Combo guns,

Anyone use a combo gun, ive been looking at one for quite sum time, and now there is a large influx of drillings and combos, into Canada, moastly 12, 16 ga over 7x57,7x65,9.3x74 or 5.6x52 (savage hi power)

Most of the last two years hunting, has been walking cutlines, ponds etc with the little dog, picking up ducks, grouse and now a couple deer,
Nearly always use a sxs 20 ga, but a rifle, would have been handy several times, for deer, bear, etc.

Just priced up a Fair combo, $2300-2800 for a 20/7x57R, $800 more for a set of U/o 20 ga barrels,
its $1500 for a extra set of rifleshotgun barrel,
Thinking about a second set of combo barrels, 22 Hornet over 20ga looks good, but .222, 223,5.6x50.243,308, 6.5x55,6.5x57 ,are all options.
With a nice big bonus due end of month, might drop the hammer on a new fair. Rather than gamble on a used drilling.
Already got 2 Fair shotguns, so very happy with the product line.

What you guys think, espically those who have spent sum time with a drilling or combo.

I recently got a Brno zh 204 combination 7x57r 12 gauge it also came with a set of shotgun barrels. It's graceful, easy to point and aim instinctively.
The sights are set for 100 m and 200 for the rifle with slugs it seems to be 50, and 100m the solids group about 8 to 10 inches at 100. So far it's only accounted for a goat some crows and magpies plus several rabbits. The flexibility offered with the shotgun barrel is great, separate pockets for solids, buck and bird shot plus the rifle means your options are wide open.
I like it but might look to getting a claw mount for a low power scope as the eyes struggle a bit with irons now.

seen them used here for wallabies.great idea as ofte nyou get a sitter at 150 yards and are carrying a shotgun.... BUT on public land a shotgun is a NO NO... so swings n round abouts.... I would love one. you could always drop an insert into .12ga barrel and it becomes a double rifle.

Don't know much about them (obviously), but like the idea. I assume you would be stuck with open sights if you wanted to use the shotgun barrel for birds in flight?

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Originally Posted by MB

Don't know much about them (obviously), but like the idea. I assume you would be stuck with open sights if you wanted to use the shotgun barrel for birds in flight?

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sights don't matter if using as a shotgun except if they obscure the target. If you are leading on a moving target.
Scope would be in the way big time but on a high end jobbie with decent QD mounts they can be taken on/off pretty quick

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Originally Posted by csmiffy

Scope would be in the way big time but on a high end jobbie with decent QD mounts they can be taken on/off pretty quick

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Not ideal for a snap shot, but open sights would be fine for that anyway I suppose. Something to ponder while I wait for my big lotto win and can buy a hunting estate.

I've got one, 12 x 12 x 7x65R.

It's shot deer, but mainly it gets used as a shotgun with the capacity to shoot pigs or deer while hunting pheasants.

The rear sight folds into the rib and you flick it up when it's rifle time.

I like it. However they are expensive, not as light as a shotgun and not suitable for extended strings of rifle fire as the barrel bends as it is attached to the shotgun tubes so heat is lost unevenly. Still better than carrying two guns.

DOC (Taupo at least) have said that they won't prosecute if I use it on DOC managed land as long as I don't have shot cartridges on me - it is considered a rifle in that situation.

The problem of the rifle barrel bending as it heats up is solved in the Tikka under/over (12ga/222Rem). The rifle barrel on the bottom is a floating design which maintains accuracy after several shots in a short period of time. I have had two of these combination guns and the rifle barrel shot to the centre of the shot pattern from the shotgun barrel, and was very accurate (5 shots in less than 3/4 inch at 100m). The trigger is also very good for a production gun: about 3lb weight with a slightly spongy feel but a crisp let off without creep. I have seen one of these guns with the chamber reamed to 223Rem.

I once had a Savage combination gun, 20g and 22mag rim fire. I mounted a Tasco 1.5-4 power scope on it. On 1.5 magnification shooting the shotgun with both eyes open was OK, it sort of disappeared in the sight line. Used it for walking about after rabbits and hares. Every now and then when lining up on a sitting target I would forget to select the rimfire barrel, a little toggle switch on the hammer, and get a surprise with the shotgun recoil. It wasn’t a very pretty setup, but worked well enough.

Yep I brought a tikka 12guage/222 many years ago still got it, barrels shot out but good enough for a few shots before it fouls badly and sprays bullets around.I put a 2-7 x 32 on it, the best thing about them you can use it on small game or bigger stuff just change shells. Mine strings shots a bit but first and second shots always on the mark. Very versatile and being single shot never hindered me once you get the hang of it, just stick a few rounds between your fingers.

For your purposes, give it a shot (pun intended). The BRNO over/under combo guns are very well made, very accurate, and criminally undervalued (seem to be selling for $600 in Canada on a low day and you could buy one any day of the week for $800. Canadiangunnutz usually has one or two on the equipment exchange, and a WTB add will bring in more). The Tikka's also seem nice, but that's just from looking at them.
For shooting one or two shots and then letting the barrel cook, BRNO combo guns are fantastically accurate, and that's exactly what they're made for.

My only real complaint is that they're complex internally, so if you tend to hunt in the rain/slush/much or push bush, you aren't going to quickly pull it apart to dry out/clean while in camp. One solution to that is to work a fine wax along all the wood-metal joints to keep the water out as much as possible, then pull the wood off when you get home, flush the metal parts out with a water displacing solvent, then re-oil with a penetrating oil, and leave it disassembled to drip dry.

I personally prefer the BRNO over/unders to drillings. Drillings are almost too nice for my purposes - they cost a lot, they tend to almost be delicate (with three barrels they tend to go lighter on barrel profiles, making them vulnerable to dents), and often they're more complex internally because of their design and value. If I were taking a casual walk around the farm or hunting from a stationary blind it would be ok, but I wouldn't want to seriously hunt with one. This is my view as a person who loves drillings, combo, and cape guns deeply :D

Side by side cape guns are also an option, but they never shoot as well as their equivalent O/U versions. They do look cool though and the big bores weigh close to what an equivalent sxs shotgun does. If you tend to shoot within 100m the deer never need to know that you meant to hit it 30mm to the left of where you did, especially when it's a cape gun in .577 or 50-70.

My dream gun would be something like the savage model 24 in 308 and 12 gauge - keep it very simple, lightweight, single external hammer with barrel selector in the hammer.

I hunted (practically every weekend for at least 3 years) with a Valmet 412 222/12ga combo - mainly wallaby shooting, I fired a lot of rounds of 222!

The 222 in the Valmet was an amazing shooter, extremely consistent at just on 0.6 moa. The combo was a tad heavier than a light bolt repeater but it never bothered me.

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Originally Posted by Tentman

I hunted (practically every weekend for at least 3 years) with a Valmet 412 222/12ga combo - mainly wallaby shooting, I fired a lot of rounds of 222!

The 222 in the Valmet was an amazing shooter, extremely consistent at just on 0.6 moa. The combo was a tad heavier than a light bolt repeater but it never bothered me.

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#2 or #BB in the .12ga???? my all time favourite load was winchester superX in either of those...

BB's. I chuckle a bit when I see your hunt stories, Hook bush and the farms between it and Otaio Gorge held a lot of wallabies in the early 80s. In the days before "dial-up" and rangefinders 300 M was a very long shot. I managed to snot a really big buck wallaby in the neck at least 250M downhill, in the presence of my wife to be. She reckons she wasn't impressed but we are still together nearly 40 years later . ...