Drilling or Combo gun as an alternative to a Double for Plains Game?

[thriller]

@Hank2211 you may not like them but for hunting hogs and whitetail in a riverswamp with 2 loads of buckshot and 1 rifle ball nothing is finer in my opinion.

 

[Hank2211]

@Hank2211 you may not like them but for hunting hogs and whitetail in a riverswamp with 2 loads of buckshot and 1 rifle ball nothing is finer in my opinion.

I did say to each their own . . . that's what makes a market.

 

[Red Leg]

A drilling has three barrels . . . a double barrelled shotgun - other things being equal - is heavier than a single barrel shotgun. Three barrels - again, other things being equal - will weigh more than one barrel. Same with a vierling - four barrels will typically weigh more than three.

I understand that modern drillings can be made out of lighter materials, but you can't overcome the physics of the thing without some compromise . . . in my opinion!

Did I also mention I didn't like the looks of them?

Seriously, to each their own, but I'd rather have three rifles than one. Which is why the Blaser with interchangeable barrels is of no interest to me.

Well Hank - I simply noted what my three drillings actually weigh - not what someone thinks they should weigh with three barrels. I also noted that none has an alloy frame. I love their lines and their ergonomics.

Just to be a real contrarian. I also own a Blaser S2 with three sets of barrels and an R8 with two. I love being able to transport the equivalent of two or three rifles in less space than I need to carry one traditional rifle. You should get out more

 

[CAustin]

I would love to have a Blaser with a couple of different barrels! 500 NE and then 12 gauge for birds would be great!

 

[Hank2211]

Well Hank - I simply noted what my three drillings actually weigh - not what someone thinks they should weigh with three barrels. I also noted that none has an alloy frame. I love their lines and their ergonomics.

Just to be a real contrarian. I also own a Blaser S2 with three sets of barrels and an R8 with two. I love being able to transport the equivalent of two or three rifles in less space than I need to carry one traditional rifle. You should get out more

I agree. I should get out more.

 

[Red Leg]

I agree. I should get out more.

Sigh. Me too.

 

[Fr8liner]

My fathers 12x12 over .303 Cape Gun over a hundred years old.
Taken very many bushpigs by moonlight and used to wipe out 4 warthogs at a time twice
My best was two - very handy if that first shot is not quite good, w'hogs actually ran straight at me after the shot and a load of buckshot put him down on the run. The next w'hog went down to the second barrel of buckshot that has a heavy choke. Failed to hit the third one after a reload .

I love combos although I have come to realise that it is better to a a specialist shotgun and specialist rifle.
Combo is good for fun and I would suggest a lighter shotgun and a good heavy plains game caliber if you want to take to Africa - or for your back yard go with something very light with that can be used on vermin to shoot gophers and coyotes.
I still look for good deals on them.
Once you have drilling you will want a double in both calibers cause three won't be good enough

 

[sierraone]

Sigh. Me too.

I think if you and Hank get out anymore, you could sell your houses and just live out of your vehicles!!!

 

[sierraone]

Oh be still my heart!!! It doth yerneth for that Merkel K96 12x12 over 9.3x74R!
"Earth to ridgewalker...come in!" "Do you want to go back to Africa next year, or increase your gun collection?"
Ok, Ok I want another trip to Africa. Can't I sell my Tacoma and do both?
Decisions, decisions!

It seems money always forces us to make decisions!!! Is it this, or that!

 

[Hank2211]

I think if you and Hank get out anymore, you could sell your houses and just live out of your vehicles!!!

Thanks Sierraone. Now I hear my wife on this site too.

 

[sierraone]

Thanks Sierraone. Now I hear my wife on this site too.

Well honestly I wasn't trying to imitate your wife, just commenting on the amount of hunting time you and Red Leg seem to have, among others on the site. It's just my jealousy showing!!!!

 

[Hank2211]

Again, I hear an echo! Too much time for hunting? I spend no more than a month or two hunting. I'm not sure how I could spend any less!

Too much hunting is like too many rifles. Is it even possible?

However, all is forgiven. Unless you have allightweight drilling!

