Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Combination Guns and Drillings BRNO ZH104 7 x 57R over 12ga

Just arrived, complete with factory scope mounts.




Just loaded some ammo. Going out to try it tomorrow.

Ted

Nice. I had a 304 for a good while, and it was a really good solid gun, which accounted for numerous rabbits, foxes and other small stuff, birds, pigs and deer.

You may know this, but when you shoot for groups you should leave a good break between shots. It will probably put the first two close together from a cold barrel, but after that the shots will tend to walk as the rifle barrel heats up, so it is a good idea to take another gun or two to the range so you can put this one by for a while between shots.

Not an issue in the field though, where usually you take one shot and then go pick up your game.

FWIW I found a 1.5-6 scope near ideal on this gun, and I have one on my drilling too. At 1.5x I was fine for running and flying game, while 6x lets you reach out with the rifle barrel.

Hope you enjoy this gun!

That's really nice Ted!

These are really solid guns, a bit heavy but great shooters. Having the original scope mount is nice. Mine is in 5.6x52R(22 Sav. HP)/12ga and is my go to travel rig as I have a set of shotgun barrels for it also. I have a 1.5-4.5x20 Nikon Monarch on mine. I use a number of Leupold VX series 1-4x20mm on combo guns also. PPV 7x57R 139 gr SP's have proven to be very accurate in my drilling.

Hi Erich

My ZH304 also liked the PPU 139 gn.

How is that skeet barrel set?

Here, for comparison, is my ZH300 setup:

Unless I am mistaken, the rear trigger is single selective, able to fire both barrels. Is there a way to change the order of firing?

Thanks,
Ted

I don't believe mine is, rear trigger is the rifle, front the shotgun. You can change the firing order by pulling the front trigger first, that's why the put it there if your rear acts as a single non-selective trigger. I wondered about that when I saw a o/u shotgun with what appears to have the front trigger removed. Maybe just the double shotguns are set up that way, it would seem to be pretty useless on a rifle/shotgun combo.

Okay, put an old Leupold 2-7X28 on the BRNO, and headed to the range. Just got back a few minutes ago. One of the advantages of living North of 60!



Sighted in dead-on centre at 25 yards with three Hornady 139 gr Interlock Spitzers ahead of 40 gr of IMR 3031 and CCI 200s

Took one shot with a 175 gr Interlock RN ahead of 34 gr of same, and it touched the centred hole.

Let the rifle get cold while checking a 270, and the next 175 gr whacked the six-inch round clanger at 200 meters on our silhouette range. All this at 2 power. Not too bad for the first five shots. It surely won't need much load development.

Tried one thrown clay bird with a skeet load, and managed to break it when I finally found it in the scope. Obviously need to find something of lower magnification. Have an old Weaver V4.5, 1.5-4.5X20, here on a 300 Savage. Going to form some more brass, and will give that a try the next outing.

Oh, and the rear trigger is single selective. It fires the shotgun barrel first, and then the rifle barrel, and does so without needing any recoil to reset. Pulling the front trigger fires the rifle barrel.

Safety is automatic. Resets every time the gun is opened.

Ted

I have the same rifle in 22High Power. It shoots 70 grain bullets into 4" groups. I think the 1-12" twist doesn't fully stabalize the really long bullets Shorter 63 Sierra Spitzers, even though only .223 diameter shoot into 1.5 MOA with 4064. The 7mm would be very versatile. Great find!

North61, you might want to try some Buffalo arms .228 bullets, I believe they come in 45, 55 and 60 gr. I shoot the 55's for coyotes.




Link to Buffalo Arms .228 bullets, 45gr are on page one.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/reloading-supplies-accessories/jacketed-lead-copper-coated-bullets?p=2

I have five boxes of S&B 70gr SP but haven't fired them for a group yet.

Hi Eric,

The rear trigger fires the shotgun barrel on the first pull, and the rifle barrel on the second. I tried changing the firing order by firing the rifle barrel with the front trigger, and then reloading trying the rear trigger. It still fired the shot barrel first and then the rifle barrel.

Ted

Erich,

I've shot quite a few S&B 22HP softs in my Valmet, and they do OK. I figure the 22HP is at most a 200yd deer round (pushing it), and the S&B shoot a nice minute of mulie. Never measured, but I'm guessing 1.5-2 MOA in my gun. I need to clock the twist sometime, but why would Valmet make a gun for decades with too slow a rate for the HP?

It's interesting that the BRNOs have a single non-selective rear trigger. I can't quite figure out why??? Maybe it's for shooting with O/U shotgun tubes.

Yukoner,

IMO the 7X57R is one of the great combination gun rounds, and in the very strong BRNO you can heat them up a bit. That makes your gun just that much better.

A mate of mine gets very good accuracy with 70 gn bullets in his ZH305 - cloverleafs at 100m. I don't remember what variety they are - Hornady I think.

