It may have been my post from a while back that people read about the Baikal. I was going to get the Savage combo but really wanted a more powerful caliber than .30-30. Plus I wasn't thrilled about the Savage's fixed choke. I'm darn glad I waited! I got the IZH-94 in 12 gauge and .30-06. Awesome firearm for the price (low-$400) and the rifle patterned under 1 MOA, *way* more accurate than I expected. Plus it comes with 3 interchangeable chokes (one of these days I'm going to drill the stock out to hold the chokes plus some ammo) and you can get more chokes including extra-full 'turkey' chokes and a rifled chokes that stabilizes slugs when exiting the barrel. <br>http://www.eaacorp.com/flash/high.html<br><br>I prefer the 12 gauge over the 20 gauge simply because of the huge variety of specialty shells available including flares. Some examples (including some weird ones...)<br>http://www.allpurposeammo.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.100.exe/shop/12ga.html?L+scstore+lbww9242ff410541+1041514920<br><br>I also found some accessories that make the Baikal (or any other weapon) even more useful as a survival firearm, namely in space and weight savings on ammunition. Little skeeters shotgun gauge adaptors, originally used to handicap on the skeet range, allow you to use 16ga, 20ga, 28ga (my favorite for overall performance and weight saving) and .410 as mentioned in other posts. In addition, these smaller gauges also kick far less and don't ruin as much meat if you have to shoot close up.<br>http://www.littleskeeters.com/<br><br>In a similar vein, there are also adaptors for the rifle that let you use other .30 caliber loads through the .30-06 barrel. As pointed out, most survival hunting is going to be for small game and the .32 ACP pistol cartridge is perfect out of the .30-06 barrel. It is somewhere between a .22 and .22 Mag in energy and hits with a heavier bullet. Recoil is negligible and the noise is pretty low as the round is subsonic. If you want to go after slightly larger game but not hit it with the full .30-06, there is also an insert for .30 Carbine or you can even get an insert for 7.62x39 if you want to approximate .30-30 ballistics. And, in the remote chance you're in bear country, you can even buy the uploaded Hornady Light Magnum load with several premium bullets for the .30-06 that approximates .300 Winchester Magnum ballistics. That and a shotgun slug should do you against any predator, four- or two-legged. <br>http://www.hornady.com/<br><br>I know, really remote chance of having to use such items, but this site is about preparing for remote chances, right?!