Purchasing my first 12g

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Gabriel1

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Hi everyone I'm currently looking at possibly buying a used sabatti classic 12g o/u. For 370$ and was wondering if that was a good price. I'm getting into clay shooting and am in need of a 12g. I have a very small budget nowhere near the 1000$ it would take for me to get an new one. Hense why i. Looking at used ones so i was wondering if I should get it Or will be more trouble then it's worth. I can't find much info about this gun online tbh. And was hoping maybe people here could give me the info I'm lacking before I decide on if I drive the 1h away to go get it.
Here is the info I have on the firearm.
Imp. Mod. & Imp. Cylinder chokes (interchangeable),Extractor, trigger selector on the thumb safety. Didnt put the dimensions but I can if anyone needs them.
 
Intersurplus has a pile of Sabatti shotguns, including the Classic model. Its worth noting that a lot of them have mechanical problems. If you go this route, pay a premium and pick one in very good shape (tight on face, top lever right of center, etc.) Warranty?
Otherwise, buy a Baikal. BTW - your budget is very limiting as far as getting a half decent over and under.
 
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At the risk of sounding negative, clays guns need to be reliable for high volume shooting, and parts should be readily available. And given the cost of shotshells and clays , your budget isn't going to last you long shooting clays. I would be saving up for a while, and settling for a reliable pump or semi auto, rather than rushing into an O/U, of unknown quality.
 
cosmic said:
Intersurplus has a pile of Sabatti shotguns, including the Classic model. Its worth noting that a lot of them have mechanical problems. If you go this route, pay a premium and pick one in very good shape (tight on face, top lever right of center, etc.) Warranty?
Otherwise, buy a Baikal. BTW - your budget is very limiting as far as getting a half decent over and under.
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Intersurplus is where I was looking since they are located semi near me. As for a baikal I'd never heard of them. I'll take a look at what intersurplus has in stock. As for warranty intersurplus has a 30day return policy.
 
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stubblejumper said:
At the risk of sounding negative, clays guns need to be reliable for high volume shooting, and parts should be readily available. And given the cost of shotshells and clays , your budget isn't going to last you long shooting clays. I would be saving up for a while, and settling for a reliable pump or semi auto, rather than rushing into an O/U, of unknown quality.
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My budget is just for a year before I move. I just want a 12g I looked at the semi-autos and found some but all a lil pricier then I was willing to pay on a hobby I'm only starting to get into šŸ˜…. I went to the range with a single shot 410 full choke cooey so I feel like any 12g will be better then that tbh.
 
Baikals are kinda crude but they rarely fail. There are no parts available for them but if one were to break just buy another.
Theyre cheap and very common.
I used a sxs baikal as a main gun for clays for over 10 years
Bought it for 375 and sold it for 350 after over 85000 rounds. They will be choked tighter than most and the bores will likely be hard chromed
If on a tight budget it would be a high consideration for me or a used quality pump like an ithaca 37 or rem wingmaster or mossberg 500
The wood version of the 500 is much nicer than a maverick 88 for clays
 
Most important is fit.

Second I would say is interchangeable chokes as you only said "clay shooting" & depending on the game, Skeet, Trap or 5 Stand etc, having chokes you can change is beneficial...

If I was on a tight budget I might opt for a pump 12 ga with choke tubes... I shoot Skeet regularly with a Browning BPS because I find it fun!

Cheers
Jay
 
Gabriel1, Brybenn is giving you very good advice. At this stage of your hobby, don't sweat about chokes (entire generations did very well with fixed full chokes, and never thought anything of it). Fit is important, but almost anything made between the 1940s and 1970s (and maybe a bit later) will be one-size-fits-most and well manufactured. Get a sturdy second-hand gun (another vote for the Ithaca Model 37 pump), for somewhere south of $400, and start having fun. Later on, you can always upgrade.
 
