Combination gun options?

0faustus0

0faustus0

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
44   0   0
Location
Off the river, on top of the hill
I am looking to acquire a combination gun ... I am fixed on a 12ga with chokes for one barrel ... and preferably a 30-06 for the second, but I am flexible there as long as it is a big game cartridge that can take moose, bear, etc ... and is effective to 200 to 300 meters ...

I prefer to buy new and I am willing to import .... so I am wondering what the options are out there?

Budget? Lets say CAD $3000.- to $5000.- ....

1.) Has anybody any suggestions?

2.) Has anybody any real experience with a combination gun in a "big game" caliber?
 
Looking forward to the responses to this, I have a bit of a thing for combo guns but the ones I own are at the lower end of the price range.

I have chiappa and savage for small game (22lr & 410), a baikal in 223/12ga and a cz in 308/12ga for medium and big game.

I must confess to never having taken any game with any of them though lol
 
I like combo guns, I have savage 2400 (made in Finland) in 12/308 and love it.Another advantage of combo guns is you can buy barrel inserts for the shotgun barrel to make it more versatile for exam ample I have a krieghoff extra quality insert barrel in 22mag.These barrels can be regulated to the iron sights or scope and if you fit them to your extractor you can remove the barrel and install it again without rezeroing it.I also have a savage four tenner insert which gives me the 410 option.Combo guns can be versatile like a jack of all trades but not a master of none meaning they are not a dedicated bird gun etc

image.jpg
 
Last edited:
Look to Baikal, CZ, Chapuis, FAIR, Rizzini, Zoli, these all have Canadian representatives. Most European makers feature these guns, they are very popular everywhere except North America. Almost all the Italian makers except Beretta and Perazzi supply these guns and some would be in your price range. Some high end German and Austrian makers represented here as well with much higher prices. These are expensive guns to make and regulate and quality definitely counts. I ordered a Heym 7x57R ( 7x57 rimmed) and 20 ga 3" from West Germany almost 40 years ago and have been using it ever since for anything fur or feather, grouse to moose and it is the most useful, versatile and satisfactory allround hunting gun I've ever owned. So much so that over the last ten years or more I have sold all my other rifles except one that I keep mostly for sentimental reasons. I prefer rimmed cartridges for these for the simplicity and reliability of the extractor used. For big game think 6.5x57R, 7 X57R, 7x65R, 7-30 Waters, 30-30, 8x57R, 9.3x74R, 45-70 and a few others. Some used ones sometimes show up, frequently in obsolete calibres. Mounting a scope can be an expensive undertaking so be sure to check this out when researching a specific gun. Some of the least expensive offerings such as Baikal and older BRNO models are heavy and somewhat clunky, better quality guns weigh and balance like a good field model over/under shotgun. In the past makers with American names such as Browning and Winchester 101 have made fine versions of these guns and they show up used once in a while. Have fun, J.
 
chasseur said:
I like combo guns, I have savage 2400 (made in Finland) in 12/308 and love it.Another advantage of combo guns is you can buy barrel inserts for the shotgun barrel to make it more versatile for exam ample I have a krieghoff extra quality insert barrel in 22mag.These barrels can be regulated to the iron sights or scope and if you fit them to your extractor you can remove the barrel and install it again without rezeroing it.I also have a savage four tenner insert which gives me the 410 option.Combo guns can be versatile like a jack of all trades but not a master of none meaning they are not a dedicated bird gun etc

image.jpg
Click to expand...

Very nice looking gun !
 
I like the "idea" of combo guns, just not the reality of combo guns... I have owned a few over the years and keep selling them, because they are awkward and heavy to carry and really don't do justice to either cartridge... if I want to hunt small game at the same time as big game, I just carry a slingshot or sub-500 pellet pistol, along with a rifle better suited to the big game species I am pursuing, for me this is a better option.
 
hoytcanon said:
I like the "idea" of combo guns, just not the reality of combo guns... I have owned a few over the years and keep selling them, because they are awkward and heavy to carry and really don't do justice to either cartridge... if I want to hunt small game at the same time as big game, I just carry a slingshot or sub-500 pellet pistol, along with a rifle better suited to the big game species I am pursuing, for me this is a better option.
Click to expand...

