Gratuitous Gun Pic: Combination Guns

Double-chambered rifle/shotgun combination guns were popular during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, and while I can see the desire for such a type of long gun, I’m really not so sure of its actual utility.  Here’s an example of what I’m talking about, from Merchant Of Death Steve Barnett, a Borovnik 20ga/7×57 Mauser:

Look, it’s a beautiful old piece, and it happens to encompass two of my favorite cartridges in one handy package.

But it’s only one round per barrel, and if I know anything about hunting, it’s that a rapid followup shot is often necessary.

But a shotgun (even a slug) round, followed by a rifle bullet?  Or vice-versa?  (One can elect which barrel shoots first, simply by using the applicable trigger.)  I’m trying to think of the situation which would fit the purpose.

I can see a double rifle in 7x57mm and, of course, a double-barrel shotgun in 20ga;  but mixing up the two seems to be one of those situations where the gun does one or the other functions well, but is somewhat wanting when it comes to both uses.

This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t want to own a combo like the above, of course:  it’s a work of art, and very desirable.  I just can’t see taking it into the field.

Or am I missing something?

5 comments

  1. Great post about a lovely combination gun, Kim. Thanks.

    Combination guns, like that Bockbüchsflinte in the post and like Drillinge (three barrels), have a long tradition in German-speaking countries. I think it is linked to the rules on who can hunt, and what the hunting seasons are.

    Hunting rights are tied to land ownership, or are leased to non-owners for extended periods (the minimum being 7 years, iirc). This means one hunter, and may an occasional guest, will be out walking around his patch. Partly this is to hunt, partly it is to make sure no-one else is tempted to poach there.

    A lot of the walking around and sitting, observing, on high seats, is about managing the biotope and being familiar with the game on it. Identifying which animals to cull when open season comes around, and figuring out where the buck or stag with the trophy head is to be found, where the animals with weak genetics are, and which are the good animals that should be allowed to breed. The hunter, on his patch, is invested in identifying “his” beasts and in selective shooting.

    The utility of the combination guns in that situation is that one might not know what the quarry is going to be until one sees it. Cull that buck with the button antlers (rifle work), or shoot a hare or a pheasant for the pot (shotgun barrel)? Smell lovage, or hear grunting? You have wild boar nearby – put a slug cartridge in the shotgun barrel, now you have a double rifle for short range work.

    Another non-negligible factor is that your guns have to be licensed over here. If the Ordnungsamt says you can have only three long arms, buying a combination gun lets you cover two or three uses with a single slot on your ticket.

    Just to add. Combination guns are not an exclusively European phenomenon. The Savage Model 24 and its variants is a fine, workmanlike example. I have a few, and am still looking out for one of the 12ga/.308Win models. In my opinion, a 20 gauge/ .243 Win version would be a splendid combination, but I don’t think it has been made yet. I might have to build my own, one if these days…

    Thanks, and all the best. Denis

    1. An excellent comment too, and very informative about something I heretofore knew little about.

      I have the best Readers on the Internet.

    2. Denis, you are echoing the thought of a friend of mine who has a German drilling in 12ga/222. He loves to turkey hunt, prefers to call them close for a 12 ga shot, but if they won’t come close, he owns them out to 150 yards with the 222 if he can see them. He has also bagged some coyotes with the 222 and an occasional deer with the 12 ga.
      Zwillings and drillings seem to be a German best-kept secret.

  2. Back in my FFL days, I sold a Savage Model 24 to a friend of a friend. IIRC, it was 30-30/12GA. Turned out this friend was high up in the chain of command at Vandenburg AFB. As a federal reservation, they set there own hunting regs, and they had fur and feather seasons that overlapped.

  3. Always wanted a Model 24 in .222/20 ga. Found one a few years after I quit looking. Go figure.

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