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sleeving shotgun for double rifle

familyguy
Read about a sleeved sideXside turned into a .45-70 double rifle. Anyone familiar with this? Are there commercially available parts to just "plug and play", or is it something that needs to be fitted by a gunsmith?



Got a new gun for my ex-wife.....pretty good trade, huh?
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • nord
    First there's the question of what kind of scattergun you might be talking about. Light-framed guns like some of the older Ithaca's wouldn't be a good choice. Neither would some Elcee's decause of their delicate wrists. And then there are the multitude of utility guns that sold new for $10.00. Why would anyone want to convert one of them?

    The next problem is sights. Due to the crossover, the ramp sightplane on a double won't work. Sights need to be mounted on each tube.

    Which all brings us back to the reason that such guns were never sleaved. They were supplied with a set of shotgun tubes and a matching rifle barrel set.

    Of course, you can do whatever pleases you.

    Nord
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  • singleshotfanatic
    A very able gunsmith friend of mine during a slow time at his shop built just a double rifle on a stevens 311 20 gauge frame. It was a disaster . Could not aim it . Had horrible handling characteristics.
    It also had hard to open tendencies when using 500 grain 45-70 ammo. Be cheaper to buy a used rifle
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  • Rafter-S
    Many years ago I knew a gunsmith who did it in caliber British 303. It worked OK but the best he could do with alignment was the barrels shot a foot apart at 50 yards.

    Though it might make an entertaining project, to have it done would be cost prohibitive and I doubt you would be pleased with the results.

    My humble 2-cents worth,
    Rafter-S

    "What is truth? No wonder jesting Pilate turned away. The truth, it has a thousand faces -- show only one of them, and the whole truth flies away! But how to show the whole? That is the question."
    --Thomas Wolfe, "You Can't Go Home Again" (1934)
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  • familyguy
    For anyone interested, the article is "My 'Fake' Double Rifle" by Clayton Williams, Gun Digest 1993. He had a smith do it, but since I saw this:

    http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=8964238

    I was wondering if anyone knew if it was still a custom job or available to do yourself.

    The 'cross-over' concern is touched on in the article. With a center sight (as opposed to one on each barrel) and a slow burning powder with a heavy bullet, the author had 2-3 inch groups at 50yds.

    rafter-s:
    quote:Though it might make an entertaining project, to have it done would be cost prohibitive and I doubt you would be pleased with the results.
    One of the reasons I'm asking before I try it![:)]

    Singleshotfanatic - besides the one above, the only other ones I've found are the new production baikal. Thought I'd ask about this before diving in.



    Got a new gun for my ex-wife.....pretty good trade, huh?
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  • drobs
    EAA Baikal has a screw in 45-70 barrel insert for their side by side 12ga. Check it out at:
    http://www.eaacorp.com/parts/Inserts/index.shtml


    Regards,
    190191.gif
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  • brayhaven
    It can be done. I made a Double in 30-30 Ackley improved out of a SKB O/U small guage that had gotten into saltwater in a sailboat bilge and eaten up the barrels. It worked great. I made an adjustable regulator that fit under the forend to regulate or adjust for different loads. They are good candidates for it side X sides as well, because the barrels are soft soldered into a monoblock. I've also done some "cape guns" making one side a rifle barrel (never again :o). Sure gets rid of the need to regulate the barrels. the advice on expense is good advice. Find an older black powder DR and shoot it that way & have fun (if you must have a DR).
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  • nononsense
    Generally, the barrels (inserts) are turned on an eccentric to the bore line. This allows for adjusting or regulating by rotating the inserts in the shotgun barrels. Trial and error but that's better than accepting gross errors induced by straight tubes.

    Regards.
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  • aglore
    Briley's will do a sleeve job for you. Kind of spendy though. The Baikal would be the way to go. A double rifle should be regulated to shoot MOA of grapefruit at 75 yards.

    AlleninAlaska
    Delta Firearms & Supplies
    http://canadianfirearmsexchange.com

    aglore@gci.net
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