When Remington stepped in to take the Baikal agency over from EAA for the USA, I knew that we were going to end up with an overpriced product. Like it or not, that is Remington's way of doing things and after a particularly bad experience with a box of 8mm Mauser Remington manufactured ammunition that I bought in Wisconsin three or four years ago, everything that I have seen from that company has only been becoming worse. It is sad to see this happen to a company that did make decent guns in the past but that is besides the point.

The Russians make cheap guns for the most part which are sturdy and serviceable in their country's extreme environmental conditions. That said, as many far more knowledgeable members than I have pointed out here, none of these guns are meant to be modified beyond what the Russians wanted them to be. At $ 1000 this is still a reasonably priced gun though I do believe that the end of hunting season sale in the Spring of 2009 would be the best time to pick one of these rifles up if someone is seriously interested. Right now, these guns are new to the market and they will command a premium because some people "must" have them. I do think that the rifles will become popular in the future, and, once they are more widely available, dealers will no longer be able to charge a premium on them. Members here have bought EAA O/Us from CDNN Investments for $ 279 plus shipping. Considering that the SxS configuration probably sells at some slightly higher premium, whoever waits long enough should be able to get these rifles new at half their current retain price in the future. That is what they are worth and there is no need to expect Holland and Holland or even Spanish gun quality from Baikal.

Let's learn to be patient, gentlemen!

Don't we do that sitting on tree stands in winter? This requires waiting longer but we can do it in the comfort of our own homes.

Weidmann's Heil, everyone!