Whatever happened to Baikal?????

I have to agree that Baikals generally are solid performers. I've owned 3 of them for ranging from 20 years to over 10 for the most recent purchase. All 3 are SXS hammer guns of circa 1950's vintage, from the Tulka factory.

Again, I agree that these are workhorse variety guns - usually worth every penny of their modest cost. However, they are built by humans and not gods - some come with defects, they break, and they wear out, just like other mortals. Just this season, one of mine jammed at the worst possible time - just as 4 huns came up out of the grass. The right side hammer remained cocked, but the front trigger wouldn't move using any reasonable amount of force. And, the action wouldn't open.

Normally I'd be frustrated at the loss of the opportunity on the huns, but I'd fix the gun when I got home and not worry too much (I always bring a backup gun along on the hunt, anyway.). But, with a loaded hammer gun jammed in the cocked position, there's a safety issue driving home with the gun in the car. I didn't have any proper tools on board, so I had to take the lock off using the screwdriver on a Swiss army knife. This process required due care and attention because of the possibility the hammer might fall during the process. All went well and no accidental discharges occurred.

When I got the gun home and looked at what caused the gun to jam, I found that the hole in the trigger where the pin on which the trigger rotates goes through was worn or stretched. This allowed the trigger to rotate on the pin at an angle, rather than at 90 degrees to the pin as it should. This, in turn, allowed the trigger to get beside the sear where it jammed, instead of remaining under the sear and lifting straight upwards as it should. I haven't done the repair yet, but it won't be complicated. The experience hasn't made me swear off Baikals, but it has tempered my opinion. This is why I thought this thread could use some balance.

This being said, if anyone wished they could get a Baikal at the kinds of prices we would see before the embargo, I notice there are several at those kinds of prices at a Quebec online dealer who I can't name because they're not site sponsors.
 
Thought I'd just post a blurb from the net from another forum. Baikal is not a manufacturing plant, rather it is just a brand name.

During Soviet times, firearms exported from the Soviet Union came under two brands : BAIKAL and VOSTOK

Typically, the shotguns made by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (Izmekh) and the Tula Arms plant (Toz) came under the brand BAIKAL.

While the rifles produced by the Izhmash plant were labelled as VOSTOK.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union and the transition of Russia into a more market oriented economy, The Izhmekh factory adopted the brand name BAIKAL.

The Tula Arms Plant uses the brand TOZ.

Izhmash uses it's own name. The VOSTOK brand is no longer used.

As Humpty mentioned, they are all owned by the Russian government.

The websites are :

Izhmash : www.izhmash.ru The US importer is www.raacfirearms.com

Izhmekh : www.baikalinc.ru The US importer is EAA and the distributor is Remington

Tula Arms Plant : www.tulatoz.ru The US importer is www.ssmedwi.com

Another Russian manufacturer of civilian firearms is www.molot.biz . It's VEPR branded rifles are available in the USA (not available in Canada). It also makes shotguns that have not been exported yet to North America.

The producer of top high grade Russian shotguns is Tskib Soo. that company has been acquired by a well known military weapons makers (missiles, machine guns etc.). That company name is KBP. The wesite is www.shipunov.com . You can find the high grade civilian firearms somewhere in their website. During Soviet times, their guns were also exported as VOSTOK.
 
Lake Baikal is the biggest and deepest lake in the world, bigger then all the great lakes combined and accounts for over 20% of the freshwater on earth.
 
Izhevsk Machine (Izhmash) is now Kalashnikov Group; that information is a little old. That change won't make it easier to lift embargoes and import here, I'm afraid. Yep, this hammer double is an AK-47 variant, sayeth the firearms lab.!

Many people erroneously advertise their Tula guns as TO3 because it's actually engraved in Cyrillic. That's a zed, for TOZ.

(I'd take a Baikal over a TOZ any day...)
 
Although Lake Baikal has the most volume, area wise it is less than 1/2 the size of Lake Superior. Apparently Baikal is receding significantly.

I owned two Baikal O/Us, a 12 and a 410. Neither fit me particularly well.
 
eurovw said:
Although Lake Baikal has the most volume, area wise it is less than 1/2 the size of Lake Superior. Apparently Baikal is receding significantly.