I think that the trigger arrangement makes a good deal of sense given that you can swap your combo set for a shotgun set. The shotgun barrels have the same chokes, but firing the bottom barrel first (using the rear trigger) gives less muzzle jump, so you can get the second barrel away quicker, especially since you don't need to move your finger to the other trigger.

Of course you still have the option of firing the top barrel first if you want to. Best of both worlds really.

Makes sense

Wow..that is darn good shooting!

Thanks for the heads-up on the barrel heating, Dan. I haven't noticed any serious walking yet, but have only been shooting a few rounds at a a time at the range.

My hunting with this outfit will be for grouse and ptarmigan, and moose, bear and our big mountain caribou bulls which are the size of mature elk. Planning to use plain vanilla 175gr soft points at around 2400 fps on the big stuff and light target loads for the birds.

So far, it has been very satisfactory. Looking forward to this Fall.

Ted

Happy Birthday, Ted !

Tried several ways to get Buffalo Arms bullets up to Canada but struck out. 63 Sierras will have to do.

You might try this bullet.

Nosler 22 Caliber 64 Grain Bonded Solid Base Bullets w/ Cannelure

http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosl...-solid-based-w-cannelure-blem-100ct.html

Well, the 104 never made it into the moose hunting pictures this year, but there's still caribou to hunt.

Ted

Good luck!!!

A guy at the range had a Zoli 12 over 7x57R at the range with a Weaver 1-3x20 on it. He also had one of the Hammond Game Getters and was able to shoot 3" groups at 25 yards with it. I told him that he might shoot better groups if he'd try different Ramset powder loads, but he didn't seem too interested.

Another tidbit, for better or worse, the safety is automatic. Resets every time the gun is opened.

Have a great Thanksgiving you guys! Eat too much, laugh a lot, and tell everyone how much they mean to you.

God bless,
Ted

Found a barrel set in 7x57R over 12 and it's on it's way. That gives me 3 barrel sets, the 22 Hi-power over 12, the 12 gauge skeet set and the 7x57 over 12. Other than Bison I am pretty much set up for everything I will likely ever hunt! I'll let you know how it works out.

You're well set up now. Congratulations on putting together a strong and useful combination set.


B U T .....

Ok..I'll post some pictures or a video when the new barrel set arrives.

7x57R over 12 set arrived today from Tradeex. Fit is perfect. Will give it a try when it warms up and do a video. Have some 173 grain S&B ammo that in rimless form shoots into sub 1 inch in my 21H. Curious to see how the rimmed version will do.

Good to hear it fit. I have a 7x57r over 12 gauge barrel set from Tradex as well. I had to try several before one fit properly on my ZH201. Luckily, I reside about a half hour from Tradex and was able to check the fit of the barrels on their premises. Great place to deal with. I also have a ZH305 5.6x52r over 12 gauge. The two BRNO combination guns I have are very accurate and the barrels are well regulated.

Take a wooden dowel that just fits inside the bore or a stout cleaning rod out with you and shoot the rimless ammo. Just tap the cases out from the front. I've had some combo guns that had an auxiliary extractor machined into the rimmed round extractor to shoot both rimmed and rimless ammo. It's not uncommon to find the set up in 7X57R and 8X57JRS chambered guns.

The extractors are a spring-loaded plunger in the extractor edge that has a radiused side to let it close over the rim and a flat side that engages the rim of the "rimless" round for exaction.

Good to know about the rimless case use but I have 100 rimmed cases from Tradeex and the local store sells factory 7X57R in Sellier and Belot. Went out today. Factory S&B shoots into 3" at 100 yards but I managed 2" with one reload. That's good enough for my use. Fun set-up.

Congratulations on finding the 7X57 combo barrel. Shoots great, and recoil is very manageable, right?

Ted

Hey Ted.... yes pretty easy to shoot. I am at 2MOA with minimal load development. Bet I can get it down to 1.5 MOA as I did with the 22 Hi-Power barrel. I copied you with this 7x57R, great concept. I am also impressed at how well regulated the two barrels are. Not bad at all.

Today at the range in Whitehorse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSaDyj7nMfk&feature=youtu.be

Good video!

I think the gun is walking as it warms up. Are the highest hits the third shots? It would be characteristic of barrels to do this. I'd be curious to see a group from three cold barrel shots. Bet it tightens up a lot.

-42C here now. It will take a week or two before it warms up some and I return to the range. With a 3X scope it could easily be me.

I was in Fort St John Saturday and Sunday, Greg. It was -41C there.

Maybe wait until Tuesday to go back up to the range, and I'll go with you? Supposed to be -49 in Whitehorse then.

For our friends down South, that's -56F. Field conditions.

Will give you a call when I get back.
Ted

Sounds good, (The call, not the -49C range time) Would be fun to have two 7x57 R's out though. I could also bring out the BRNO 21H in the regular rimless 7x57 and we could see how they compare. Next Tuesday the weather breaks.

What a beauty. I'm really liking the 7x57/12ga version.

Any pointers to LOP, owners manuals etc?