doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Adjusting flip up rear sight on drilling?

I am interested in buying a drilling in a future and have a question on the flip up rifle barrel sight. Is it adjustable? Looking for one at some point in 12 gauge, and .30/06, or 9.3x74R once I get the cash for such. Thanks!

Older flip up ones are adjustable for elevation only by filing. Windage is done on the front sight, at least on my pre-war.

Would hate to have to file one...I had to for a Savage 24DL before but that is not a $5000 firearm...

I don't have a drilling, though I've often considered buying one. I think you should consider what's probably the big reason behind the flip-up rear sight: the possibility of encountering wildschwein (wild boars) and the need to be able to take one with a fast snapshot, either on a moving target or at close range. For that purpose, the flip-up rear sight is appropriate.

To that end, the video from Bavarian TV on this linked page http://blog.br-online.de/quer/winzer-schreck-wildschweine-versauen-jahrhundert-eiswein-08122010.html is useful. About halfway into the video, you'll see a number of boars running and that should give you an idea of how fast a target they make and why messing with the flipup sight is probably not as good an idea as putting a comb pad on the gun. For those desiring pinpoint accuracy in a drilling, that's why they came up with claw mount scopes.

To summarize the video for those who don't speak or read German, the story is that last fall a lot of vintners in Franconia (the northern section of Bavaria) left a portion or all of their wine grapes on the vine in hopeful anticipation of an early sharp freeze. Not harvesting the grapes until they've frozen allows the vintner to make eiswein, a ridiculously sweet, concentrated and expensive wine; freezing concentrates the sugar. In the video, you'll see some harvesting - each of the yellow grape boxes is worth about 60 Euros.

Well, last fall they got their wish. During the end of November winter set in hard and they were looking at a record crop. Until the wild boars ate most, if not all, of the crop. So, to try to rescue the remainder of the crop, the landowners called in the hunters to take a chunk out of the boar population. Most of the video is about making eiswein and you won't see any actual hunting, but you will see it presented in a positive light. One of the first lines in the video, as they show boars being stacked for post-hunt ceremonies, is "this boar has eaten his last grapes". And they close the video by commenting how the roast boar will make an excellent Christmas dinner, accompanied by the little eiswein they did get.

I would be using mine in Alaska. Would be handy to have a double 12gauge with a high caliber rifle underneath. Can take out anything in the woods then

Whatever works for you, so long as you're comfortable with the idea of having only one shot in whatever caliber available to stop a griz. (I wouldn't go under .338WM for Alaska, but that's just my opinion.) I've only seen griz out in Yellowstone at a couple hundred yards, but that was close enough for me.

What is the largest caliber that drillings are offered? I was under the impression. 9.3x74R or 30/.06 was the largest. I agree larger would be better!

The 9.3x74r will take elephant. It is well beyond 30-06, it compares to the .375 H&H. How much more do you need?

Pete

Most German hunters today use drillings with two rifle barrels and one shotgun barrel for driven hunts, according to the book "The drilling". They achieve that either by using double rifle drillings or by adding a large caliber insert barrel in the left shotgun barrel. I would imagine that the shotgun barrel is loaded with a slug or buckshot. Only a few modern drillings are capable of taking the pressure of a large caliber centerfire rifle in the left shotgun barrel. If I were hunting in Alaska my Sauer 12/12/.30/06 would be loaded with 220 grain .30/06s and two slugs, or a slug and buckshot. My barrels will both shoot all nine pellets of Winchester 00 Buck into a 10X10 inch pattern at 35-40 yards. I could carry some shot loads in my pocket in case some birds were happened upon.

The best solution might be to adjust the reloading to bring the shot group to the sights instead of altering the metal sights--which you will only get to do once! Steve