What are combination shotguns: a review of popular models

What type of weapon is called a combined weapon?

A person who does not know the difference between a smoothbore weapon and a rifled one is unlikely to be able to understand what combination rifles are. However, most of our readers are familiar with this, so we will answer briefly. A combination weapon or byuksflint is a type of hunting rifle in which there are two (or even more) barrels: one is rifled for firing bullets, and the second is smooth-bore for using shot or buckshot.

Combined shotgun MP-94

Such a weapon is a real boon for any hunter, because he no longer has to take two weapons with him when hunting: a smoothbore gun and a rifle. But it is quite difficult to predict what kind of game you will stumble upon in the forest or swamps. But with such a gun, you can at any time fire exactly the projectile that will surely hit the target and not leave a wounded wound behind.

You may ask: “How can I shoot from two barrels at once, which, moreover, have different shapes and sizes.” It's very simple - most combination shotguns have two triggers, each of which is responsible for the firing pin for a smoothbore or rifled chamber. The same guns that received only one trigger “petal” are usually equipped with a special switch that changes the position of the firing pin.

Design features of the MP-94 "North"

Since the design of the MP-94 “North” is completely copied from the MP-27, any serious problems rarely arise when operating this gun. In order to shoot accurately, you need to press the trigger smoothly, which is quite a difficult task on an unfinished gun, since the trigger is very tight.

The simplicity of connecting the gun body and its barrel provides the MP-94 “North” with ease of disassembly, which has to be done to change barrels if necessary. The barrel locking unit is as reliable as that of the MP-27, which provides the MP-94 “North” gun with the possibility of many years of operation without the appearance of shatters.

It should be remembered that the trunks are arranged in a strictly defined order: the upper one is always smooth, and the lower one is rifled.

Types and features

Combination guns are a very specific type of weapon, which differs in many ways from the weapons that most people are familiar with. For convenience, they are usually classified by the number of trunks:

1. Doubles are the most common type of bowsflint among hunters from Russia and the CIS countries. Such guns have two welded barrels: rifled and smooth, which are usually located in a vertical plane (this makes it easier to control the recoil from different types of ammunition). Also, such models are called fittings and are actively produced by the two largest factories in our country - TOZ and IZHMEKH.
2. Tees - three-barreled guns are common in Europe and America and are used only by professional hunters, for whom even two barrels are not enough. As a rule, the two barrels do not have rifling and are produced in different calibers (for example, one barrel can fire 12-gauge cartridges, and the other - 20-gauge), and the second is designed for rifle shooting. In Russia, tees are almost never produced due to the high cost of creation.

1. Four-barreled guns are a very exotic type of gun, which is more suitable for collectors as an unusual exhibit, rather than finding use even in the hands of an experienced hunter. Typically, such guns have two rifled barrels of different calibers, as well as two smooth ones of the same caliber. It is very difficult to find such samples in gunsmith shops, and factories often produce them only to order.

Despite the fact that four-barreled guns and tees look very beautiful and unusual, it is almost impossible to find a use for such an expensive weapon during hunting. But for doubles, on the contrary, they were actively used for fishing even before the 1917 revolution due to three features:

• each barrel has its own individual ballistic characteristics, which allows the hunter to choose the optimal projectile for hunting a particular animal or bird;
• the weapon has a good accuracy rate at almost any distance - shot is used for shooting at a distance of up to 50 meters, and a bullet is used above 50 meters;
• Such models are distinguished by unique combat characteristics, which are often incomparable with conventional shotguns.

Double-barrel shotgun Antonio Zoli Corona LX SEP 12/70 cal.

However, the presence of two barrels meant that the weapon would inevitably have a complex assembly and disassembly system. Such guns required certain shooting skills from the hunter, because they were often equipped with only one sighting device - it was necessary to calculate the flight path of the projectile, which was fired from the lower barrel. Because of these and other points, some fishermen continued to give preference to classic weapon options.

Description

In simple words, a three-barreled shotgun is a rifle and a double-barreled shotgun with a common block. Two smooth, large-caliber barrels combined with a third barrel with screw rifling give the gun greater versatility. With its help you can carry out almost all types of hunting in central Russia. The use of a rifled barrel is for shots in open areas, since it has a range of about 100 meters, and smooth ones are intended for shot shots in flight or at running game. To unlock the potential of the lower rifled barrel to a greater extent, an optical sight can be installed on the three-barrel Sauer-3000.

