The other day I bought a 22 Magnum insert for a 16 gauge shotgun barrel. I didn't know that it was for the left barrel until I tried to install it in the right barrel of a drilling. Didn't work. I have a 16GA JP Sauer SXS so I decided to make sort of an ersatz cape gun. I took it to my gunsmith to install the insert in the left shotgun barrel. I found a tiny brass shotgun bead, probably for a mid bead, and threaded it in place of the regular shotgun bead. I had a fold-down rear sight that will be installed midway down the shotgun's barrel. As the insert is adjustable, it can be regulated to the sights with the folding rear sight in the up position. Folded down, the rear sight won't interfere with shooting the gun as a shotgun. I think I'll look for a trap buttplate and install the insert, its locking key, and a few 22 Magnum rounds in the stock. I have a few hundred 22 WRF rounds, left over from my encounter with a rib drilling, that also may be a less powerful alternative to the 22 Magnum ammo. This should make a nice squirrel/varmint gun that will be lighter to carry than my drilling. I'll let you know how it works out.

Allan

I have a cheap double barrel cape gun, Stroger(?) anyway. Didn't use it all that much, handled nice though, but always seemed to miss with the left barrel. So, at a gun show some guy is selling a Baikal 45-70 insert that fits a 20 inch barrel, which is the length of my coach gun. I buy it, take it home and it fits! I taped some iron sights on the gun and went out to the range, it didn't blow up and the bullets all went in the same direction.

I have the sights permanently mounted, looks good, they were XS or OX or whatever peep system I had from a 45-70 lever gun. After about 50 rounds of messing around, and I mean getting really creative, I now have a "cape gun" that will hold a 3 to 4 inch group with the left barrel 45-70 insert and a combined 6 inch group with Brenneke slugs out of the right. Granted this is at 50yds, which is fine, it's actually very impressive at 25yds.

Interesting note: The left barrel shot 18 inches plus to the left of the right barrel! (So now I have a valid excuse for all the left barrel missed shots as noted above.) By moving the barrel insert around considerably I was able to "regulate" it with the right.

OK, I nominate this as the cheapest home made combination gun. Now whether I actually kill anything other than a few camp pests with it remains to be seen. It now lives in my hunting/fishing trailer. My wife loves it as bear repellant, put a plastic slug in the right side, and if the bear doesn't move off, the left barrel will make an impression.

Got the gun back from the smith. I'm very pleased. At 50 yards I can squirrel hunt with the 22 Mag. I'll post photos soon.

I put a 22WMR insert in the right bbl of one of my S&S shotgun MANY years ago. I carried it on and off that way for a long time.

Mine worked out just fine for me and i still have both of them around...

DM