O/U on a budget

I have a bit of experience with several of the guns mentioned here. 11/2 yrs ago I bought my 15 y/o daughter a Baikal IZH-27 shotgun for YHEC sporting clays. The finish lasted about a month, the gun is difficult to close(very stiff), and we both love it! It shoots precisely to point of aim, is absolutely bullet-proof, and in several thousand rounds it has loosened up to a "normal" level. It has only cost me for TruOil, sand paper, and stain--now looks great. we have another kid in YHEC who has the same gun, but in 12 gauge, with similiar experiences--except he is shooting a lot of 23's with his. Because I did not find a Baikal with checkering that I could stand, when I bought my first O/U, I picked through a LOT of boxes to get my Traditions Field Hunter--the wood is nicely figured and well matched--And with the extended chokes this gun patterns really well. That said, it is NOT as strongly built as the Baikal, but the fit and finish is truely excellent. I borrowed a friends Ruger a few times for our club shoots, and think it is also a very nice gun--highly underrated. Stoegers do not fit me at all, but fit and finish is not bad, and these guns are strong, also---several of our YHEC kids have these. I do not claim that these guns are as nice as Berettas, Brownings, or Perazzis, but then they cost a lot less. The Traditions I have is very close , at least in appearance. And the Baikal will likely last as long as a Beretta......................Chuck

Thanks to everyone who responded to my query. I got a chance to handle some of the guns I mentioned at a gun & knife show this past weekend. The Huglus had the best overall appearance followed by the Stoegers. The Stoegers had very nice walnut stocks but the metal parts showed a lot of tool marks. The Baikals were utilitarian in appearance but looked to be and well made and strong. Since this will be a "working" gun and not a show piece I don't care too much about fancy walnut stocks or hand checkering and fancy engraving on the receiver. Based on the majority of favorible comments in this string and the fact that the Baikals have screw-in chokes (unlike the Stoeger) I have diceded to go with the Baikal just as soon as I can get the cash together. Thanks again for your input. --- Brettp.s.: Why does two-thirds of my post disappear when I attempt to use the Spell Check function?

Chuckd- You will need a few decades to check if your guess is true if the baikal will hold up as well as a beretta. I really doubt it if my experience is common to the brand. I bought one in 28 ga. about two years ago, and it was the first one my dealer had. He experienced some trouble putting it together, and I believe in the process, I think he damaged the the ejector tabs. If you look at them, they are not a robust design. they are very tiny, and the top barrel didn't eject. Soon after the bottom barrel stopped ejecting, and I noticed the tab had worn down. It may have been the fault of the dealer, but thisseems to be very fragile. I don't need ejectors, so I just kept shooting it. Nothing else broke in two years, but I sold it. It would be a good idea to pick one up and shoulder it if you are considering buying one. The pistol grip has a very long reach, and takes some getting used to.