Because of their price, three-barreled hunting rifles are elite weapons. Therefore, much attention is paid to the appearance of the gun: the stock is made of expensive and beautiful wood, various patterns and other decorations. In addition, you need to buy quite expensive foreign cartridges for the tee. Therefore, Sauer-3000 is intended for wealthy amateur hunters and is not available to hunters from the interior regions of Russia.

Firing from the left muzzle is carried out by the rear trigger, and the front one ensures firing from the right smooth and rifled one. When switching to the lower barrel, the rear sight, sighted at 100m, is raised by a spring. The forward release selector is located on the stock neck. The danger is that in emergency situations, switching between barrels can be difficult for a hunter who does not have experience with three-barrel models.

Three-barreled shotgun Sauer 3000

Advantages and disadvantages

Despite the fact that the combined weapon seems almost ideal from the description, it still has a number of serious drawbacks. Among the most important of them, hunters usually pay attention to the following three:

1. Difficult to maintain. Disassembling a rifle, which has two different types of barrels, as well as a non-standard trigger design, is a rather difficult task. And cleaning and lubricating all systems is even more difficult. Because of this, many novice hunters often refused to purchase sidearms, preferring classic double-barreled shotguns or rifles.
2. The importance of having a license. According to the federal Gun Law, a newly licensed hunter cannot own a rifle. And given that combination guns are equipped with such barrels (albeit often small-caliber), they are only allowed to be purchased by those who have been members of the hunters’ association for 5+ years.

1. The need to have professional skills. Shooting from different types of barrels using the same sighting device is a rather difficult task even for professionals. Because of this, it is not recommended to buy shotguns for novice hunters who do not know how shot behaves at different distances.

As for the disadvantages of combination shotguns, this question can usually only be answered by looking at an example of a specific model. Although they do have something in common - versatility. All guns can be used to kill animals and birds, and also have good accuracy at different distances (provided that a suitable cartridge is used).

Domestic combination shotguns

Russian combination shotguns enjoy deserved popularity not only in our country, but also abroad. The production of these models is carried out by the Izhevsk plant, as well as the Tula arms plant. Some models of backflints stand out from the general background due to their technical characteristics, ergonomics or design features. We will focus our attention on such samples.

IZH-94 family

IZH-94 is a well-known combination gun that is loved by many professional hunters. The weapon is a modification of the legendary IZH-27, so it certainly does not lack lethal power or combat accuracy. Among the entire family, the following models are the most popular:

1. IZH-94 "North". The first modification from the entire model range. The length of both trunks is 600 millimeters. The first uses 20-caliber cartridges for shooting, the second uses 5.6 mm bullets. The mass of the combined gun is 3.4 kilograms. The model can be used both for walking hunting and shooting from ambush.

1. IZH-94-MP. A new concept for everyone's favorite weapon. For shooting, 5.6 and 410 caliber cartridges are used. The weapon is completely small-caliber and is suitable for hunting only the smallest game. A nice addition will be the presence of automatic cocking of the hook after each shot.

1. IZH-94 "Express". Another hunting double-barreled shotgun, which differs from the two previous models in having a reinforced locking unit, which allows shooting with larger ammunition - 16 caliber and 5.6 caliber. The weapon can use magnum ammunition and guarantees high combat accuracy even at short distances.

All models of the IZH-94 family are made of high-quality weapon steel, and the wooden parts are made of walnut or beech. The barrels also have additional chrome plating, which not only improves their appearance, but also makes the models more beautiful. The only drawback of such guns is their rather large mass for models, one of which has a small-caliber barrel.

IZH-56 "Squirrel"

There is no more popular combination gun in Russia than the IZH-56 “Belka”. The model was released onto the arms market back in 1956, so it has been actively used by hunters for almost 65 years. The distinctive features of Belka are:

• sighting bar for installing optical devices;
• muzzle cut for installing various restrictions or sound moderator;
• the opportunity to purchase a rifle with both several triggers and one.

