I don't know about that one, but I'll let you know what my hunter friends think in South Africa, when I take one of mine back in a couple of months.
In many places in the world, Baikal has a reputation for good honest, reliable, robust guns. Admittedly- not the prettiest or the finest London finish, but reliable worked pieces.
I have shot many double rifles over the years, being left-handed they are far easier option for me, than cranking a bolt from the wrong side -especially when things are getting a little warm with several thousand pounds of incoming beastie. Ok, I was lucky that I grew up around side-by-side rifles and shotguns, and I find using them second nature.
I must also offer my heartfelt thanks for the gun buffs in places like America and Australia for keeping the interest in the old Nitro express cartridges alive.
I remember scrambling around trying to find suitable cartridges for my doubles, finding that most of them had been made in the 50s, and this was 20 or 30 years later. I have to admit 99% of them still went bang, thank God! It was the rising interest from such countries that kept the old gun companies going, and the reintroduction of so many classic cartridges -= Thank you.
I was also brought up to use iron sights, which are the classic option on double rifles. Although most of my shooting is what I would call close range stuff, -"Get as close as you can, then get 10 yards closer." Iron sights and a double rifle, can still be used out to a couple of hundred yards, and with the eyesight of youth (or glasses, and/ or corrective eye surgery, for us oldies) and good calibres, I have seen people use them effectively to stretch a little beyond this. No exact distances, as it is easy for a "Hunters yard" to be somewhat different from the official one!
I think more eyebrows will be raised at my choice of calibre, 45-70- than the rifle itself, a classic American cartridge, that is still pretty new in Africa. I'll also be interested in the reaction to the regulating turn screw. It will be interesting to see how the"zero"still holds in different heat conditions. I think for most medium sized African game it will be adequate, and what's more, it can happily live in the truck without leading such pampered life as some of my other doubles. This is what I got it for, a working double rifle that you are not afraid to get a few dings in the woodwork,etc. without upsetting your pension plan.
