Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Combination Guns and Drillings How accurate are they?

My dad had a Savage 24 that I used for small game as a kid. It was a .22LR/20 gauge combo with the extra storage in the butt. He still has it. I moved onto bigger, faster, more powerful "cooler" stuff as grew older, but life has come full circle and now I'm looking for that combo gun again. This time I want something I can use on deer and turkey, so 223 or 30-30 over 12 gauge. Two questions, how accurate is the rifle? I understand ammo./ballistics/bore condition, but can I squeak a 2" or even 1" group out of it? Second question, do any of the 12 gauge bottom barrels offer interchangeable chokes? As mentioned, I'm interested in turkey, so full or extra full would be great.

Thanks!

Unless you scope it, guess it'll be as accurate as you can shoot irons.

I've never seen one with screw in chokes. My guess, you'll have to have the shotgun barrel fitted for screw in chokes.

DF

I have no experience with the Savage combination gun. However, I do have considerable experience with German drillings and combination guns. My two best drillings will shoot clover leafs at 50 yards with open sights, benched, IF you allow the barrel to cool between shots. As the rifle barrel is fired, heats up and try's to expand the shotgun barrel is staying cool and trying to keep the rifle barrel from moving. I can't imagine any kind of combination gun not being the same. All my drillings have a tendency to walk up and to the left as the rifle barrel heats. As the rifle barrel heats, 4 shots go about 2 inches at 50 yards with the first two usually touching and 3 and 4 walking. I don't know how an O/U would respond but it seems there would have to be some walking of the group. For 99% of hunting purposes for which a drilling or combination gun are suitable I don't believe the 1-3 shots most likely fired will move enough to matter. They aren't bolt action or single shot hunting or target rifles so my best advice is not to expect their accuracy for 5 shot groups. 3 shots is plenty.

Savage 24F models will accept a screw in choke in the 12 gauge and they were offered with either 22 Hornet,223 and 30-30 ( these barrel sets will interchange) as the upper rifle option.Some think that these combos are heavy and unwieldy and they're really the entry level combo,plus the barrels aren't designed to be regulated.Having said that I use my 12/22 hornet for turkey.A step up in quality would be the Savage 2400 series.These combos were offered in 12ga on top and either 222 or 308 below.Chokes would have to be added by a smith but you can regulate the barrels.The 2400 series will also accept O/U 12 gauge and 20 gauge barrels from a savage 330 or a Valmet Lion and a combo barrel from a Valmet 312 which is usually 12 gauge with 22 Savage High Power as the rifle.I think the combo can be more versatile than than the drilling since you can switch barrels easily to create the right firearm for your particular hunting needs even to the point of carrying an extra barrel while in the field.
Above that is usually considered to be the Valmet 412/512 which has all the Savage 2400 features but in a higher quality firearm and then you go into the stratosphere with some of the really high end european combos---read $$$$$

I have a few combo guns and drillings. Both my combo guns will shoot sub MOA three shot groups to 300 yards 5.6x50R Mag/12ga and 22 Savage HP/12ga and are used for coyote hunting.

Bernardelli

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BRNO

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I have a couple of drillings one in 6.5x58R/16/16 that will shoot three under 1MOA at 200 yards that is also a coyote gun for me with an ounce of NP BB's

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Also a drilling set up for still hunting whitetails 7x57R/16/16 Weaver K-1.5

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I had an American Arms O/U 12ga/222 Rem that would shoot five under an inch at 100 yards one right after another but it ha separate barrels all my others you can get two off but then they start to walk and you need to let them cool to get close groups.

I had a Savage 24V in 223/20ga I never could get comfortable with it as the ergonomics were just wrong for me, I hated the selector on the hammer and having to cock it to fire it. Give me a safety and two triggers and I'm a happy hunter. I don't miss it at all. I do enjoy hunting with a hammer sxs shotgun for ducks.

As Erich mentioned, neither have I ever been able to warm to the Savage combination. I expect that stems from my first combination guns/drillings being German and Austrian. I wish I could warm to the Savage as I really rather like the firearm but, it feels clumsy after the others. It is probable that is an unjustified bias on my part.

I had a later model .30/30 over 12ga with plastic stock for a time. It shot well enough for a .30/30 and had the pleasant attribute of putting slugs to the same POI at 50 yards as the rifle. Killed a nice buck with it in 1998. But it was a clumsy thing and the stock had a flat comb that was uncomfortable. The metal finish was nothing to write home about either. Never could make myself love it much, so down the road it went.