As for the technical characteristics, they look very standard. One barrel is sharpened for firing 28 or 32 caliber, the second uses .22LR or .22WMR ammunition - 5.6 caliber. The weight of the weapon ranges from 2.9 to 3.15 kilograms (depending on the caliber).

TOZ 112

At a time when the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant was producing modifications to the famous Belka, its main competitor TOZ decided to release something fundamentally new and unusual. This weapon was the TOZ-112 combination shotgun, which fires small-caliber 5.6 mm cartridges, as well as 20-caliber cartridges. Both barrels are combined into a special block, but can be easily disassembled together with the forend without any tools. This makes it easier to transport weapons.

The TOZ-112 vertical gun has impressive combat characteristics. The accuracy rate is around 50% when shooting at a distance of 35 meters with shot, and the spread of the bullet is no more than 4 centimeters when shooting from a rifled barrel. The power of the shot is enough to kill a pheasant, wood grouse, an adult fox and even a beaver. But the biggest advantage is the low weight of the weapon - only 2.5 kilograms.

TOZ-91

Not the most popular double-barreled shotgun among combination shotguns, but it was designed according to the principle “not like everyone else.” The gun was designed for 12 gauge, which is slightly unusual for bowsflints. The length of the channels is 750 mm and 711 mm, which increases the accuracy of combat at long distances. Also, the weapon can be equipped with several triggers or one, but with a switch mechanism (the “1C” is added to the name).

Owners of the TOZ-91 note that the combat characteristics of the gun are more suitable for hunting large birds or animals than quail, snipe, hazel grouse, and so on. The small-caliber 5.6-caliber barrel is used for shooting small animals at long distances. Also, despite the fact that the combat power of the TOZ-91 is higher than that of its competitors, the mass indicator is no more than 3.5 kilograms. Among the disadvantages of the model, it is customary to highlight the short service life of the trigger.

Combined shotguns MTs 105

The MTs-105 is a classic hammer-operated shotgun with vertically positioned twin barrels, both of which can be had in three variants: 20, 28 and 32 calibers, as well as 5.6, 7.62 and 9 calibers. Moreover, the length and weight of the weapon completely depend on the combination of barrels that the buyer chooses. So you shouldn’t be surprised that most of the guns sold are one-off pieces made to order.

Combined shotgun MTs 105 with interchangeable barrels

The most popular combination of calibers is 20 for a smooth barrel and 7.62 for a rifled barrel. Such weapons provide impressive combat characteristics when hunting large game birds, as well as medium-sized animals (up to 20 kg). These calibers are common among hunters, so you should not have any problems finding ammunition. The only unpleasant thing is that the gun is quite bulky.

Design

The combination of smooth and rifled barrels allows the weapon to solve a wide range of hunting tasks. And the opportunity to replace a double-barreled shotgun and a rifle with one gun that performs the tasks of both the first and the second attracts many amateur hunters. There is also a rifled insert for a small caliber cartridge.

The Sauer-3000 is a “breaking” type gun (with three folding barrels, the upper ones are smooth, the lower one is rifled). The block is common, the gun is locked using a similar technology for locking a horizontal double-barreled shotgun, using a Perde rail and a Griner bolt. The Sauer-3000 has much in common with horizontal double-barreled shotguns, as it was designed on their basis. However, due to design changes, drilling has a significant drawback that was absent in double-barreled guns: shot barrels are located above the axis of rotation, which leads to accelerated loosening of the weapon. This disadvantage is partially covered by the use of improved pads and high-strength steel grades. Another disadvantage - the heavy weight of the gun - is corrected by reducing the length, caliber of the barrels and the thickness of their walls. Accuracy of fire with a length of 600-650 mm remains good, but the initial velocity of the bullet drops.

There is no magazine in the Sauer-3000, but it is provided in expensive modifications, for example, in the Sauer-3000 Deluxe the magazine for a rifled barrel is located on the butt. Since the time of the first models, three-barreled guns have changed a lot: they have become lighter, more compact, and more convenient. And the calibers in Sauer-3000 are suitable for almost all types of hunting that exist in Russia.

