Thougth I might share here a few pictures of the Baikal Izh-54 that was made to be presented at the 1967 World Expo in 1967... but didn't quite make it there.
The gun was engraved by Leonard Vassev, one of Russia's best engravers of all times, but was ruined at the case hardening stage. Due to air exposure, the action was covered with a layer of soot - and to make matters worse, the hardeners tried to hide their screwup and remove the ugly stuff on a sandwheel. Here's how one person's backbreaking labor can be ruined in a split second by someone else's failure.
Photos by Mikhail Krechmar. For more details of the gun and its drama (but not more pics) see my blog
