RE: Side by Side shotguns
I shoot CAS (Cowboy Action Shooting), so a good shooting unrefined SxS is necessary, 100rnds a day isn't a terrible load for some matches, and practice usually requires more than that...I've had two stoeger uplanders and now have a Baikal (EAA) IZH 28"...I actually prefer my Baikal...the Uplanders I had were double triggers, which I prefer, and this one was too, until I swapped them for the selective trigger in my Baikal Coachgun-a little do it yourself gunsmithing/machining was required-now I can't complain at all about the IZH.
As for quality, it's not hard to tell that the $300 and under SxS's aren't in the same class as say a Ruger Gold label or the like, but they do what they're meant to do-THEY SHOOT, and do it well. The Baikal balances better for me, mine is only a 2 3/4" chamber, which doesn't hurt my feelings-no sense in using heavier loads for competition anyway, and I've never really been sold on the NEED for a 3" shell over a 2 3/4" for upland game, or even ducks and geese-I've hunted them all my life with a 2 3/4" J.C. Higgins 12ga.
The finishes on the stoeger and the Baikal aren't really pretty, they're not ugly or uneven, but they don't glow like more expensive guns, and the wood isn't real high grade stuff, but for an economy class shooter, they're great...I actually really like the way my wood looks on my 28" baikal, it's a little different finish than my other one, but I think it's pretty cool, definately has the "rustic" look that I'm looking for in CAS.
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"When you tell a fellow to go to hell, you had better be sure you can get him there."--LBJ
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