M14 Forum

Sweets · February 6th, 2012, 11:56 AM

Back in the Soviet era, I once saw triple-barrelled shotguns for sale, big ones, 10 or 12 gauge I would say, with the barrels arranged in a triangle shape. I was very young at the time but when I got interested my father just explained that the Commies were too stupid and backward to make a pump or semi-automatic version and I do believe his feeling was that the guns in question were probably made to kill the owners. Anyway, are any of these TPLBBLs around in modern society or did they flop? (Combo rifle/shotgun models don't count here.)

tmcfalls · February 6th, 2012, 12:35 PM

I have never seen any Russian examples but I have seen pictures and video of German drilling, which are usually a combination of shotgun and rifle barrels. There are some many squirrely combinations that I am sure the Germans probably made triple shotguns as well.

tmcfalls · February 6th, 2012, 12:54 PM

Here is a Scottish version that is pretty unique.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/...tgun-sells-66k

I don't know about the Russian versions but I would surmise from the pictures I have seen that most of the Western European versions are high end custom guns.

CAVman · February 6th, 2012, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmcfalls

I have never seen any Russian examples but I have seen pictures and video of German drilling, which are usually a combination of shotgun and rifle barrels. There are some many squirrely combinations that I am sure the Germans probably made triple shotguns as well.

The Germans were known for 'Dreiling Guns'...'drei' as in three!
A lot of them made it back here after WWI especially as war souvenirs...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combination_gun

CAVman in WYoming

Sweets · February 7th, 2012, 06:32 AM

The triple barrels I refer to were being sold over-the-counter in the CCCP souvenir boutique at the 1967 Montreal World's Fair, aka Expo 67, the good old days of firearm sales in this country, but I don't think they were selling many. I have no memory of the selling prices but I do sort of wish I could have bought one. And then that it didn't blow up and kill me.

The USSR boutiques also sold single Russian cigarettes, a nickel a pop, to kids and everyone- these were the ersatzy things that were mostly cardboard tube with a short section of tobacco at one end. Now those WOULD kill you!

willriskit · February 7th, 2012, 06:49 AM

Drillings have long been popular in Europe for reasons of economy and versatility. Due to less extreme gun laws and more specialized hunting requirements in the US, they haven't caught on here to the same extent. Charles Daly marketed some fine drillings here made by J.P. Sauer in Thuringia beginning in late 19th century in popular American calibres and these were somewhat well received. I owned one of these in a side-by-side 12 Ga. over a .30/30. It was a fine firearm but a bit muzzle-heavy by American standards. Most drillings I encounter anymore are usually a 16 Ga./ 9 m/m combination and many were either made for GI's in the postwar era or brought home as war souvenirs.

casebro · February 29th, 2012, 04:45 PM

My brother bought a new Saur Drilling in 1970 through the Heidelberg Gun Club in Munich while int he Army there. . 12ga over 30-06, with a claw mount scope. Cool selector system, when moved to the rifle barrel a v-sight stood up down on the rib. The scope could be carried in a pocket and snapped on if a deer popped up during grouse season. $700 then. Last appraisal was for $5,500, 20 years ago. His son inherited it.

jbrooks · February 29th, 2012, 07:11 PM

The Russkies were probably selling East German (DDR) Drillings, made by Gebr. Merkel of Suhl. I'm not aware of any Soviet Drillings, they didn't have the know-how to make such precision-fit things. (OK, let's hear it about ol' Sputnik...). As late as 1989 and 1990, when I was in Moscow, I stopped by a local hunting store. They were selling brass shotshells and some pretty plebian rifles and shotguns, made for the Proletariat schmucks.

I'm sure the Political Elite could get their hands on anything they wanted...

As for the German Drillings (the same word is used for "triplets"... as in "She had triplets...". That little fact got me in big trouble one day in a conversation with a couple at a German Air Force equivalent of a Dining Out ... but that's a different story...)...

The WWII Luftwaffe were issued a "survival kit" that inclided a Drilling in (as I recall) 16 ga. and 9.3 x 74mm Rimmed. Those are extremely valuable collector items today.

BTW, The Germans (mostly) use rimmed cartridges in their break-open rifles. The use of rimmed cartridges like the 30-06 is a real late-bloomer, due to the difficulty in ejecting a rimmed case. So they had rimmed equivalents of rimless cartridges. 7 X 57mm Rimmed, 8 x 57mm Rimmed, 7 x 65mm Rimmed, etc.

Also, you can get rifle-barrel inserts for your Drilling shotgun barrels, so you have a multitude of variation in one firesrm.

JWB

bigbang · March 1st, 2012, 07:04 AM

Drillings are quite popular over here, due to the way we hunt. You can rent (or own) a hunting district (12 years), minimum size are 300acres, up to 4000 acres you can go hunting in within the limits of our hunting laws. The landscape contains small sections of forrest, fields surrounded by hedges, meadows, ponds, creeks. If you go stalking or if you are part of a hunting party you never know what shows up, it could be a fox, a wild boar, a deer, a rabbit, a duck, a pheasant, a marten, a badger. With a good drilling you are always armed adequately.

LausDeo · March 1st, 2012, 08:50 AM

A Russky with a tripple barrel is the equivalent of an American with a double barrel because the Russkies need an extra shot due to their "Ready, fire, aim!" technique.

CharlieEcho · March 1st, 2012, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmcfalls

Here is a Scottish version that is pretty unique.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/...tgun-sells-66k .

Wow if those all went off you'd cross more than your eyes. Ouch!

dozier · March 1st, 2012, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbang

Drillings are quite popular over here, due to the way we hunt. You can rent (or own) a hunting district (12 years), minimum size are 300acres, up to 4000 acres you can go hunting in within the limits of our hunting laws. The landscape contains small sections of forrest, fields surrounded by hedges, meadows, ponds, creeks. If you go stalking or if you are part of a hunting party you never know what shows up, it could be a fox, a wild boar, a deer, a rabbit, a duck, a pheasant, a marten, a badger. With a good drilling you are always armed adequately.

Yes, multiple overlapping seasons for upland/medium or large game made the "Drilling" popular. You always had a weapon in your hand, that was capable of taking down anything you came across. This always gave you the chance of bringing home some type of game for the table. dozier

Sweets · March 5th, 2012, 10:46 AM

The Scottish triple barrel has triggered recall of a double-mounted double barrel (two complete double barrels fused together, looked to be an 8 gauge or even bigger, featured in a New Zealand made movie from circa 1984- the golden years of movie channel movies those were.

The movie was called "UTU" and was set around a Maori uprising in the 1800's. The double-double was owned by a crazed Brit settler who was out for revenge against the natives after the murder of his family. The weapon seemed to be historically accurate, and it was one scarey-big shotgun. A British army officer refers to it as a "mad weapon" and he wasn't talking about "angry."

Just fishing of course, but does anyone remember that gun and/or that movie?

NEXT DAY EDIT: I see UTU is available on DVD on Amazon for as little as $140.00. OK, good movie but never mind.