 

[sierraone]

Again, I hear an echo! Too much time for hunting? I spend no more than a month or two hunting. I'm not sure how I could spend any less!

Too much hunting is like too many rifles. Is it even possible?

However, all is forgiven. Unless you have allightweight drilling!

No, don't own a drilling, heavy or light, and it's way down the list of things to purchase. Hunting, other "African rifles" and an English box lock 12 or 20 top out the current list. Will be in London and Birmingham looking for that 100 yr old +or- box lock I can afford from 25 through 29 October. One that is ready to hunt I might add!

 

[8 x 60]

Out shooting pigeons and this fella came along.

 

[sierraone]

Out shooting pigeons and this fella came along.

Is that a W W Greener drilling?

 

[8 x 60]

Not Greener. (I think Greener had a pretty low opinion of Drillings)
No makers name but I believe made in Suhl sometime around the 1920's .

 

[sierraone]

Not Greener. (I think Greener had a pretty low opinion of Drillings)
No makers name but I believe made in Suhl sometime around the 1920's .

Well it's a good looking gun, regardless of the maker! Maybe Greener should have made it!!!!

 

[8 x 60]

Thank you kind Sir.

 

[Red Leg]

I have seen maybe three English drillings. In each case they used a rook caliber for the rifle barrel which was fitted interior to the top rib. Doesn't work very well, and pretty much useless for anything larger than a hare.

View attachment 159966

My fathers 12x12 over .303 Cape Gun over a hundred years old.
Taken very many bushpigs by moonlight and used to wipe out 4 warthogs at a time twice
My best was two - very handy if that first shot is not quite good, w'hogs actually ran straight at me after the shot and a load of buckshot put him down on the run. The next w'hog went down to the second barrel of buckshot that has a heavy choke. Failed to hit the third one after a reload .

I love combos although I have come to realise that it is better to a a specialist shotgun and specialist rifle.
Combo is good for fun and I would suggest a lighter shotgun and a good heavy plains game caliber if you want to take to Africa - or for your back yard go with something very light with that can be used on vermin to shoot gophers and coyotes.
I still look for good deals on them.
Once you have drilling you will want a double in both calibers cause three won't be good enough

Technically, you do not have a cape gun. But you do have a wonderful old hammer drilling in extremely useful calibers. The Germans use the term "Buchsflinte" for a two barrel SxS with one being a rifle. That configuration is usually referred to as a Cape Gun (primarily because the Brits did build a lot of those - Greener particularly - and shipped many to the Cape Colony). The same thing in OU configuration is a "Bochbuchsflinte" and we normally simply call them combination guns. The term "Drilling", however, directly translated over in usage from the German language to English. Yours is a very fine hammer drilling, almost certainly guild made in Germany, for the British African colonies. The European destined guns of the same period were almost always 16 bore and a European Calber. Interestingly, those exported to the US were also often 12 bore and often in early American nitro rifle calibers - the 38-55 Win was particularly popular. Just to finish the translation bit, what we call a double rifle drilling (SXS rifle over a shotgun) was called a "Doublebuchsdrilling" by our Teutonic friends.

One word of caution about your gun. I would make sure those shotgun barrels are 2 3/4 chambers (70mm). Many of the early guns are 2 1/2 inch (67mm). Almost all, regardless of chambering were proofed for 1 1/8 ounce loads. The proof marks on the barrel flats will tell you. If it is typical, firing heavy buckshot loads will quickly take it off face and loosen the ribs - if not something more catastrophic.

 

[Fr8liner]

@Red Leg
Thank you for that info.
You are quite correct some years ago when I posted enquiries up about the proof marks we were warned that it was not built for the heavier loads.
Since then I have been careful but the old man in his day only cared that he needed as much power as he could get to put the pigs down in the field. Even at close quarter the lower loads could not kill them properly.
I almost sold it once but I intend to hold onto it and will in time spend some effort on it and have some fun.
It is an Iman Meffert made in Suhl, with extra gold scribing with the dealers name Cape Town. Unfortunately I don't have any other pictures loaded.