Over Unders: The Good, The Bad, and some Pics Please.

Going through the safe later today, but I have about 7 savage 24s, 3 baikals, an m6 scout, and a marbles gamegetter. Originally got a 24c because it was compact, and used it as a foraging piece when canoing and camping. Then three boys came along, and I figured I would need one for each of them when they come of age to hunt.

With so many to choose from, I now stick to three exclusively; Baikal 6.5 swede/12 ga. for big game. These are well regulated; both barrels shoot the same POI. When hunting deer, I can choose whether to take in season grouse with the top barrel, or load a slug if there are two deer up close that I want to take (last year took two does; one with a slug, and one with the rifle). It is a little heavy, but now that I am reloading, I am thinking of loading smaller bullets for coyotes.

My 24v in 223/20 is my varmint gun. Call in coyoes with it, rifle cartridge, and buckshot. If no yotes come in, I have been known to quickly throw in a #4 to take down one of the many magpies that come to the call. Use the shotty barrel for rabbits between stands, and I have an MCACE cartridge adapter for 22 mag that I will eventually use; just haven't had the range time yet.

Small game or grouse, I now use a 24se in 22/20. Yes, I take grouse not on the wing, and I have a second shot with the shotty when the others fly. Last year I switched to my baikal sever in 22wmr; the regulation is a little better, and I wanted to see how the magnum shot. It didn't blow apart the rabbits at all, but I haven't tried it on grouse yet.

I think combos are the way to go. I will eventually switch to just two; one rimfire, and one centerfire, but that is after a ton of experimenting with different loads for the swede. Because of grouse requiring rimfire, I will have to keep one of those.

When I am working in the safe tonight, maybe I will line them, up for a shot and add a pic.............
YKD

combos1.jpg


Baikal IZH 94 in 6.5/12
Savage 24c series p
Savage 24c series s
stevens 22/410
Baikal scout 22wmr/410
Baikal sever 22wmr/20
Savage 24v 223/20
Savage 24se 22/20
24v 3030/20
springfield m6 scout (looks like a ghost with the camo tape)
marbles gamegetter
 
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Local shop has a Remmington SPR94 O/U
.410 / 22 LR
24" bbl / with 4 chok tubes

$500

The 223/20 sounds like interesting but I like the sounds of that Baikal. I've got a thing for big bangs.

I've got a friend who's into primitive/bushcrafts and she's just gotten her PAL and asked me about these. I guess she plans to graduate from the bows and arrows she's been making.
 
Try to get your hands on one before buying. I was looking at buying one, was actually looking at what trade ex has to offer, but then laid my hands on a few different makes/models and found it wasn't my cup of tea by a long shot.

Personaly I carry a repeating rifle for big game, and a nice little accurate single shot air pistol on my belt for grouse/rabbit. The combo works great, and the pistol is very quiet obviously.
 
I have a baikal with 12/3006 and use it every year for hunting. Use it going into camps as I shoot chickens on the way in. I use the browning little skeeters in 20 gu. and point of impact is the same as the rifle point.

Yellowknife dave--- wear did you find a 6.5 in Canada as that was my first choice but could not find one.
 
I tried to like the cheap combination guns, but every one of them had problems - Two Savage 24's, a Tikka, a Springfield and a Brno.
Paid $4000 for a used Merkel, and finally found satisfaction. They are not easy to build so that they function properly. Well built combination guns are wonderful to use. Cheap ones make good boat anchors
 
Why are combination guns not more popular?

-No real benefit unless you're hunting two types of game simultaneously
-A well made one generally costs more than a perfectly good rifle and shotgun
-They don't perform either role as well as a dedicated rifle or shotgun. Handling usually isn't as good as a shotgun and accuracy isn't as good as a rifle. Scoping options are limited by the need to have something that will work acceptably for wingshooting.

