Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Combination Guns and Drillings Who Shoots a BBF?

What do you shoot?

Do you prefer it to drillings or cape guns?

Yes, the second one I have owned and one of three combo guns I have owned and hunted with here in BC since my first Valmet in 1974.

This is a rather rare and a VERY fine gun, a Miroku-Browning on the Citori Type III action, with Invector chokes, vent rib, good irons and easy scope mounting. It is .308Win.x12-2.75" and is a "Grade III" finish.

I bought this gun new in spring, 1989 and it is still in 95% condition, it shoots well and functions flawlessly, BETTER than some "big name" German-Austrian pieces I have used. In fact, this is as close the "the perfect, all around", etc. with it's twin triggers and non-auto. safety as one could ever hope for.

It is a "Model 7500" and, I gather, was produced for the Euro. market, so, only 6 of these made it to Canada, 4 to BC and Reliable Gun of Vancouver,got 2 of those. The manager there has one and I have the other and I have seen one other, many years ago.

I MUCH prefer the BBF to the drillinge and am selling my custom Merkel 96K as I have not used it in 4-5 years and am getting on,so, I only "need" one combo gun, now.

The newly introduced Steyr "DUET" REALLY interests me, but, I surmise that the cost will be far more than I am willing to spend on any gun now, as I have too many as it is. Still, it looks like one helluva rig!

I had one as part of a set on an N. Lejot sidelock best quality gun,engraved in 1933 by L. Smeets. It was 16/8X57JR and a wonderful gun with its second set of 9,3X74R barrels. It was a gun I couldn't afford to own, however.

I also had a 12/308 Marocchi, Baikal 12/7X57R, several 12/308 Savage 2400s, and a bunch of Valmet 412/512 variations. I sold one to buy the next, and the next...

Of these my favorite was the Savage 2400. I've had two Savage 24s in 20/30-30 that were both decent guns and accurate.

All I have now is a Valmet 412S 12/30-06 with a 28" 12/12 set also. The 12/'06 barrel set is Italian and shoots great!

I am a O/U fan. I've had and still have one cape gun, but just can't love them. I've shot an old Brownng Superposed as my principal shotgun since I was in my early teens. The O/U's sighting plane and handling characteristics are so similar, it's just right for me. My favorite is my 16/8mm.I could sell my cape gun and my drillings, but it would have to be pretty tough times for me to give up my Leopard Gun.
Bfly

Ah, yes, the age-old issue of the serious "gun looney", MONEY, and enough of it to afford to buy AND KEEP the guns we NEED.......BTDT!

I do not know of any cure for this hideous affliction, other than winning a HUGE "lotto" and THEN, I could buy ALMOST all the fine guns I NEED......do you know, my wife sometimes asks me, "couldn't you just use the three you have on your bench now and we could go to Europe for several months".....women, silly creatures, eh!

I have never owned a drilling or cape gun, but I do have a BBF.

What is it? Do you have some photos? We always like to see what you have and like to know whether you hunt with it.

Mine is a Blaser BBF97 "short version" in 12 ga over 308, and yes, I do hunt with it but have to kind of be in the right "mood".

Those Blasers shoot like target rifles!

Nice pics.

That is very much what I do with my Miroku and I have shot a Blaser of that type, belonged to a German immigrant here that I used to see at my old club range.

I like that one very much, would tend to prefer the rifle barrel in 9.3x74R, but, I can attest that the .308Win, does real well, too.

My BBF is extremely accurate for about 4 shots, but the accuracy decreases as the barrel heats up. That being said, I have never had to shoot a game animal more than once...

I used to be a bigger fan of a 308 than I am now, and if I had it to do over, I would definitely have mine in a short version 12 ga over 9.3x74r.

I do have a custom Encore and a K95 barrel in that caliber.

I have the. 9.3x74 version and really like it. Part of me would like a 22 hornet set of barrels with the same 20" barrels but I'm not sure I will ever do it

Mine is a 20 gauge over 243 Winchester. I would have preferred something a little larger in the rifle chambering but the price was right.

How has the function of these Blasers been for you gentlemen?

I have heard "rumours" about some issues with some Blaser models and given the cost of one of these, am concerned as to the reliability of them and if anyone may have encountered any problems of a functional type?

I've had no functional issues with mine and think it's a fantastic gun.

What rumors have you heard?

I have owned Blasers for several years now (R93, K95, and BBF97) and had absolutely no problems with any of mine, but Blasers and internet rumors seem to go hand in hand.

Exactly what rumors are circulating about the combo guns???

That is probably the source of what I read, seem to recall on "AR" some time ago and I think it was in reference to the R93?

If, I seem perhaps overly cautious, be aware that guns of this type tend to cost more, new, here in Canada, than in the US AND getting warrantee work done on so many products from foreign sources is just a total mindbending exercise in futility.

I actually spoke with the Canadian distributoe yesterday by phone on ordering one of these, "special order ONLY" and a 4-6 month wait,soooooo, one wants to get it "right" the first time.

That said, the short barreled 9,3x74R-12ga, with a Leupy 4x in Blaser mounts REALLY interests me and even at the nearly $6K for this rig here, I think it a very useful, practical "meat gun"....and that is what interests me in guns.

Not a very good photo; it is a scan of a small print and not a digital photo, but here is a Zimbabwe kudu shot with a Tikka 512 in 12-3" over 9,3X74R.

I took it as a set with a second set of 9,3X74R O/U barrels and two scopes. It allowed me to hunt about anything I encountered that trip, including cape buffalo later in Masailand Tanz.

The fast handling qualities of the BBF were also welcome when we got into francolin for the evening dinner pot.

I was happy to have found a double-trigger receiver for this rig. Alas, it went with four of my best drillings to bail me out of a bout with cancer. All is fine now, and I had those guns to play with for a while.

Never saw a two-triggered Tikka before. And that "mixed bag" is spectacular. Combos are supposed to be all about mixed bags!

NOW I get your handle.

Great use of that rifle. Francolin on a safari are one of lights great pleasures.
The good thing about guns is in a bind they can help you through it when times are tough

Did you have any issues with barrels in same calibers while traveling? I have thought of adding another set of 9.3x74 double barrels to use like this but I didn't know if I would have trouble in some African countries. I do know that traveling with a takedown rifle with serial numbers on the frames and barrels does seem to confuse them in customs at times.

My only experience is with South Africa. On my last trip I took a Blaser R 93 with the barrel off to allow for packing in a smaller case and I had no problem despite both the stock and barrel having serial numbers.

I'm talking about barrels with the same caliber. South Africa at one time would not allow you to take two guns in the same caliber. I assume that is still the case. What I'm wondering is if two barrel sets will be treated as two guns. Even though you only have one receiver do they interpret it as two guns. Those serial numbers on the reciever and barrels really confuses them. I tell them to go by the barrel which is what they are used to looking at. Although my US Customs document has all of these serial numbers on it. I put the scope serial number on the custom form as well so that does seem to help as it is serial number overload.
Can you take a 9.3x74 double barrel set and a 9.3x74/12 gauge set with one receiver?