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Unusual actions/ calibres

  • 21-08-2025 01:15AM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 209 ✭✭


    I currently have 2 hunting rifles, a left handed one that I use day to day and a right handed one that I unfortunately inherited recently.

    I'm thinking about subbing the right handed one for something a little more unusual so I am interested to see if any folks on here hunt with anything a little different?

    Anyone hunt with a lever action, single shot/ kipplauf, rolling block, falling block, double rifle, drilling gun, etc?

    Does anyone use any of the more interesting calibres that might be less common here like 5.6x57, 6.5x57, 7x57, 7x64, .30-30? Or more modern ones like 6.5 PRC etc?

    Does anyone hunt with restricted calibres like 7.92x57/ 8x57, .45-70 etc and if so any trouble with licensing?

    Can appreciate some of these might be trickier to get here but this would be more of an occasional use type gun. If I had to put in an order for ammo specially with an RFD every few years then that would be fine.

    Would also love some photos if you have them!



Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19 Hibernian A and M
    Hibernian Armaments & Munitions


    I'll chime in for this one 😉
    Definitetely do have an interest in unusual action types, one that I'm currently quite fond of is the rolling block.
    Just a really vintage and cool action type(late 1800s) and with more of a safety-in-the-design approach than modern firearm safety designs(both safe by design along with a manually activated safety catch).

    It isn't a particularly practical gun but it is a very enjoyable action to work.

    And pics here:

    And the nice thing is the rolling block action has a ton of chamberings, with varying commonality.
    I've seen 357 magnum, 45 long colt, 44 magnum, 22, .17hmr, 16 gauge, 28 gauge, 20 gauge, 45-70, even one in 380 ACP which is an odd cartridge to chamber in.
    I have one in 22lr and seriously contemplating one in 357 magnum 😁

    I do know a guy who hunts pretty regularly with a combination gun, one barrel is a 20 gauge and the other is a 22 hornet, and it does pretty well for almost any pest he encounters around the farm when he's on his tractor.
    No pics of that one though.

    As far as restricted calibers for hunting, one shooting buddy had a 338 lapua magnum licenced for both target and hunting at one stage. But not licenced solely for hunting.
    As usual the postcode lottery applies so you may get lucky, or you may not.

    Over on the continent I've shot a 9.3mm double rifle which is pretty popular with hunters for boar and large/dangerous game.
    However it is a honking big round, about 1000 joules higher energy than 30-06, and of course has a chunky recoil to boot.
    And for even the biggest deer here it is a bit overkill, in terms of energy, cost, availability and shoulder beating 😁



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 209 ✭✭TheEngineer1


    That 22 is lovely! Do the rolling blocks come in deer legal cartridges like .30-30? And can they only be chambered for rimmed cartridges?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,308 ✭✭✭✭Grizzly 45


    I've shot a good few Drillings. The trad German hunting gun,mostly in 16 GA which is or was the trad continental shotgun caliber.Basically a SXS with a large caliber under slung rifle barrel in anything from 6 to 9.3 X whatever,as there is a bunch of obscure and common German calibers for them.

    They are expensive and complex enough mechanically,guns due mostly to setting up the POI of both shotgun and rifle barrels which are usually set to a 50 meter zero on the left shotgun barrel with shotgun slugs and rifle barrel.

    Add a sub caliber device in a 22 or 6 mm caliber and its quite a versatile gun for European hunting. Most practical one for Irish hunting I've ever seen was ironically owned by a German here in Ireland years ago in the old Irish Shooters Digest magazine.It was a so called "Wald Laufer"[forest walker] in 22lr and 12 GA.But had the 22lr barrel built into the shotgun rib.These are pretty rare, even in Germany.

    I use a 22 magnum/20 Ga Savage which as built sometime pre -1964,as there are no official factory serial numbers on it.Apart from its barn door latch trigger,it is a surprisingly accurate gun with both rifle and shotgun using slugs almost both shoot on point.Which seems to be a thing with the older savage guns,that started to fall away as the design went thru changes over the years,until today where it is appaling apprently.

    Do the rolling blocks come in deer legal cartridges like .30-30? And can they only be chambered for rimmed cartridges?

    Maybe not in rolling block,but they do I belive in falling block,which is proably THE strongest action you can get.Ruger I think makes one in their Nr 1 falling block line.

    "If you want to keep someone away from your house, Just fire the shotgun through the door."

    Vice President [and former lawyer] Joe Biden Field& Stream Magazine interview Feb 2013 "



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19 Hibernian A and M
    Hibernian Armaments & Munitions


    Ah cheers, well a cool action with nice Italian walnut, blued steel, shining brass and a real wild west era gun to boot. Hard to go wrong 😁

    Yup Pedersoli I believe make a 30-30 rolling block, along with 45-70.

