Finally picked up my Baikal 9.3x 74 R after a four months wait. The rifle is a very plain no frills basic o/u double rifle with extracters and double triggers. The triggers are very heavy at the moment but this going to be addressed by a local gunsmith who has worked on several of these rifles with great success. The barrels are 24" long. The rear site is adjustable for windage and the front site is adjustable for elevation. There is a regualting device halfway along the between the barrels. Turn it clockwise and it moves the impact of the top barrel down and the impact of the bottom barrel up. I had the pick of five of these weapons that McDonalds Guns in Footscray, Victoria (03. 96871680)and got one with a reasonable bit of fiddleback timber in the stock. I would love to own a classic sxs but at the moment it is very hard to justify the expense, so I will enjoy using this rifle just as much until something better arrives.

At the range with some RWS 258 grain Factory loads and 12 reloads with 270 grain speer and 2209. The first 2 shots with the factory loads at 50 yards went into 1 3/4 inches. With this load at 100 yards the first 3 shots went into 3" and the fourth shot opened it out to 5".

The first 2 shots with reloads at 50 yards went into about 2". Increasing the load by 1/2 grain of 2209 the next 2 shots went into 1 1/4 inches. I did not have enough ammunition to play around with the regulating device . All shooting was done with a scope fitted.

Shot the rifle in competition the next day and went through about 60 rounds without a hitch and was very pleased with the performance. Now I have to get down to proper regulating the loads. I would like to be able to shoot the Woodleigh 286 grain projectiles for hunting and the 270 grain speers for competition. Will let you know how it goes.