Stephen Nash said:
Gabriel1, Brybenn is giving you very good advice. At this stage of your hobby, don't sweat about chokes (entire generations did very well with fixed full chokes, and never thought anything of it). Fit is important, but almost anything made between the 1940s and 1970s (and maybe a bit later) will be one-size-fits-most and well manufactured. Get a sturdy second-hand gun (another vote for the Ithaca Model 37 pump), for somewhere south of $400, and start having fun. Later on, you can always upgrade.
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For a decade I shot everything with my old baikal sxs choked full and fuller. Used my mossberg 535 for steel loads for waterfowl. It was all I could afford at the time and as my budget expanded I added to my collection but still went back to that baikal. Only sold it to fund another purchase

An added bonus was when I missed I could always blame the russian gun. Hard to blame a flagship beretta for such misses
 
Gabriel1 said:
Thanks everyone for the advice it was greatly appreciated after much deliberation I purchased this one https://intersurplus.com/collections/over-under-o-u/products/baikal-ij-27e-ic

Baikal o/u with adjustable comb.I can post pictures when I get home I can't wait to go out and shoot more clays!
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Those cracks will need some attention. Id epoxy a threaded rod thru the wrist to secure it. Someone with a bit more woodworking ability than me can help with the forend
 
brybenn said:
Those cracks will need some attention. Id epoxy a threaded rod thru the wrist to secure it. Someone with a bit more woodworking ability than me can help with the forend
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I'm fairly comfortable with my wood working ability I was going to use a syringes to inject wood glue into the crack then clamp it over night. My main fear is I don't get enough coverage with the wood glue since I can't spread what I can't see.
 
Gabriel1 said:
I'm fairly comfortable with my wood working ability I was going to use a syringes to inject wood glue into the crack then clamp it over night. My main fear is I don't get enough coverage with the wood glue since I can't spread what I can't see.
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Don't forget to relieve a bit of wood where tang meets stock if there's any direct contact. That's a punishing thump from even a target load. That one would benefit from a drill and pin repair from inside the stock. I use 1/8 " dowel, drill a 9/64 hole.
 
I took the gun apart earlier and couldn't get a needle into the crack it's too even when I try to spread it I'm unsure how to do the "plug repair" without it clearly having been drilled in. So for now I'm going to clean the gun and give it some tlc1000002591.jpg
 

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Arcosdad said:
Don't forget to relieve a bit of wood where tang meets stock if there's any direct contact. That's a punishing thump from even a target load. That one would benefit from a drill and pin repair from inside the stock. I use 1/8 " dowel, drill a 9/64 hole.
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By relieve a bit of wood do you mean not to over tighten it or do you mean a light sanding? Or do you mean after the repair?
 
Gabriel1 said:
By relieve a bit of wood do you mean not to over tighten it or do you mean a light sanding? Or do you mean after the repair?
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I mean during the repair with the action separated from the stock. You will see pressure points, some look hammered or shiny. Depending on where, you could use a Dremel with sanding drum, or possibly a jeweler's file. To drill in, you'd need to take the action off the stock. You could also pin it from the top without removing the action but you would see it. Not the end of the world.
 
Arcosdad said:
I mean during the repair with the action separated from the stock. You will see pressure points, some look hammered or shiny. Depending on where, you could use a Dremel with sanding drum, or possibly a jeweler's file. To drill in, you'd need to take the action off the stock. You could also pin it from the top without removing the action but you would see it. Not the end of the world.
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Action is out of stock hear are pictures from the inside the one where the crack shows the most I was actively pulling them it open (not with much force just 2 fingers)
 

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Gabriel1 said:
Action is out of stock hear are pictures from the inside the one where the crack shows the most I was actively pulling them it open (not with much force just 2 fingers)
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Yup, looks like the usual suspect on the tang crack for sure. There's a good YT channel with stock repair vids called thecinnabar8442...you could tune in for hints.

You can very carefully spread a crack like that using leverage with a bar with the main stock clamped ( padded!) in the vice.. it's a heart stopper at times when you hear the wood crackle! I prefer to just pin...less stressful!
 
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