Hi there, as my handle says, I am a fan of the combinations gun. Trouble is, where do I post about them? So, given that the title of this particular forum is fairly generic, I felt it was safe to post here.
I just took possession of my first combo gun on Friday. I bought a Baikal MP-94 "Sever" in 22lr over 20 gauge (3"). I'd been looking for a Savage model 24 for so long that I'd finally given up, especially with the prices of them now being so high. I think they have certainly priced themselves out of my wish list. Some guys are asking $900 or more. So, I moved on and and my research led me to Baikal. Specifically, I wanted a .22 over 20 gauge for versatility as a good all-round bush gun for both large and small game. Looking around on the internet, I discovered that while there are a few retailers around the country selling the "sever", there is also quite a range of price. Some as high as almost $800. Finally, I contacted Baikal Canada and found that they will sell direct. They were great to deal with by e-mail (very prompt in their replies) and did exactly what they said they would do, even sending me a Canada Post tracking number. I received the gun in six days after placing the order. Best of all, though, they charged me $650.00 incl tax and shipping. Compared to other vendors, I thought that was quite a deal!
Now, the gun itself. First impression was when I took the box from the lady at the Post Office. I was surprised at how light it felt. The gun is shipped broken down into its three main pieces. The box contained the gun, plus the instruction manual in both Russian and English, two additional screw-in chokes (M and IC (a full choke was already installed in the firearm)), and a choke key. I found it very stiff putting it together and working the break action after was stiff too, although the manual does mention it is stiff at first and that it will break in. That aside, it feels very solid and robust. The metal parts are blued, while the chamber and barrels are chrome-lined. The wood can be beech, walnut, or birch. The one I received is walnut and wonderfully dark (beautiful colour). The wood stands out a little proud from the metal parts, but not so much that it's bothersome. The grip has a sharp cutt checker (as does the forestock), and is quite slender in the hand. There is also a nice contour for the heal of the thumb to sit in, which made it very comfortable (it's on both sides, so leftys are OK, too). The gun needed a good clean as its innerds were covered in factory grease. A good wipe down/pull-through and some CLP did the trick in five mins or so.
The Sever has two triggers, the front one discharging the lower shotgun barrel and the rear one for the upper .22 barrel. There is a tang safety (very shotgun-esque), but I am used to that on my SxS. It comes with fairly simple front and rear iron sights. The foresight post is adjustable for elevation by screwing it up or down. It is rather exposed (no protector/s). The rear sight is a simple v-notch that can be adjusted for windage. The gun comes with a 11mm dovetail for additional sight attachments. My plan is to find a set of see-through rings so I can use both my iron sights and a scope.
There is an integral sling attachment to the shotgun barrel at the front and on the stock at the real. It comes with a Baikal soft-ish rubber butt pad sporting the Baikal logo.
I took it for its first outing this evening for around four hours. It carries quite nicely in the hand. The point of balance is just in front of the trigger guard and I found I tended to carry it closed and by my side in one hand. I had tried carrying it open like a break-open shotgun, but found the .22 round fell out twice while negotiating rough ground. So I closed it and ensure the safety was on (it goes on automatically). My only gripe is the edges on the bottom of the receiver could be a little more rounded for comfort in the hand (but then I was carrying it for a long time). I found a little clearing and stuck a small leaf, not much bigger than a quarter, on the bark of a stump. I paced out 25 yards and took a three shots. The first round hit low right on the leaf and the other two rounds hit just to the right of that. I was pretty happy with that as a first time impression. As the sun was going down I started to head back to my truck. I followed a game trail along the edge of the woods and spooked a grouse up into a tree. Once I saw where it had gone (about 15 yards), I used the shotgun with a no. 7 shot shell and dropped it out of there. Pretty happy with that. It really felt just like using my SxS. It came up so naturally and felt good throughout.
My next step for this gun is to get a .30-30 rifled insert manufactured for the shotgun barrel (I have it on order). The insert will be an 18" barrel. Placed inside a PVC tube in my backpack, that barrel will add an entirely new dimension to this gun. It will truly be an all-rounder. As I said above, I can add a scope due to the dovetail provided. I've heard that dovetails are not the most stable mounts, but it is what it is. I'm doing my homework now, but really just want a 100 yard scope, small, low-profile and nothing that is either going to dominate the aesthetics of this gun or break the bank. I was thinking of maybe a little 1-4 x 20mm, similar to the AR scopes. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be very interested to hear (read) them. As I have no illusion that I will be able to use the scope for both the .30-30 and the .22, my plan is to sight the scope in for the .30-30 at 100 yds, then sight the open sights (via the see-through rings) for the .22 at 25 yds.
One thing I'm really looking forward to is learning the true versatility of this gun. Considering I can put any kind of shotshell or slug through it, plus .30-30 and .22 ammo, I doubt I will stop finding things to do with little gun for quite some time. I am also thinking of asking the same guy who is making my .30-30 insert to make me a 6" extension for the shotgun barrel (making it a 29-inch barrel for water fowl etc). As long as it fits nice and snug like the chokes, there should be no issues with it.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share. If anyone wants any specifics, let me know. I'll probably add to post this once I've patterned it with various loads, etc.