I have Valmet 223/12, 3006/12 and 9.3x74x9.3x74. the 223 is less than MOA all the time even with quick shots. the 06 is unbelieveable as well with 110gr sierra varmiter loads.
I do not load for the 9.3 as it gets little use, but will put factory norma 232 gr both about 1" apart at 65 yds centered on aiming point. The 9.3 is a real hog slammer when used. The barrel regulation devices allow the barrel to expand a little (I believe) and thus shooting 2 or 3 quick shots I don't see any significant change in impact.
My first experience with combo guns was an ugly Savage 20/30-30, at 50 yds a 30-30 group of 10 or 12" and a slug arriving about 30" from point of aim.
My Valmets are my go-to for calling, the 223 and # 4 buck for smaller game (grey fox at night). The 06 and # 4 buck for coyote day and night.

Wally are we to assume you have several barrel sets for you Valmet or several complete Valmet guns---is it a 412 series?Do you have an O/U barrel set and just didn't mention it?I'm jealous of your 30-06-I've always wanted that combo

I have a one Tikka 412s receiver which is same as Valmet. One receiver, multiple barrel sets, including 12/12 all are over/under. 3006/12ga guns are regulary available on Gunbroker in the $1200 +/- range. I have contaplated getting another complete gun, just for spare, but the things have simple interior parts and overall built like a tank. I find no problems noted by postings on multiple sources. I have used mine for about 10 years or so and no problems. It would be nice if they were lighter, but shooting the 3" #4 buck and the 9.3, I appreciate the weight.

Savage 24 Turkey gun +
Features a Turkey scope with crosshairs and ranging circle for turkey head. Barrels are .22 hornet over 3 inch 12 ga with chokes. + 18 inch .45-70 barrel insert that is MO Deer at 100 yards with 300 grain ammo.
Hornet good out to 150 yards on pdogs, coyote, turkey, etc.
Not a light combo, but very steady and not bad with rifle sling. I have missed some prairie dogs, but NEVER lost a gobbler or coyote.

Also have a Stevens .22 over 3 inch .410 - good for plinking and small game- great trap line gun.

24s.... It's my experience that it's hard to tell how theoretically accurate the 24's are because they quickly start walking when they heat up, most are attached at the front and the rear of the barrel with gap in the middle.

I never bothered to try and squeak real tight groups from the 30-30 I had, it shot plenty well enough to hunt with, well past any distance I had business shooting at something with iron sighted 30-30. But it would string in just a couple shots.

Don't expect the shotgun barrel to shoot to the sights. Ones that do are the rare exception.

A .223 is going to have a more traditional slower twist and usually won't like heavier bullets.

I like the idea of a 22 high power over 20ga

I've never seen hi power over 20 ga but there might be a european drilling/combo in that setup---But let me say the 22 hi power is a great deer round here in Florida with our smaller deer---I've been considering a savage model 99 in that caliber

Merkel makes a BBF with 20 ga over calibres which include .22 Hi Power, as well as others. A friend of mine who does their gunsmithing here sorely tempted me with one at a gunshow here a little while back, though IIRC that particular example was 20 ga over 5.6x50R - a calibre I've found does good work on game up to and including pigs, with the right bullet.

The Germans got it right, the rifle barrel should be on the bottom, deep in the receiver, where it's better supported.

Not always. The location of the rifle barrel should be somewhat determined by how the gun locks up. The Germans used a lot of Kersten/ Greener and third bite locks ups with the lock up high on the breech and single or double under lugs, the rifle barrel works well even on the top, there were a number of double rifle drillings(with some very powerful cartridges) with the rifle barrels on the top. My BRNO has very high trunions and a double Kersten/Greener crossbolts and they put the rifle barrel on the top and they make them with very powerful cartridge.

The Savage 24 had a single under lug and is a very weak system, they get away with the .223 in them because of the small case head, but attempts to re-chamber like 30-30 to say 30-40 causes to action to open upon firing.

Agreed. They also used a heck of a lot of Roux, side lever, Lefaucheux, and Jones underlevers for combination guns. I suspect most, if not all of those, except for possibly the Roux, were also SXS.

Dan, I have a very nice Bernardelli o/u combo gun in 12ga/5.6x50R Mag and it is one coyote killing machine



From my shoe laces to 300 yards it is a dead coyote

I had a Savage Model 24 .22 LR over 20 Gauge, one of the later ones with the black synthetic stock. It was quite a heavy and clumsy beast. The .22 barrel was very inaccurate, with 25 yard groups of 4 inches or so on a good day. We won't talk about what it would do on a bad day. I tried several brands of ammo but it never got better. A sample of one, for what it's worth.