I owned two Baikal O/Us, a 12 and a 410. Neither fit me particularly well.
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A bit off topic, but yes it's deep.
 
I have a 43KH 12 gauge external hammer gun, with hammer forged hard chromed barrels with interchangeable chokes, which does not have nipples like most external hammer guns. Also Baikal makes SXS hammer guns in which the external hammers are only used to #### the internal hammers.
 
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red_bailey said:
Izhevsk Machine (Izhmash) is now Kalashnikov Group; that information is a little old. That change won't make it easier to lift embargoes and import here, I'm afraid. Yep, this hammer double is an AK-47 variant, sayeth the firearms lab.!

Many people erroneously advertise their Tula guns as TO3 because it's actually engraved in Cyrillic. That's a zed, for TOZ.

(I'd take a Baikal over a TOZ any day...)
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Indeed. Specifically on Izhmash sports examples, their biathlon rifles are actually very nice (and in many ways the inspiration for the completely different Anschütz-Fortner actions but much simpler). Apart from original cold weather barrel performance concerns (Anschütz being better), their actions were very popular, especially for builds even in the USA, etc. They would be a lot more popular but lack of availability and parts means Anschütz is basically the only player in the game (less a handful of Izhmashs)
 
Winz said:
Indeed. Specifically on Izhmash sports examples, their biathlon rifles are actually very nice
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You don't have to tell me; I have a very nice Izhmash Biathlon 7-4 rifle, and I shouldn't say much about that here in the shotgun forum, haha.

Okay, just a bit! Anschutz are nice too, but after every Olympics you can see them advertise with lines like '90% on the podium were shot with Anschutz!' It's an easy statement to make when 99% are using them...

The 2014 Sochi Games, as I recall when watching it (by far the best Biathlon coverage we've had), had a field of 175 men and women. Three using Izhmash rifles, one other, the remainder Anschutz. The Izh shooters achieved a Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Which is 9% of the Medals, with only 1,7% of the competitors. The big brand got 91% not the 98,2% which their dominance should represent. (Many aren't using the standard factory barrels at this level of competition, though, and almost everyone uses upgraded stocks.)

[The Russian Olga Vilukhina was later disqualified with her whole RUS team for doping though...]
 
red_bailey said:
You don't have to tell me; I have a very nice Izhmash Biathlon 7-4 rifle, and I shouldn't say much about that here in the shotgun forum, haha.

Okay, just a bit! Anschutz are nice too, but after every Olympics you can see them advertise with lines like '90% on the podium were shot with Anschutz!' It's an easy statement to make when 99% are using them...

The 2014 Sochi Games, as I recall when watching it (by far the best Biathlon coverage we've had), had a field of 175 men and women. Three using Izhmash rifles, one other, the remainder Anschutz. The Izh shooters achieved a Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Which is 9% of the Medals, with only 1,7% of the competitors. The big brand got 91% not the 98,2% which their dominance should represent. (Many aren't using the standard factory barrels at this level of competition, though, and almost everyone uses upgraded stocks.)

[The Russian Olga Vilukhina was later disqualified with her whole RUS team for doping though...]
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(Also hijack)

Indeed, I concur. The problem with Izhmash biathlon rifles isn't their just OEM parts availability, but lack of available aftermarket barrel, parts options and etc compared to the Anschütz commonality. Don't get me wrong, I have a 1827F and yes, 3 different stocks over its life, but from it is unnecessarily complicated in bolt design by comparison. Technically the Izhmash has a faster locktime too. I might have to get a 7-4 just for sh!ts and giggles.

Russia's dominance in biathlon has faded in recent years (and apparently a huge topic of shame in the Russian public) and many Russian athletes (including the ones that represent other countries like Korea LOL) are also shooting Anschütz these days, but last weekend's Single-Mixed Relay in Oberhof was definitely a deserving win. As for watching it, several social media outlets stream IBU Worldcup live and you'll find it on Youtube as well. ;)
 
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I had a Baikal semi in 12ga and didn't like it. This sob was biting into my thumb every time I had to reload a round. Sold it.
 
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