Have you ever made the wrong decision between a rifle and a shotgun?
Well, you could always just bring both by picking just one of the guns from the following list.
These four combination guns will offer you the option of shooting a rifle cartridge or a shotgun shell at all times.
1. Springfield Armory M6 Scout Combination Gun
This discontinued weapon was once made with a .22 LR or a .22 Hornet barrel over a 3-inch magnum .410-bore shotgun barrel. It was effectively two single-shot weapons combined. Its unique bar trigger allowed shooters wearing mittens to still fire the over/under weapon. The original M6 Combination Guns were built as Air Force crew survival weapons. When the civilian version showed up on the market, survivalists and outdoors enthusiasts found them incredibly handy. They came in black, stainless steel and camouflage finishes at one time. Since then, their discontinued prices on Springfield M6 Combination Guns have increased drastically.
2. Savage Arms Model 24C-DL Combination Gun
Savage Arms made a combination gun in many forms known as the Savage Model 24. Many versions were chambered in .22 LR, .22 Magnum, .357 Magnum or .357 Maximum, .223 Remington and .30-30 Winchester with a .410-bore, 20-gauge or 12-gauge shotgun barrel underneath. The early models, such as the Model 24C-DL (Deluxe) were beautifully made, and they performed, too.
Later models increased caliber and gauge offerings, but the weight increased as well. Synthetic stocks and cross-bolt safeties came later.
The barrels often weren't regulated to the same point of impact as the shotgun barrel, which would ultimately be the death blow to this firearm. Savage resurrected the Savage 24 as the Savage 42 over-and-under survival gun, which led to some retail success.
3. European Drilling Combination Guns
Drilling Combination Guns were made in many European countries. Germany made very fine versions of this handy weapon and even issued them to the German Luftwaffe air crews as survival weapons. Big names like J.P. Sauer and Krieghoff made beautiful double-barreled shotguns that even had an automatic flip-up rear sight when the shooter selected the rifle barrel. General engineering on these expensive weapons produced a side-by-side shotgun over a single rifle barrel. Some drillings came with claw-style scope mounts that shooters could remove and replace without losing zero. Many of the shotguns took European 2.5-inch, 16-gauge shotshells.
Shooters should use caution when firing as a longer 2.75-inch shell, as it's very dangerous in these older shotguns. A variety of gauges and calibers covered just about any animal a hunter might encounter. Other versions had combination rifles with set triggers and even more barrels added, such as the Vierling Guns with four barrels. Point of impact with these double-triggered beauties was well-regulated and quite remarkable.
4. Baikal IZH 94 Combination Gun
Many sportsmen and shooters have referred to the Baikal IZH 94 Combination Gun as the "poor man's drilling." That might actually be the case. This Russian weapon is offered in many different rifle calibers with a 12-gauge shotgun barrel to boot. For hunting or as a survival weapon, this somewhat rough combo gun is still a good pick.
Do you like articles about the outdoors? Click here to view more articles by Eric Nestor. You can follow him @ericthewoodsman on Twitter, The Classic Woodsman on Facebook, and @theclassicwoodsman on Instagram. You can view more Nestor Photography photos at Nestor Photography.
NEXT: GUN REVIEW: THE ALL-NEW HENRY .410 LEVER-ACTION RARE CARBINE SHOTGUN
