Steel (soft iron) cartridges and see how many duck you can bring down.

Good luck.

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