Rifle/Shotgun Combo

garrettod

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has one of these and if so, how is it licenced - is it a single licence, or do you get two licences, one for shotgun and one for rifle (and have to pay €160, every three years) ?

I've only seen a couple of them over the years, always in gunshops, and assumed they were more likely to be used by hunters in other parts of the world, rather than Ireland.

otmmyboy2

Don't have one licenced but have looked into it.

On the FCA1 form in the firearm details section you'd tick combination gun, and write in both calibers, ie 12 gauge & 223.

And once you got it the one licence should list both calibers.

At least that's the theory ;)

They are much more common on the continent, but I'm sure Grizzly will chime in about that aspect ;)

garrettod

So, if that's the case, you might be able to save €80 every three years - assuming you are happy to carry the extra weight around etc.

otmmyboy2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119439494#Comment_119439494

Yup, and the relative cost(relatively higher for a combo than a single gun), the optics side(rifle optics(bar red dots) obstructing the usage of the shotgun unless you are good to use irons for both, no magazines as they are generally break action, etc.

They are an interesting option, but I suspect a bothersome way to avoid multiple licences.

garrettod

But aside from all of that, they are a great idea 😉😂

garrettod

Right or wrong, I have an old imagine in my mind, of them being used for hunting in Africa - no idea why I've got it in my head.

otmmyboy2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119440388#Comment_119440388

Not sure about combo guns used in Africa, but large caliber side by side rifles were and are still used there, and are quite prevalent.

Very cool aesthetic too, but I'd say it gets expensive to go to the chiropractor after each hunt haha

Grizzly 45

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119439441#Comment_119439441

And indeed I will!😊. Yeah I have one ,a Savage 20 Ga/22 magnum,very much on the cheap side of these types of guns. There is no middle ground in these prices: cheap, Savage,Chiappa, Baikal, etc or Expensive, Blaser, Mauser,Sauer Browning etc. When I licensed mine,it was around 2005, so before the legislation changed, and it was licensed as the then more expensive[or dangerous?] license of the rifle.

How these are licensed seems to be definitely up to the Super,as from what I got back from the FPU is that when the legislation was originally drawn up in the 20s. These types of guns, along with calibre swop guns, were unknown. So it was never considered in legislation, which left them with a conundrum when they did show up on how to license. So your answer is yes, no, maybe!

The Super could ask for a double license of shotgun/rifle,a shotgun license or a rifle license. It's all depending on what they want to do or view the gun.

BTW this combination gun box on the application can also apply to AR-style rifles too,as they are now capable of being combination guns in the fact that you can swap out uppers for different calibers, and in some cases for 410 or 12 GA shotgun depending on your lower receiver size.[Requirning other licenses per calibre, but that's another can of worms for another argument]

Are they usable in Ireland?YES! It's pretty much my go-to gun if I am out for a walk about the farm or deer let in the off-season. It's not much heavier than a std 20 GA SXS, very accurate still for a 70[?] year old gun in the rifle barrel and a full choke 20 GA. Down side, an appalling trigger system that has barn latch let off, and took me and Gunhappy.ie a night of frustration[and drink] to put together again.

Iron sights are rudimentary, so its best to get a red dot type sight on it with some sort of QD mount, which is tricky enough and a gunsmith job to really do right as Savage only provides you with two groves machined in the barrel for a 1960s style Weaver-style clamp scope. Best to learn how to point shoot with the shotgun, and zero in the Aimpoint for rifle shots, and leave it on the gun,as it can be a PITH to re-zero a scope all the time without proper mounts.

Don't expect this to be a precision rifle and an utter clay buster in one. All of them cheap and expensive are compromise guns designed primarily for hunting either small and large game and are envisioned as being used in the 50/150-meter range from bringing down a pheasant and hare while waiting for a wild boar or deer to show up in a German forest. Or flying about in the back of your pickup to take a flake at a fox or pheasant while you are going about the farm.

Right or wrong, I have an old imagine in my mind, of them being used for hunting in Africa - no idea why I've got it in my head.

The "Drilling" [SXS12 GA with an underslung big cal rifle barrel] is THE gun if you are going after big cats in Africa. You have 3 shots, an 8mm something with a solid bullet head and two 12 GA rounds of 00Buck and set up for the ideal range of blind hunting of under 100 meters,and if things go wrong,[and God help you!] you have to go into the dense bush after your wounded big cat. You just drop the scope and load her up with 00buck and head off to the ultimate adrenaline kick of finding that cat,who can now hunt and kill you as well on its turf. If you survive that,you are a serious man among men😱