Doing it all with combo guns

While searching for a combo gun, I was intrigued by a Savage Model 24. So, I talked to Wes Winkel, owner of Ellwood Epps Sporting Goods near Orillia, who shoots varmints and ducks on his property with his custom Model 24, in .225 Win. rifle/12-gauge. He also told me about how another one of his combo guns, a Sauer Drilling with 20-gauge double barrels plus a 7x57 mm rifle barrel, can shoot anything in season. Let’s explore this versatility. Evolution quick Combination guns have at least one rifled and one smoothbore barrel. Most are break-action over/unders, used exclusively for hunting. There were few flintlock combo guns because their swivel barrels had to rotate to the action. Percussion muzzleloaders worked better. Like double-barreled shotguns, combination guns evolved quickly in the 1860s and 1870s with the move to breach-loading, break-action firearms, metallic cartridges, and hammerless actions. Combination guns flourished throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa from then on. American firearms, however, transitioned through lever, pump, semi-auto, and bolt-actions after the First World War, before combination guns became popular. Stevens and Savage The J Stevens Arms Company debuted its Model .22-410 in post-depression America in 1938. It featured a break-action with a slender .22 barrel over a .410 shotgun. It had an exposed hammer, single trigger, and barrel selector. Stocks varied from wood to a plastic-like Tenite. A year after Stevens ended production in 1949, its parent company, Savage Arms, introduced its Model 24. They marketed it as the hunting tool for the masses, as a starter gun, and for survival. Savage offered many Model 24 versions until 2007. Chamberings included .22, .17HMR, .22WMR, .22 Hornet, .30-30 Win, .222 and .223 Rem, .357 Magnum and .357 Maximum over .410, 20- and 12-gauge barrels. Noteworthy model 24s include the .22 LR/.410, the 24S, dovetailed for scope, the 24 Field, the 24F Predator/ Survival, the 24V in various centre-fire calibres/20-gauge, and the 24C Camper’s Companion .22/20-gauge. Savage also made the Model 389 in 12-gauge/.222 Rem or .308 Win and later several versions of Model 42 .22 LR or .22WMR/.410. According to Winkel, however, “the Model 24 is the most sought after!” It fetches $500-800, used. European guns European over/under combos and Drillings reflect their fine, handcrafted shotgun roots. The German influence is often seen in hogback combs and Bavarian-style cheek piece, and quality engraving. Most European guns were chambered in 16-gauge/7x65R and 16-gauge/5.6x50R. Companies like Merkel,