bigbeno Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 I have an old baikel o/u with double trigger. 2 3/4 inch chambers and proofed to 3 1/4 tons per square inch it has 2 sets of barrels 28inch and 32 inch both choked 1/4 and 1/2 the steel shot are 2 3/4 inch cartridges and say 3 1/4 tons per square inch But my local gun dealer says not to use them in my gun because its old and i should buy a new gun. surley a 2 3/4 inch chamber proofed to 3 1/4 tons will take a cartridge of that spec wont it ? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxy72 Posted November 8, 2008 Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 not always ...... barrels that are steel proof have special lining ... like a chrome lining. ..... if u take ur gun to a gunsmith they can tell if the barrels are steel proofed or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattw Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 If the barrels are steel proofed they wll either have "steel proofed" stamped into them or they will have a fleur de leys symbol stamped on them. hope this helps Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 (edited) 1 1\8 oz steel is suposed to be safe to shoot through a 2 3\4 inch chambered gun , but I doubt if its realy suitable to fire any numbers of steel shells through such a gun unless it has been steel proofed. You should be able to use steel loads up to 1 1\8th oz in your gun provided its in good condition. However the presures are high in steel shells and if your going to shoot a lot of steel or if your gun is in poor condition then invest in a 3 or 3.5 inch steel proof gun. There are other non toxic shells you can use such as bismuth that should be safe in your Baikal , but they will cost you a lot more. Edited November 9, 2008 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 The biggest problem with steel shot is that it is not as compressable as lead shot . So if you shoot a heavy load shell the steel shot will not form to the barrel as well as lead shot and could cause a barrel burst in the extreme . Very light loads should be ok in your gun if the barrels are chrome lined . Otherwise extreme wear can happen because of the hard steel shot . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 I have a baikal IHZ-27"- one of my first guns is now over 20 years old and I have put hundreds of steel loads through it. reloads in steel & hevi shot too. They are a robust gun and you are fine putting any factory 32g 2 & 3/4"steel load through a 2 & 3/4" chambered gun providing the choking is not tighter than 1/2. That is not my words but those of the proof house when I went into it afte the lead ban..... If you want to be really sure and want to deffo use this gun send it off to the proof house and for 70 quid they will proof fire it with steel. If she's too tight just get the chokes opened out for about 25 quid a barrel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 I doubt if the old Baikal is worth £70 to send it to the proof house. In theory 1 1\8 oz in IC chokes are safe to shoot through a 2 3\4 chambered gun , but I found to my cost they are not in any numbers. A few hundred shook a brand new AYA no 3 to bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbeno Posted November 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 Thanks for the replys The barrels are chrome lined . I bought the gun second hand from a mate of my brother in law. Apparantly the gun has had steel through it previously without problem when he used to go wildfowling. I shall use it occasionally Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Baikals are built like the proverbial russian tank, My friend Chris has had one for the last 20 years and has fired countless steel shot cartridges through it. Whether that is strictly correct or not I cannot comment but it has not done it any harm. The crux of it is, if in any doubt don't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George1990 Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 The biggest problem with steel shot is that it is not as compressable as lead shot . So if you shoot a heavy load shell the steel shot will not form to the barrel as well as lead shot and could cause a barrel burst in the extreme . Very light loads should be ok in your gun if the barrels are chrome lined . Otherwise extreme wear can happen because of the hard steel shot . Harnser . Is it not that the lead is much softer, but steel rips up the inside of the barrels and ruins them if they're not steel proofed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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