A small caliber rifled insert can be installed in a smooth barrel

Imported combination shotguns

It is not only Russia that is producing combined weapons. And despite the fact that the majority of hunters in our country prefer to give preference to domestic models, to say that a foreign model is inferior to products from TOZ or IHMEKHA is to lie. The following three bowsflints are the most popular among hunters in Europe and America.

CZ BRNO Combo

The most popular combination shotgun from the Czech arms company. It is available in various calibers:

• 12 gauge - suitable for hunting large animals and predators;
• 16 gauge is the “golden mean” for those who want to hunt animals and birds;
• 20 gauge - suitable for hunting birds and only small fur-bearing animals;
• 5.6 mm - small caliber, suitable for shooting pheasants and hares;
• 6.5 mm is a more powerful rifled barrel caliber, allowing you to kill animals up to 20 kg.

Among the advantages of a weapon, it is most often customary to highlight its appearance (there are carvings on the metal in the form of animals and birds), as well as good ergonomics. The Czech company puts on the market only high-quality gun models - you don’t have to modify them yourself with a file and sandpaper, unlike Russian ones.

Sabatti FOREST

A combination gun “for everyone”, using 20x76 mm and .222 REM cartridges for shooting. The model was made for the needs of German hunters, but is also perfect for Russian hunters. Among the advantages it is customary to highlight the following points:

• presence of chrome coating;
• high quality steel;
• well processed wood;
• comfortable butt and fore-end;
• the presence of an adjustable rear sight.

First of all, the weapon is suitable for those who are looking for a gun for hunting swamp and meadow game. High air humidity or severe frost do not in any way affect the performance of this model, so you can safely take it with you both in autumn and winter.

Blaser BBF-97

Perhaps one of the most expensive combination shotguns in the world. Its cost is around 220 thousand rubles, so it is not surprising that the model is popular mainly among European hunters. However, the BBF-97 fully justifies its price, because it not only has a huge number of engravings on the receiver and stock, but also has impressive performance characteristics:

Thus, the Blaser BBF-97 can be purchased by the owner in almost any caliber, which significantly expands the scope of its application. Hunters who prefer to hunt swamp game choose 410 and 5.6 calibers. But if you want to kill a large bear or wild boar, then 12 and 9 gauges will be a great combination. However, in any case, the gun has perfect workmanship.

Technology

In the production of three-barreled weapons, special attention is paid to the quality of the rifled barrel, since when fired, a large pressure surge occurs in it. It is made from expensive quality steel by cold forging, which allows it to withstand loads, but after three or four shots it is better to let it cool.

An important criterion for a weapon is weight, so Sauer tried to make its three-barreled shotgun as light as possible. Thanks to the reduction in the wall thickness of the barrels, shortening their length and other changes, the Sauer-3000 weighs a little more than 3 kilograms, which is quite acceptable for a three-barreled gun.

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But the most difficult part of designing and assembling drills is connecting all the barrels so that the bullets from the different muzzles hit the target point of one open sight. The Sauer company was able to achieve perfection in the production technology of three-barreled weapons.

The production of three-barreled hunting weapons is difficult to automate, so not all companies are ready to produce such models. At the moment, triple shotguns are produced by "Merkel", while in the more expensive price range the leaders are "Sauer" and "Blaser". In Russia and the Soviet Union, three-barreled shotguns were not produced in large numbers. The TOZ-28 turned out to be a failed experiment; the expensive and impractical gun did not gain popularity. MTs-30 and MTs-140 from TsKIB SOO turned out to be better and more practical, but even more expensive, and they were produced only to order.

Sauer 3000 - a universal gun for hunting

Tees or three-barrels

This type of combination shotgun is widespread only in European countries and the United States. Such weapons are ideal for year-round hunting, because they usually have 2 different calibers for a smooth barrel. However, not all professional hunters can find a worthy use for such models, much less justify their cost. So they are mainly purchased by collectors who want to acquire an exotic and impressive weapon.

Bucksflints are an excellent option for hunting if you know exactly what kind of game lives in your region. Professional fishermen will undoubtedly be able to derive great benefit from the weapon. However, for beginners such a gun will be something out of reach, because it requires a five-year license, as well as the ability to handle not only smoothbore guns, but also rifled rifles.