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Here is a copy/paste of my range time with the Baikal. Please take note that I have never owned a double rife before, some of my terminology and thinking may be incorrect.

Well, I shot it. I put about 60 rounds through it today. I did all my shooting at 50 yards, standing up and resting my for end hand on a sand bag. I shot 4 shot groups, Right,Left, Right Left bbls without letting bbls cool.

First thing I shot was some very light 150g loads (55g H4350 and a Ballistic tip)that I had made up a year ago. My fist group was not so good my second one was the best of the day, about 1.5". The gun actually regulated well with those loads. Both bbls went to about the same horizontal area but there was a bit of vertical spread. The average group was about 3" and about a foot left of center.

Then I shot some factory Winchester 165g Power Points. This is where things went for s**t. After firing the first two shots I had a hard time pushing the lever over to open the action. I noticed that the primer from the left bbl had quite a big pucker mark where it had flowed into the firing pin hole. The mark is not just around the firing pin but actually raised into the hole. It seems the pins do not remain out after firing, they pop out then go back in. This allows the primer to flow into the hole. I fired to more shots and again had a hard time opening the action. The group was well regulated, the left bbl slightly to the left and the right a little to the right. The group was about 3".

I had a box of Winchester 180g Power Points so I shot those. I fired 2 shots and when I went to open the gun I had a hard time moving the lever. I looked at the Face and saw that the bbls had been pushed off face. I opened the gun and saw the primer pucker mark again. I shot one shot through the Crony, it was 2730 from the 23.5" bbl. I stopped shooting factory ammo. It is too hot for this gun, not that the pressure is to high from the factory loads just that the gun cant handle the regular pressure from the 30-06 . I seriously doubt that the gun would last long shooting loads of normal pressure. I guess it would shoot off face very quickly. I also noticed that the safety would not move to the safe position if the right bbl was uncooked. To put it on safe I had to push the right trigger forward then the safety switch would slide. I know for sure that it worked fine the day before. ARGHH

I then shot a load of 53g IMR 4350 with a 165g Hornady. I had the OAL at 3.210 It seems this gun does not have much free bore. The gun shot a 3.5" group again regulated well. The right bbl printed over the left, making a square. The gun opened normally.

I shot 55g load with the Hornady. It made a nice 1.75" group except for a high flier from the right bbl opening the group to 4" Gun opened normally.

Next was a 57g load. The left bbl shot left and the right right. The group was a 5" square. The qun did not open easily but was not as bad as the factory loads. But still too much pressure!!

I then went home and made up a bunch of 53g loads with the 165g Hornady since it worked ok. I wanted to adjust the jack screw so I turned it 5 clicks towards the butt. It crossed the bullets by 4.75" but at least they were on the same horizontal plane. I began to turn the jack screw back to where it was set before. I moved it a few clicks at a time then shot, then moved it some more. The left bbl did not move much, an inch or two but the right would really move around. I brought both bbls back together so they printed on top of each other again. The left bbl seemed to move quite predictably but the right did not do so well. I quite often had a high flier. BTW the right bbl is the floating bbl and the left is the fixed bbl.

I then shot some light 180g loads, 49g IMR 4350 with a Hornady Interlock BT. I measured this at 2360 FPS These bullets crossed by 6" Normally a heavy bullet will shoot wide of each other, and I saw it happen with the 2 180g factory loads I shot. But due to the low velocity and light recoil these bullets crossed. I adjusted the jack screw, turning it towards the muzzle to bring these bullets together. I ran out of shots and they were crossing but only by 2" Also all the bullets were on the same horizontal plane except one high flier from the right bbl again.

I shot some 180g Hornadys with 51gof IMR4350 at 2430FPS. These bullets regulated perfectly with were I last left the jack screw set . The increased recoil stopped then from crossing like the last load did. Also there was always one high flier from the right bbl to spoil each group. Without that right bbl flier I had 3 shots into an inch, but some times that right bbl (it would be the first shot one time then the second one the next) would print high and opened the groups to 2 or 3"

-So here is what I know. This gun cannot handle factory 30-06 pressure. I don't believe the loads to be over spec pressure I just think the gun cannot handle it. Mid range hand loads only.

-There is something wrong with the safety now, probably needs to get looked at.

-The jack screw works but is quite touchy. Looking at the end bbl band, there is a lot of room left to move the Right bbl towards the left, meaning that I could probably get 200g bullets to regulate (Heavy bullets shoot wide causing you to bring the bbls closer together) To bad I wont be able to load the 200g up to a reasonable velocity.

-The Right floater bbl keeps shooting fliers high. There is room for the bbl to move side to side as the jack screw adjusts it. Unfortunately there is also some play up and down. I can actually see a little gap between the bbl band and the bbl right on the top side of the bbl. I would guess if I could tighten up the bbl band to close that gap and stop the bbl from moving up and down the high flier would go away.

-The gun shoots terribly to the left, I needed to bring the rear sight all the way over to the right to get it on the paper.

-Last but not least YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!! I don't think the 30-06 is a good Idea in this frame. Mine doesnt seem to be able to handle it. The 45-70 would be much better suited to this rifle.

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