Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only CAPE guns?

does any make them new anymore?

thanks

There were two types of Cape Guns (South Africa)

A side by side, one barrel shotgun, the other barrel rifled for a big black powder cartridge. An all in one gun for the early settlers.

A Mauser bolt action, 29 to 30 inch barrel, in one of the Metric calibers such as 9.3x62, 8mm of various flavors, maybe a 7mm. Multi leaf sights on the barrel, some even had a tip up elevator sight on the barrel similar, but smaller, to the 1917 and 1914 Enfields. The long sight radius improved accuracy in the South African open country.

Nope, not made anymore except for custom. The side by side would be extremely expensive. The Mauser bolt action may be easily duplicated by any Mauser gunsmith. Harald Wolf has a fine example of one he made (in 8x68) in an earlier issues of Hatari Times. Plus photos of an original. This type of rifle is on my "To Build" list after I finish stocking three barreled action in the backlog.

THIS is a Cape Gun. J.P.Sauer & Sohn,1912. 12gauge left x 9,3x72R. I killed a wild boar with it in Tennessee in the Caryonah Pig Hunt in Dec

Evil Twin, very nice example of the Cape double. I forgot to mention they were also made for smokeless.

Twin,

I have almost your gun's twin, but in 12/8X57JR and second set of 12/12 barrels.

Yours is is very nice shape, and I covet it.

This Sauer set has a K-3 P&CH in claw mounts...

Nice one's guys. Always wanted a cape gun, but wound up with and up and down in 8x57/16. Really like the second set of barrels. Curious about your optics.
There are a number of U/U makers out there, but I guess it's cost and small market that limit the lieklihood of seeing a new Capegun.
Bfly

IF more hunters actually realized just how effective and practical a Cape Gun really is, there might just be another surge of demand. I realize that a lot of guys don't feel comfy with less that 3 or 4 shots in the ready rack, but in the process of killing my wild boar, that rifle reloaded very quickly, silently and easily. In point of fact, hunting with it in the Adirondacks, I carry a shotshell loaded. I've nailed down half a trainload of ruffed grouse with the gun while I was deer hunting. I am sure L2S will back me up on this part:these guns as pictured handle like a dream!! They come to point like lightning and they are mostly self aiming when you do that. EASY to hit critters.

The idea has a certain appeal for me as well, but then I wonder, how many shots at grouse do I want to take while hunting for deer?

I actually don't believe it matters. I have watched deer when a gunshot close by sounded off and all they did was pick up their heads and look...then went back to doing whatever they were doing. You could load a rifled sug and have a bear back-up. Hell, if you just took a shot at a grouse and a deer DId break cover, the rifle barrel is ready to rock and roll instantly.

Where I hunt in Virginia, you can only use a rifle when you are ten feet off the ground. Otherwise, it's slugs or buckshot. Shots are often measured in feet, down there. I use the rifle and buckshot when in a stand, and either buck or slug on the ground. Not much more frustrating than walking back to camp with an empty rifle and seeing a nice buck or sitting in a tree stand and seeing a nice buck that is too far to shoot with a shotgun.
Bfly

I sometimes feel the commotion gets bedded deer moving and improves things.

As a young boy, I got my first drilling by mowing lawns for two summers and saving up. It was Charles Daly sidelock 12/12/30-30 similar to the one Steelhead stole from me a while back.

One day in late October I came down off the Limbo Range in NW Nevada with 6 chuckar, 15 valley quail...and a great big 5X5 mule deer...I dragged the deer, then went up after the gun and game bag...dragged the deer, then back up for the gun and game bag...crying and grinning the whole time. My dad beamed when I made it down to the truck at long last. I'll never forget that day with my late father and his proud look.

These are wonderful guns that feel Just Right in one's hands. They almost point themselves.

Do you have another one that can be stolen?

Wish I did...

Pete Stewart stole one from me a while back. He got a great little slender Emil Kerner cape gun in 16/9,3X72R with 2.75X Hensoldt in claw mounts from me for $1,600.00 in a moment of my temporary insanity...and the S. O. B. won't sell it back...says his wife loves it.



If you are seriously looking for one, PM me. I'll network a bit for you.

Is my Savage 24 in 30WCF/20G a Cape Gun? - I also have an English SS 12G that someone has put a barrel liner into chambered for 40-65 Winchester. It is heavy as heck, and I wish I knew its history.

Your Savage is more correctly called a combination gun. I believe the general rule of thumb is, O/U shotgun/rifles are "Combination Guns", and when configured as a SxS they are "Cape Guns". At least that is my understanding.

Thanks to ET and L2S for posting pics. Never tire of seeing those guns!

Jeff

ET loves to tease and taunt me with photos of his. He KNOWS I want it.

It was handed down in the family, and I have to respect that...

GODANGIT...I still want it. !!!

BTW, I had two of the 24 Savages in 20/30-30, and both were great meat getters. One was the model with nice walnut and straight grip. I gave it to a buddy who lived in AK. He popped two moose with it and supplied me with 1/2 a freezer of great eating. The Savage 24 is a great American tradition, IMO.

I have owned a number typically 12g, 450/577 Martini or a similar class of black powder British cartridge. Shot them all with modern powders at duplicate velocity. One was a 12gx303british Holloway & Naughton . It had a small diameter firing pin for the rifle and was nitro proof.
Good to shoot but heavy and did not handle like a double rifle. My opinion is they are a compromise as they do not handle well except for the big guys.
For the contemporary hunter a combination U/O is a far better handling option. Starting at the Savage ( do they still have a 30/30 option?) through the the Russian range, Tika , Italian and into the top end European.
My preference is a rimmed cartridge. Two favourites are the 7X65R and 9.3 x74R for big game. I recall Tika once offered a 222rem x12g. It is good to have the back up of 00.

Years ago all the boys where I grew up would hunt along creeks on a mixed-bag quest. We weren't too particular what we hunted as long as it was edible. Wasn't uncommon to end a mornings hunt with 3 or 4 squirrels, a rabbit or two, maybe a couple of ducks and if things went right....a hog or deer.

Most of us didn't have the guns you guys have so we went with the East Texas Poor-Boy's Cape gun.....a double shotgun loaded with a buckshot in one barrel and squirrel shot in the other. One guy however was the envy of the crowd because he had a Savage 24 in .30-30 over 12 gauge. We aways did well with the buckshot/squirrel shot combo, but it just didn't have the "class" of a rifle/shotgun set-up.

MK1, British Cape Guns MAY be heavy and unweildy, but the German guns are a pure joy to use. As for combination guns, I still hunt (yesterday as a matter of fact) with a Savage 24,.22/.410 my Dad gave me when I wuz 11. My very FIRST gun of my own.

I like my Cape guns with an extra shotgun barrel. Though I would certainly take a Cape gun.