Small-Scale all-around gun: The Baikal IZH-194 is a solid, economically priced take on the .22/.410 concept.

Although combination guns have long been popular in Europe as primary hunting tools, most of them--notably the Savage Model 24 and Springfield Scout--fall into the "utility/survival gun" niche over here. The Baikal IZH-94 is a solid, Russian-made .22/.410 that is both inexpensive and efficient.

It's the latest version in the IZH-94 combo lineup. As sort of a backyard "garden gun" for pest control, it would be ideal. And, come to think of it, the little hammerless rifle/shotgun would be a pretty good small-game gun as well.

The sample I got my hands on featured 23 1/2-inch barrels, which are probably longer than necessary, but the overall length--a hair over 40 inches--is pretty compact. The gun's got a couple of fairly interesting features. Pressing on a lever at the rear of the triggerguard breaks the gun open.

The huge, forward-canted, drift-adjustable rear sight sits atop a short, 11mm scope rail. The front sight screws up or down for elevation change. The rear sight, incidentally, is a square-notch Patridge type, which, as I found out, is quite effective. The gun also features a loaded-chamber indicator and a crossbolt safety. The sensibly located barrel selector is a relatively low-profile tang-mounted affair. The IZH-94 .22/.410 is ejectorless, so you can count on picking out those expensive subgauge hulls and .22 cases by hand.

Takedown for stowage and transport is quick and easy.

I shot the rifle barrel at 25 yards using the issue iron sights with Winchester Power-Points, Winchester Supreme Match and Aguila's heavyweight (58-grain) Subsonic ammo. The Power-Points and the Aguila stuff were pretty much on the money, both delivering five-shot groups at around an inch.

The Supreme Match loads impacted just a hair to the left and a bit low but with half-inch groups. The trigger, incidentally, broke at a reasonably abrupt 5 1/2 pounds--better than I expected, to be honest, from a combo gun.

The iron-sighted rifle produced good results at 25 yards using (left to right) Winchester Supreme Match, Winchester Power-Point and Aguila Subsonic ammo.

I then tried the shotgun barrel--with the Full choke tube installed--on clay targets, using 2 1/2-inch Federal Estate 7 1/2s and Winchester Super-X 3-inch 6s. After a few rounds, I managed to figure out that the lower barrel shot, well, low.

I checked it on paper, using the same point of aim and 25-yard distance I'd shot the .22 barrel with, and found that the the bulk of the pattern was nearly 10 inches low but pretty much on-line. But it was enough to make short-yardage aerial targets tough, particularly with those tall iron sights. Of course, with practice you could consistently break clays with the .410 tube, though I feel that it would be best employed for potting stuff--rabbits, ground squirrels and assorted pests--on the ground.

SPECIFICATIONS
Importer:	European American Armory
Action:	Break-open
Caliber/Bore:	.22 LR/.410 (3-inch )
Choke:	F, M, I/C tubes supplied
Barrel lengths:	23.5 in.
Overall length:	40.3 in.
Weight:	7 1/2 lbs.
Sights:	Drift-adjustable rear, elevation-adjustable front post (also features scope rail)
Stock:	Walnut
Finish:	Blued
Price:	$199

The .410/.22 setup, as far as I'm concerned, is ideal. Baikal/EAA also offers such combos as .30-06/12 gauge, but in my world I'm far more likely to be offered a choice between a 60-yard ground squirrel and a 25-yard cottontail than between a 150-yard whitetail and a rising pheasant.

The IZH-94 was stiff to operate at first, requiring considerable force to work the release lever and pop the action open and shut, but things got easier after a couple hundred openings and closings. One caveat: When shooting the .22 barrel, keep the barrels pointed down when closing the action. If you point 'em up, the .22 cartridge can slip out partway, and some serious case-mangling can occur if you shut the action in a hurry.

All in all, it's a solid, effective little import. It's a lot of "guns" for the money.