I think the better approach is a double rifle with a set of shotgun barrels that fit on the same frame. Something like this, for example:

http://www.tradeexcanada.com/index.php?option=com_paxgallery&task=view&gid=21&iid=5056
 
Those combos are more popular in Europe where they shoot at whatever comes along(so to speak) and alot of game is "driven", for instance, if a grouse comes along they shoot it, if a deer is pushed out; they shoot it. Both barrels are single shot(of course), ejection of spent cases is not as positive as other actions, alot of cals. have to be "loaded down" due to the break action strength. I just believe that they are a better idea in Europe, then here...and i didn't mention the use of scope on gun when birds flush for parts unknown....IMHO
 
I use my Merkel for mixed bag Canadian hunts, and it works perfectly. On the walk back to camp after shooting this wolf, I spotted a grouse in the field, popped off the claw mounted scope, flushed the bird and took it on the fly with the 16 ga. The rifle/scope combination is very accurate. The Whitetail was taken at 230 steps and bullet landed right where it was aimed. When I want to hunt birds exclusively I pop on the set of double 16 ga. barrels.
P1010861.jpg

BuckMerkel.jpg

merkelcombo.jpg

merkel16birds.jpg
 
None for sale; I want my boys to choose the one(s) they want when they hit 12.

The savages aren't perfect, but with practice and range time, they work very well. I am a single shot shooter, so do not want a repeater in the field. Longwalker seems to have the right unit. When my boys grow up and take what they want, will probably sell whats left and get a quality set like that.

To answer another question, I got tired of waiting for an importer to bring in the Baikals around 2002, so I imported all three from the states. The sever and the swede are amazing; same poi both barrels. The scout model (baikal) is Remington Spartan branded, and I am not impressed with how it shoots......I would sell that one, but wouldn't want to stiff anyone with the dud (barrels shoot miles apart!). The wierd thing about importing them was they got hungup in customs for 2.5 YEARS due to an error by the exporter, and by the time I got them, ARMRUS was selling them, and Baikal Canada was almost ready to start distributing.

YKD
 
If I owned one I would use or a quality red dot site (non magnified), which would fit thew bill for both the shotgun and rifle IMHO.
 
I own both the baikal 12/223 and the scout in a 22wmr. No problems with either and I have shot some nice groups with both guns. I scoped both guns and each scope has a mildot reticle. The mildot is great for allowing me to use another reference point for slugs since the poi isn't exactly the same for both guns. The rifle barrels on both guns I have found to be very accurate and the shotgun barrels pattern fairly decent.
 
I've posted this info a short while back, and until my 'introduction' to combination guns, I'd never really given them a second thought. That 'intro' took place when I stopped in for a visit with my sister and brother in law on the way to the B.C. central interior for my yearly Moose hunt. I stayed with them for a day, during which time my B.I.L. and I went for a drive. It was raining a little and blowing pretty good so all it ended up being was more of a 'road hunt' than anything, hoping to possibly see a Deer. He brought a combination gun, incase we saw any ditch chickens, which we did. He stopped to get one and right after the shot, a small mule Deer buck broke cover and he got that as well. Now I'm interested and now I 'need' one so I picked up one like his. Where it comes into its own around here is for walks on old skid roads in some of the river bottem areas on wet breezy days where you may run into both Ruff Grouse or an Island Blacktail. This gun is actually the second one I've had as I foolishly sold the first. It's an OU Brno ZH 304, 7x57R/12ga and I have a set of 12ga/12ga barrels with it.

ModelZH-300BrnoCombo7x5712gaSkeetba.jpg
 
If you are looking for a nice light slim small game combo.....take a look at the Voere combo guns. I have a 16ga over .222rem, it is everything I could ever ask for in a combo, nice balance and easy to carry.
 
They are typical central European guns. During single walk in the woods and meadows I would normaly see ducks, geese maybe a fox or wild bore, so the combination ussualy made most sense.
They are really popular in Germany and Poland one gun for all.
In some regions especially in the 90s with the introduction of varied hunting seasons it just makes more sense to own Rifle for wild bore, 223 for fox and 12 or 16 guage for the birds
 
I use my BRNO model 502 308win/12ga when I do not draw an adult moose tag, so I can pop a bunch of partridge and shoot an calf if I am lucky! I just ordered a Merkle S/S 9.3x74R/20ga. as I perfer SXS guns! I cannot wait to carry this one next fall for deer and grouse/rabbits. I also use a BRNO 22hornet/12ga during the first month of opening partridge season,I have not shot any 4 legged animals with the hornet except a few unlucky long range rabbits. This is more a fun gun that makes me smile while hunting! I think it depends what type of hunting you do and what stage of life your in, that determines what guns you like to hunt with? If anyone is looking for a real good solid combo, one of the old BRNO 300 series is the way to go as they are solid as a rock and reasonbly priced, cheers Dale Z in T-Bay
 
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