How's it going folks. I have the chance to purchase a Baikal 12ga O/U, I'm kicking the idea around as I've been wanting to start shooting skeet (and/or trap) and my current shotgun selection is limited for this sport. My 2 pumps are setup for slugged deer hunting and the other is under the bed. My one semi-auto is a 20ga and well, a semi-auto (don't want to hit folks on the line with empties). My NEF single shot is being setup right now for Turkey and 'could' be setup for skeet/trap with only a choke tube swap, BUT the hi-vis red dot front sight may not work as well on a bright sunny day.
So I've been kicking around on getting an O/U. I'm not quite prepared to spend the $1,200+ to get a good one, so I know there would be downsides to getting a start-out lower priced O/U. The only other option is to borrow something to try out at the line, I've heard horror stories of folks dropping borrowed Citori's, cracking stocks, and families being in feuds for years from said incidents.
So I'm looking at different low-cost starters. How does the Baikal, Russian made 12ga look? The one I'm looking at has an intact forarm, the stock was slammed into a wall and cracked badly so that will need replacement, and the internals have yet to be tested. I'll have the chance to do that before even making an offer. The estimated asking price is a song, so I'm considering it.
What sort of experiences have any of you had with the Baikal O/U? Or.... did you have experiences with another O/U that you'd say "Try this one, it's not expensive (or it's a good used option)".
So I've been kicking around on getting an O/U. I'm not quite prepared to spend the $1,200+ to get a good one, so I know there would be downsides to getting a start-out lower priced O/U. The only other option is to borrow something to try out at the line, I've heard horror stories of folks dropping borrowed Citori's, cracking stocks, and families being in feuds for years from said incidents.
So I'm looking at different low-cost starters. How does the Baikal, Russian made 12ga look? The one I'm looking at has an intact forarm, the stock was slammed into a wall and cracked badly so that will need replacement, and the internals have yet to be tested. I'll have the chance to do that before even making an offer. The estimated asking price is a song, so I'm considering it.
What sort of experiences have any of you had with the Baikal O/U? Or.... did you have experiences with another O/U that you'd say "Try this one, it's not expensive (or it's a good used option)".