That’s a good idea, I haven’t used a sling shot since I was a kid, I’m going to try this. Thanks!
 
There may or may not be two Brno in the EE right now in combos.
They are a fun gun to shoot...they are more a stalking rifle for big game or hunting from a raised blind..European style hunting if you will.
they can range form a few hundred dollars to many thousand dollars.
The World is your oyster when it comes to combo guns or drillings for that matter.
Rob
 
Combination guns are not necessarily awkward and heavy, that only applies to the lower quality guns. My Heym M 22 S in 20 ga 3 inch over 7X57 R with 23 5/8" barrels weighs 5 lb 13 oz bare, 6 lb 10 1/2 oz with the 4X Zeiss scope mounted. What does your scoped hunting rifle weigh? Choose your gun carefully, get all the specs and try to handle some actual samples if you can. You don't need to sacrifice handiness and portability to get into one of these great guns but you need to raise your sights. Like the difference between a Parker Hale .303 all dressed and a Browning X Bolt, they will both kill moose but most hunters will graduate over time to the finer gun because they are more satisfying to own and use. A very useful accessory for these break open guns as previously mentioned is the Kreighoff .22lr or 22 mag auxilliary barrel, especially in places like BC where you can legally use this for grouse, rabbits or turkey. Mine in 22 lr will stay on a dime all day at 25 yards or slightly more with the right ammo - minute of grouse head. J
 
I had a modern Brno in 12 gauge over 30-06 and it was very accurate. In fact, it was the only "shotgun" I owned where I hit 2 slugs, more or less, into the same hole at 25 metres. I was very impressed. The wood was kind of utilitarian and it certainly wasn't very pretty, so I got rid of it. I now wish I kept it, as it was indeed versatile as a deep bush hunting rifle. I don't remember the weight, but it was rather light.
 
image.jpg


I like the Valmet 412/512 guns. Strong actions and fast, lively performance on game. I should've grabbed one of the double rifle versions in .375 Win back in the day. I had a Savage 24 years back in 22 LR over 20ga that was a handy bugger in the woods & an easy carry that worked ok for close in shooting. Folks wanting a Valmet design combo can order up a Marocchi, as they build the Finnish design on the tooling that Tikka/Sako moved over to the Italian maker back around 1990.

I'm more than happy using my dedicated Winchester 1400 bush gun though as I just use #6 shot fer birds or squirrels and such & slugs for the bigger critters. Just use separate pockets to keep each load in.;)
 
Last edited:
The BRNOs were built like a tank and are fairly common in various models and a number of useful big game calibres. Most ( not all) models are quite heavy but make excellent hunting guns for quad or truck hunters, not so good for the sheep or goat hunter. I have four friends who have used these, it's still the #1 gun for one of them. A few friends have had Sauer combos including two in 30-06 and if you can find one they usually sell for $2000-3000 depending on condition, condition, calibre and gauge, scope, and always condition. Marvellous quality and accurate beyond belief, snap it up if you find one you won't be disappointed. Of course a Merkel, Kreighoff or Blaser are marvellous but even a used one will strain your budget. I've handled but not used recent guns by Rizzini, FAIR and Zoli, very nice and while they aren't cheap they appear to be good value. A few used combos usually show up on CGN each year if you're the patient type. J
 
Can't remember for sure what combo it is off the top of my head, Calgary Shooting Ctr has a new K-gun there (7x65r/20?) that is in the 44 range as I vaguely remember, plain wood, but, ok. Zoli's were cheaper (25-3 range?), think Chapuis were as well, Merkel's were up in the 4-45 range I believe. I haven't looked at what they have there in a while, but, I do know there are some there, along with Merkel o/u rifles. I think I should buy a 7x57R/20, for practical reasons, yet for some reason have a hankering for a 6.5x57r in my brain, it'll do what needs doing. I have a K-gun Classic SxS in 30rBlaser (7.62x68R), like it a lot, so that has held me back. I thought seriously on a Zoli in 30R/20 for a bit there. They also keep RWS brass and ammo for what they sell.
 
CZ Brno combo 12 g/308, single set trigger on the 308 barrel, both barrel are perfectly indexed.
DSC00419_zpsngokhcqa.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
DSC00418_zpshgao5jeb.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom