I am part of the Chapuis group buy and have started to think about whether it would be worth while to purchase a second set of barrels in either .30-06 or 7x65R to go along with the 9.3x74R barrels. What are your thoughts on small bore double rifles and doubles with two sets of barrels?

Dave

I have a 9,3x74R Chapuis that has a set of 3" 20 ga bbls with it.

Don't know what the chokes are ... but it makes the best darned field shotgun I've ever used. Works like blazes on pheasant, chukkar and quail. Every bit as effective or more than a 12 ga Browning Citori!

Make a hellova combination that I highly recommend.

The Chapuis 9.3 is very, very light for caliber - about 7.25 pounds. To me, this makes the 20 bore option attactive, as they really do make nice shotguns at a decent 20 bore weight. This is a really nice package for a traveling hunter.

Nothing wrong with an extra set of 7X65R barrels either. Forget the '06. If you're going to do it, do it right and get a flanged shell. Given that you're getting a 9.3, I'd lean more towards the 20 bore option.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

Dave
I have been using my 9,3 Chapuis for several years.
I thought about getting a 7x65R or a 30-06 Chapuis double but I realized if you have a 9,3 you do not need the other calibers.
The 9,3 will kill game out as far as any double should be shot [I have used it to a little over 300 yards].
It worked great on game from bobcat, to deer to giraffe to buffalo to elephant.
However if I knew then what I know now, I would have got an extra set of bbls in 20 guage for sure. If you have got a little money to burn, along with the 20 guage bbls I might think about a set of Cape Gun bbls say a 20 ga and a 9,3x74R. Perfect for hunting grouse in bear country... But then I now have a Drilling for that.

But are those shotty tubes worth an extra $1600?

You can get a very nice shotgun for that IMO.

Mike
It would be a matter of convience. It is much easier to carry an extra set of bbls that to carry a whole shotgun. Also when traveling by commercial air there is a limit on the weight and the number of guns you can carry.

That is why I have a 28 guage bbl for my Blaser R 93. The extra bbl and one box of shells takes up very little space/weight put will put grouse, ptarmigin, rabbits, squirrel etc. on the table.
I have even killed ducks and turkey with it.

I'm well aware of the advantages. I would like to have them also.I just pointed out the extreme cost of the tubes. Almost 1/2 of the cost of the rifle for the shotgun barrels.... It just seems alot high to me.

Extra shotgun barrels fitted to a double rifle are never cheap, with the exception of the Chapuis. $1600 is cheap. I don't know how Chapuis does it for that.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

i've got a set of 20 ga barrels that fit my pair of berettas and have used them several times. Very handy to have along to pot some birds with or to use for shooting the small night cats etc.

I ordered the new Searcy Classic with two sets of barrels, one in 450-400 3" and another i 375 flanged magnum. Both are scope sighted and I think are almost a perfect pair for African hunting. They are due out some time this fall.

I have a Merkel 140 in 9.3x74R on order (to keep my 140A .500NE company) and this rifle has been ordered scoped and with an additional set of 20g barrels.

I did toy with the idea of getting an additional set of barrels, in 7x65R, but realised that the 9.3 will do anything that the 7x65R will do, for my hunting, so why bother. While I really like the idea of additional barrels, I guess one needs to ask whether you would really use all of them or would you be able to get by with the 9.3.

Bwana: Do you know if its possible to order a 470NE and eiter 20 or 12 gauge barrels from merkel?

Or is it only possible with the smaller 9.3x74R?

Nortman,

Yes, you can order 20g barrels with any of the Merkel doubles.