    They were also chambered in the aftermarket in a lot of other calibers, including rimless rounds.

    A while ago I saw one in 308 which was pretty nifty, but others pop up from time to time like 380, 223, 6.5 swede etc.

    Because of the action type it just requires a different extractor setup for rimless cartridges vs rimmed.

    Thinking about it, and Grizzly's post above, if you wanted something deer legal a Martini Enfield in 303 would be very effective, and it's a falling block action too so a bit unusual.

    Or indeed a Ruger no. 1 as mentioned, or a even a Henry Long Ranger which can be had in 308,243,6.5cm,etc.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 573 ✭✭✭Sika98k


    The 5,6x57 is nearly dead in this country. There were a good few about when a 22 centre fire was all that was allowed for deer stalking. It’s,IIRC, actually 228 using a 74 or 78 grain bullet. I know a couple of people using the 6.5x57r in combination guns, 16 bore sitting over a rifle barrel. 7x57, 6 people I know, myself included use this caliber either as 275 or 7x57. One guy I know used a 30-30 Marlin lever action for a while. It was a bit worn so he jacked it in.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,308 ✭✭✭✭Grizzly 45


    Thinking about it, and Grizzly's post above, if you wanted something deer legal a Martini Enfield in 303 would be very effective, and it's a falling block action too so a bit unusual.

    Or indeed a Ruger no. 1 as mentioned, or a even a Henry Long Ranger which can be had in 308,243,6.5cm,etc.

    OR how about a Sharps rifle? Falling block,and in a variety of versions from target rifle ,to carbine to hunting,and in a variety of calibers,including modern and some very oddball BP target and hunting rounds,right down to .22Lr,timeless design and look,and can even be scoped with ,a very graceful looking brass 4 power scope,or an elaborate target sight.Our ancestors were shooting 1000 yards at Creedmore and Dollymount strand 150 years ago with these so they are well capable of doing the same today, Pedersoli does a nice selection of them and I belive they have a dealer here in Ireland.

    Another thing would be have a look at are "Rook rifles". These lovely little guns were made for in the Victorian era for rook shooting of the young rooks off very tall trees when they came out of the nests in Springtime.Thing is,a lot of bespoke gun makers like Purdey,Holland& Holland,Rigby,etc made these guns and for bespoke guns these rifles are actually pretty cheap[quantitively speaking]. They came in a variety of single shot actions,break,rolling,trapdoor,falling block etc,and a variety of small rim fire calibers from 22lr up to some 25 cal centre fire as well.Thing is some of the calibers for them are so obsolete now and BP too,it is nigh on impossible to get ammo for them,unless you reload,which we all know how much fun that is in our little island to do .

    A nice example below

    https://antiquearmsandarmour.com/products/rook-rifle-by-william-evans-cased-297-250-sn-8926 And one in 38 cal.Now shooting 38 special https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/rook-rifles/stephen-grant-rook-rifle-38-cal-cased.cfm?gun_id=102241774

    Post edited by Grizzly 45 at

    "If you want to keep someone away from your house, Just fire the shotgun through the door."

    Vice President [and former lawyer] Joe Biden Field& Stream Magazine interview Feb 2013 "



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 209 ✭✭TheEngineer1


    Love the style of some of the German drilling guns and combination guns. Any time I seriously think about though the more I see it as a jack of all trades but master of none type gun. I can't imagine they swing as nice as a proper SxS shotgun, and they can't be as light as a proper single shot rifles? Completely open to correction though. They thought of being able to take a buck or a pheasant with one gun is very appealing indeed, opens up a whole new aspect to your hunting.

    The Martini Henry is an interesting one though! Surely most of these are getting on for 150 years old at this stage? Are there still capable shooters out there or would they all be well worn out at this stage?

    Do you have an RFD that keeps a decent stock of 7x57 or do you have to order it specially? Very keen to hear about ammunition for the 6.5x57R, that's seems like a very niche cartridge, especially in Ireland. Do a few of them put in an ammunition order together every so often? Can you recommend any dealers who are happy to order in niche ammo?

    The Sharp's is an interesting one! Hadn't thought of that. Would probably have to rule out the large cal and BP because of our wonderful restricted calibre and reloading rules but a modern reproduction for a smokeless .30 cal could be a rabbit hole worth diving down!

    Post edited by TheEngineer1 at


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19 Hibernian A and M
    Hibernian Armaments & Munitions


    Oh the original martinis certainly would be getting up there but both BSA and Greener both made large numbers of martini action rifles in varying calibers, and a lot of those original martini enfields were refurbished too before sale so you can still find pretty great examples, along with beaters of course. ;)

    And just on the drilling or combination guns, so long as you don't go for something like a 9.3mm it'll feel quite similar to a double barrel 12 gauge in swing.

    Depending on the model of course, some are built like tanks.



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