Hi All

I took a chance and bid on the rifle at Holts. Got it for GBP650 plus com. See link below:

I thought it may be a great way for my son to enjoy our BASA Shoots as he manages quite well with my 20ga Zabala sxs. At 10 years old and growing I think it's possibly a good intro to doubles.

Any comments?

Holts - Baikal 45-70

Be sure to load it down. These rifles kick!
Due to the thinner barrels they also heat up very fast. I couldnt even hold the barrels after firing two rounds from each barrel.
Plan on getting the rifle a trigger job and possibly better iron sights.

it needs a trigger job for sure.... i had the automatic safety removed when i picked up my rifle... i either carry empty , or don't load 'till i plan on shooting.... i shoot the 'springfield" loads.. 405 gr... and recoil is mild... it took 8 shots to "regulate"... i removed the thin metal filler rib for easier acess to the adjusting screw... so i could turn it more, easier... i scoped it with an older steel weaver... i used 3 of the weaver rings, designed for grooved .22's... so far, after over 200 rds, its still holding... ive removed the scope for iron sight shooting, and it goes back to zero after i put the scope back on.... i marked the top of the bbl's with a punch, for refernce...i get about a 3" overall group at 50 yds... the right bbl seems to be more accurate...

Congratulations! Or condolences, depends on how much your son enjoys it and how steep your learning curve becomes.

I hesitate to say "beginners DR" because they are pretty neat.

He will enjoy it, and it is a pretty good 100yd shooter.

Congratulations, and tell your son he has a pretty neat Father.

regards,

Rich

congradulations: nice sxs rifle for the money. a trigger job is a must. paramyd air has a 11mm base scope mount that is perfect for a scope mnt. [www.paramydair.com]you may also want to replace the hard recoil pad. regards

Thanks for the info, advice and congrats thus far!

I will not be scoping the rifle as this is not the style of shooting it will be applied to (Christopher has ample oportunity for that having taken 5 species with the .308 Win reduced already!)

It seems that the trigger and a general "slicking up" of the mechanism is what I'll require then?

Our BASA shoots are very close-up affairs with perhaps two or so shots maybe out at 80yds max.

Christopher has been using a .22 and sometimes a borrowed 357mag lever Rossi. He's been shooting about three years now, and recently has been doing his own thing with the 20ga on doves etc. quite nicely. This double looks to be very similar to the Zabala in size & mechanism (auto-safety included) so it should make for relatively easy learning curve.

I'm sure you guys have seen it before but here is a link to one of our shoots where he features towards the end of the video on the buffalo range. It's two years back so he's grown quite a bit since...

BASA Shoot

Trigger job would help but just taking off the stock and cleaning the crud out of the action works wonders. Recoil pad and screws are almost a must. I have the 30.06 and it is down right fun to shoot. Those barrels will get hot very fast. Use a shooting glove for left hand.