The other end of the spectrum

Generally when I read about Doubles they are high end guns and in most cases out of reach for many of the average working guys. Its taken me ten plus years of wanting one to be able to buy a real one. I tried over the years and had to satisfy my self with a double barrel muzzleloader and a shotgun with barrel inserts.

A few years ago the Bakail's hit the US market. At first they were just the O/U's that looked vaguely Valmet 412-ish and were 30-06, 308, and 223. There was lots of talk about SxS guns coming in 45-70 and 30-06. The Remington "take-over" of imports from EAA seemed to have ended the SxS's for awhile at least.

Now the 45-70 and 30-06 SxS's are available for well under $1000. The O/Us are usually under $500. To be clear they are crude, usually on par with the Bakail shotguns; but they have a certain charm, kinda like a T34 tank. In this case the price point has a quality all its own. They are owner "regulated" by a jack screw which moves one barrel into position to match the other.

I have just purchased a SxS 45-70 and 30-06. The beauty of these guns is that I wont be afraid to take them to the field when the weather is bad. I havent had a chance to get them to the range YET and play with "regulating" them. The 45-70 is limited to standard velocity ammo; but that should be fine for Deer, Boar, and Black Bear. They use a grooved rail for scope mounting (think a .22LR grooved receiver), which may be an issue finding rings or as easy as tapping for a Weaver mount.

I've owned the "Remington" Baikal/ IZH side by side rifles for about three years now and can only say that I am very happy with them both. The regulation is a little touchy because only one barrel regulates to the fixed barrel. That took a few boxes of ammo to figure out.

The triggers are harsh to say the least but a minimal investment of time and polishing really improves them. Any gunsmith can do the job or you can do it yourself with a little time and effort.

Accuracy is okay, I intended the 30-06 to be a nice back up that I could work the dense brush with and it has been great. The 45-70 has been a great drive gun, so no complaints.

I mounted a red dot to the 30-06 with CZ 527 rings, that for some reason seem like they were made specifically for the IZH. No complaints what so ever. I use the same rings on the 45-70 and have mounted both a large scope and a light weight reflex sight. No issues with wither configuration.

I say congratulations on your choice and purchase. These are fun rifles that work as advertised. I've had absolutely no complaints.