Well lads, I'm caught no longer.
I've finally made my decision and it's sprung from a number of factors.
Firstly, after my successful testing session at the range on Saturday I decided I didn't really need another rifle in the 7mm/308/8mm range as the 8mm Mauser project rifle I've just finished is shooting really well.
Even if it goes down I have another perfectly good medium to big game rifle in my T3 9.3x62.
That means going for a big bore.
My next consideration was whether I was happy to plump for a double of sound workmanship but limited performance and lower grade quality or for a single shot that was top grade but cost more to feed.
In the end I've decided not to buy the Baikal 45-70 and for a few reasons.
Paul said he would be reluctant to spend that much on what is effectively a very cheap double and I was already wondering about that.
The Baikal also has significant pressure limits and won't even handle lever action loads which means although you can use all the cool pointy 45 cal pills the rifle won't push them fast enough to get them to expand.
You end up with a double that isn't really powerful enough to shoot dangerous game and yet the smaller pills it can shoot to a decent velocity have shocking ballistic coefficients.
In a word a bad compromise for the sort of game I chase.
So that left me with the rifle that actually didn't make it into the poll.........the Ruger No1H in 450/400 NE.
Up until a phone call yesterday it looked like an expensive proposition to shoot on a regular basis.
But through a bit of research I found out that Ruger and Hornady's current bore size for the '400 is .410" cal.
That opens things up considerably.
Most US bullet companies make a 210gr jacketed pill for the 41 Rem Mag, 41 AE and other pistol cartridges and there are many lead pills also in this cal.
There are even some Aussie bullet makers looking at making pills for .41" cal.
I reckon with the right load they could turn into a REALLY fun plinking and small to medium game load.
And if I feel like it I can even get into casting my own 41 cal gas checked pills for a faster cheap pill.
There's no getting around the cost of the brass but, like the Lapua stuff I bought for my 9.3mm, it will be good quality and with reduced loads will last until the far side of forever.
Moreover it will be an attractive and distinctive rifle that will hold it's value for many years.
So, having made up my mind I ordered my Ruger this afternoon and put a deposit on it.
The store reckons it won't come in for a few months because the distributors are lazy but I can wait.
It will be mine..........
Have fun with that. It'll need a nice NEG rear aperature or a good 1-4x leupold though.
