For the past few years I have treated my Blaser BBF 97, as sort of a "red headed stepchild".

It is a 20ga 3" over a 308.

By that I mean I have taken it on several hunts as a "spare".

In My defense, I did consider it a great "spare" gun, an excellent single shot rifle [it is very, very accurate], and an excellent single barrel shotgun.

However, last deer season, it really stepped up to the plate, and did yomans service.

I took a NVD scope and a set of rings, as to mount it on an AR15, for night time varmint hunting...

However the rings were not high enough to allow the NVD to be mounted on the AR.

Well, out comes the Red Headed Stepchild Blaser BBF 97.

The Blaser mount took the NVD perfectly, and within 6 shots, plus a few to 1000% confirm a proper zero, I was sighted in perfectly.

I was at the deer lease for 49 days straight.

Durring that time, the BBF 97 killed 6 or 7 coyotes [I cannot remember exactly] 3 bobcats, and a grey fox.

In short the BBF saved the "night".

So, this year, durring Turkey season, rather than take a Drilling, or a double rifle Drilling, I am going to take the BBF 97 O/U, as my Primary Turkey gun...

I think it has earned its "Day in the Sun".

It has definately earned its "Keep in the Night".

Hey, it's a Blaser...did you have any doubts? :-)

a few thoughts on tbe bbf. They do need to find their nich for whoever the shooter is lucky enough to have one. No for almost any wing shooting a single shot is probably not the best. For big game a single shot rifle can be a great light weight rifle but then why carry the extra shotgun barrel.
For me the bbf's beauty is the ability to go into the woods and have what you need for anything from squirrel to big game.
One perfect application for the bbf is predator calling as you have done. I know guys who sit with a shotgun while calling and I know people who use long range rifles. With a bbf you have both.

I have the BBF set up with a Zeiss 6x scope.
The one called the Diatal-C. I have used them in 4x and 6x. They are an excellent scope. Small, light and very good glass, very crisp crosshair.When I got the BBF it was the only scope I had avialable for it.

However, for a gun that has both a rifle and a shotgun barrel, I really like a variable.

I have been wanting to try a Trijicon conventional hunting scope for a while since I have ben most happy with a variety of ACOGs, so I got a 1 to 4X Trijicon.
I have had the 1to4 for a few weeks and decided yesterday to put it on the BBF. So I did and took it to the range.

I bore sighted it with my Leupold bore sighter to the same place of the Zeiss.

Once at the range in about 4 or 5 rounds I had it spot on at 100 yards.
It hits to the same place with the Winchester 168gr Ballsitic Tip, and my Standard 308 reload with a Sierra 165gr HPBT Gameking over 39.5gr of IMR 3031.

So then I tested it at 200, 300, 400, and 500 yards.
I used the standard comeups for each distance, ie. UP 2min for 200, up 5 min for 300, up 8min for 400 and up 12 min for 500yards.
At 500 yards I was able to hit, even with only the 4x of the scope the 6" steel gong at 500 yards. [Such is the accuracy of the BBF].

However the main advantage of the 1 to 4x scope on a gun like the BBF , is at 1x. AT 1x you can leave the scope on the gun and easially hit squirrels running on a tree branch with the 20ga barrel. Any small game on the ground, or still in a tree is headed for the skillet...

On running game the illuminated center dot will help a bunch...

Also the illuminated center dot on the Trijicon reticle at night, will make this a good pig hunting scope, after dark as well.

And I still have the Zeiss 6x sighted in and ready to go too...

My BBF 97 is a 20 gauge over 243 Winchester. It's my prettiest and probably favorite gun. It's taken coyotes, a groundhog, a pesky pidgeon, etc. It's easily good enough for a 300 yard shot on a coyote as 2 or 3 have found out and one would be in real danger at 400 yards.

I have one in 12G/308. Experimentation has shown if I leave the 45 degree set screw on the regulator backed off 1/8th turn, I can fire groups with the rifle without waiting for the barrel to cool off. 3 shot sub moa as fast as I can load it.

I have another in 20G/243 on order, I love these things!

Well as you guys that have them know, the BBF 97 is the perfect gun for someone that wants a light weight hunting gun, that is Very accurate, and will enable him to take any game he can get with in range of.

They also make an excellent spare rifle when you are on a hunt where there is some shotgun game that can be taken after the primary
animal[s] are shot.

Anybody fitted a silencer to a 97 ?

Re Silencer - I did ask this question a few months ago, but not many responses. I suppose you could put the rifle barrel down a shot barrel - an Einstecklauf, with a series of holes / ports towards the end of barrel to take of gas pressure and bleed it into the shot barrel in the same way as an over barrel silencer.

But long barrel - 26" - of most combination guns actually takes the noise down quite a lot compared to 22" of many bolt actioned rifles.

Anybody tried those Barnes slugs ?

Absolutely awesome and perfect for CQB pigs

Silencer on a BBF 97????

Not really Practical...

In my experience Blaser Barrels shoot Barnes bullets very very accurately.

I have the 12/9.3x74 with the short barrels and I use it as a farm gun mostly.
It is a versatile gun.
I have thought of adding a set of double 9.3x74 barrels and taking both sets to Africa.
I'm not sure what countries in Africa I would have a problem in taking barrels with identical cartridges.
The 12 guage would be great to add a couple of francolin to the evening meal

None what so ever
I have taken 2 firearms in the same calibre to 2 African countries
No issues
Money talks in Africa my friend

The only place in Africa I am aware of where you can not have two rifles of the same calibre is South Africa.

On my first trip through JoBerg a man and his son both had 30/06 rifles. From what I could tell the son was not old enough to get his own gun permit for SA. There was a fair amount of Drama.

I do not know if that rule there has changed or not.