I don't have any of the Baikal SxSs, but I do have several of their IZH-94 series of O/U combination rifles.
So maybe this is a little OT, but I'd assume that the fit & finish are probably similar across all their models.
The .22/.410 is pretty much junk. Awful regulation, poorly placed controls, poor sight picture.
The .22/20gas are the nicest /rimfire/ combination guns I've had.
The centerfire/12gas are alright, probably the second nicest non-antique /centerfire/ combinations I've had. They have a (primitive) mechanism to adjust the regulation, which is nice. The Valmet 412 is a far better gun though, is easier to find, and doesn't cost all that much more.
All of them were very very tight when new, to the point of having to be broken open over one's knee. A little polishing of the bearing surfaces and then some break-in fixes that, though.
The wood is surprisingly decent on all of them but the .22/.410. Walnut, with actual cut checkering. All (that I own) but the .22/.410 have a bit of cast-off for right handed shooters, but the amount seems to vary slightly.
All have a very unfortunate rear sight. On the ones I use, I remove it and cut a crossways dovetail in the scope rail to accept the aperture bit of a Williams unit. I screw in an aperture when hunting, and then remove it and use the body as a ghost ring when shooting clays or the occasional duck.
I seem to recall reading somewhere that one model of their SxSs (I don't remember which one ) use the same receiver as the SxS double rifles, so that could make for some interesting options with barrel sets. The SxS double rifle barrels had a jack screw to adjust the regulation, something I wish they'd carried over to the IZH-94.
All of these guns were banned from import to the US, though, due to being a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov concern. The IZH-94s are really hard to find now, and I assume that parts will eventually be a problem for the other guns, even though they are still a little easier to find.
In summary: Typically Russian. Rough and heavy, but built like a brick outhouse. Russian engineer: "Ez beeg. Ez ugly. Ez gud!"
Last edited by Mr. Polecat; 05/13/18 09:44 AM.