I just took possession of my first combo gun on Friday. I bought a Baikal MP-94 "Sever" in 22lr over 20 gauge (3"). I'd been looking for a Savage model 24 for so long that I'd finally given up, especially with the prices of them now being so high. I think they have certainly priced themselves out of my wish list. Some guys are asking $900 or more. So, I moved on and and my research led me to Baikal. Specifically, I wanted a .22 over 20 gauge for versatility as a good all-round bush gun for both large and small game. Looking around on the internet, I discovered that while there are a few retailers around the country selling the "sever", there is also quite a range of price. Some as high as almost $800. Finally, I contacted Baikal Canada and found that they will sell direct. They were great to deal with by e-mail (very prompt in their replies) and did exactly what they said they would do, even sending me a Canada Post tracking number. I received the gun in six days after placing the order. Best of all, though, they charged me $650.00 incl tax and shipping. Compared to other vendors, I thought that was quite a deal!
Now, the gun itself. First impression was when I took the box from the lady at the Post Office. I was surprised at how light it felt. The gun is shipped broken down into its three main pieces. The box contained the gun, plus the instruction manual in both Russian and English, two additional screw-in chokes (M and IC (a full choke was already installed in the firearm)), and a choke key. I found it very stiff putting it together and working the break action after was stiff too, although the manual does mention it is stiff at first and that it will break in. That aside, it feels very solid and robust. The metal parts are blued, while the chamber and barrels are chrome-lined. The wood can be beech, walnut, or birch. The one I received is walnut and wonderfully dark (beautiful colour). The wood stands out a little proud from the metal parts, but not so much that it's bothersome. The grip has a sharp cutt checker (as does the forestock), and is quite slender in the hand. There is also a nice contour for the heal of the thumb to sit in, which made it very comfortable (it's on both sides, so leftys are OK, too). The gun needed a good clean as its innerds were covered in factory grease. A good wipe down/pull-through and some CLP did the trick in five mins or so.
The Sever has two triggers, the front one discharging the lower shotgun barrel and the rear one for the upper .22 barrel. There is a tang safety (very shotgun-esque), but I am used to that on my SxS. It comes with fairly simple front and rear iron sights. The foresight post is adjustable for elevation by screwing it up or down. It is rather exposed (no protector/s). The rear sight is a simple v-notch that can be adjusted for windage. The gun comes with a 11mm dovetail for additional sight attachments. My plan is to find a set of see-through rings so I can use both my iron sights and a scope.
There is an integral sling attachment to the shotgun barrel at the front and on the stock at the real. It comes with a Baikal soft-ish rubber butt pad sporting the Baikal logo.
I took it for its first outing this evening for around four hours. It carries quite nicely in the hand. The point of balance is just in front of the trigger guard and I found I tended to carry it closed and by my side in one hand. I had tried carrying it open like a break-open shotgun, but found the .22 round fell out twice while negotiating rough ground. So I closed it and ensure the safety was on (it goes on automatically). My only gripe is the edges on the bottom of the receiver could be a little more rounded for comfort in the hand (but then I was carrying it for a long time). I found a little clearing and stuck a small leaf, not much bigger than a quarter, on the bark of a stump. I paced out 25 yards and took a three shots. The first round hit low right on the leaf and the other two rounds hit just to the right of that. I was pretty happy with that as a first time impression. As the sun was going down I started to head back to my truck. I followed a game trail along the edge of the woods and spooked a grouse up into a tree. Once I saw where it had gone (about 15 yards), I used the shotgun with a no. 7 shot shell and dropped it out of there. Pretty happy with that. It really felt just like using my SxS. It came up so naturally and felt good throughout.
My next step for this gun is to get a .30-30 rifled insert manufactured for the shotgun barrel (I have it on order). The insert will be an 18" barrel. Placed inside a PVC tube in my backpack, that barrel will add an entirely new dimension to this gun. It will truly be an all-rounder. As I said above, I can add a scope due to the dovetail provided. I've heard that dovetails are not the most stable mounts, but it is what it is. I'm doing my homework now, but really just want a 100 yard scope, small, low-profile and nothing that is either going to dominate the aesthetics of this gun or break the bank. I was thinking of maybe a little 1-4 x 20mm, similar to the AR scopes. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be very interested to hear (read) them. As I have no illusion that I will be able to use the scope for both the .30-30 and the .22, my plan is to sight the scope in for the .30-30 at 100 yds, then sight the open sights (via the see-through rings) for the .22 at 25 yds.
One thing I'm really looking forward to is learning the true versatility of this gun. Considering I can put any kind of shotshell or slug through it, plus .30-30 and .22 ammo, I doubt I will stop finding things to do with little gun for quite some time. I am also thinking of asking the same guy who is making my .30-30 insert to make me a 6" extension for the shotgun barrel (making it a 29-inch barrel for water fowl etc). As long as it fits nice and snug like the chokes, there should be no issues with it.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share. If anyone wants any specifics, let me know. I'll probably add to post this once I've patterned it with various loads, etc.
