doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Modern Paradox?

Both Royal Ejector heavy waterfow/pigeon and Paradox 12g guns made on one action with Special Treble Grip. Magnum Paradox 12g gun got a bit heavier action.

Well done, Geno. So the Special Pigeon model came with the treble grip. I've never seen one of those.

My Paradox has an extra set of shotgun barrels that were added later. The extra barrels have the third fastener but I thought that was just because they were built to fit to the Paradox gun's action.

I imagine ordering a Royal shotgun with the third fastener cost considerably more than the standard Royal actioned guns. Just out of curiosity, how much was the standard actioned Royal in your catalog?

Why bother? If you like goofy things why not get ole' Central-European dril in 12x12/9,3x74r and have custom folding peep installed near end of the breech. For practical purposes english Paradox Goof Gun is effective to 80m for running big game and 20m for flying game. One can get decent ole dril for fraction of goof gun's cost!

Well, "Chacun son goût".

It just goes to show that everyone has his own taste. I have a Paradox, two O/U combination guns, and a drilling. For me it is the drilling that is the real "goof gun".

The combination guns (7X65Rx12ga and 9.3X74Rx12ga) have been fun for hunting. They are heavier than a double shotgun but easy to shoot and the rifle barrel is accurate. I have used them for deer and birds. Unfortunately, you only get one shot at birds or one shot at deer.

My drilling is a .30-30x16ga, lighter than some drillings but still heavier than a SxS shotgun or a bolt action rifle. I find it unbalanced toward the front and awkward to carry. It is nice to have two shotgun barrels but you still only have one rifle shot. The two triggers, safety, and barrel selectors are so goofy that I don't even bother to use this gun. Every time I've tried I found myself fiddling with the switches and triggers trying to figure them out. I'm sure I could train myself to get used to it over time but, for me, the operation of a gun should never be complicated.

The Paradox is a different matter. It is just as light as, and handles like, a good SxS shotgun. Either two rifle cartridges can be loaded, or two shotgun shells, or one of each. It is a double rifle AND a double shotgun AND a combination gun that can instantly change jobs just by dropping in different cartridges. No goofy controls - you can't get easier than one trigger per barrel. The removable sidelock action is simple and reliable, much more so than a drilling action. As a rifle, it shoots accurately as far as you would want to shoot a rifle without a scope. Shooting the Paradox with shotgun shells is just like shooting a SxS shotgun. It does just fine on a clays course with no weird patterning or strange behavior. If I handed you the Paradox and a couple of shotgun shells, you would shoot it and think it was a SxS shotgun. If I handed you the Paradox with two rifle cartridges and a rifle sight flipped up, you would shoot it and think you just shot a SxS 12 bore rifle. It truly has two personalties.

I just read that Holland & Holland is making these again in both Royal Sidelock and Round Body configurations. I guess that's the real answer to this thread regarding a "Modern Paradox".

Again, it's a matter of personal preference. I know what I like and you know what you like. We are lucky to have so many choices.

heres mine...a super magnum William Evans

SKB,
Pretty nice original condition gun.
Grenadier,
Eventhough some paradox guns (Hollands) have a third bite, bushed firing pins and extended top strap, many don't. The "magic" in a paradox is in the barrels and it is no small thing. Holland took great pains in regulating the paradox for conical and patterning for shot as the Holland ledger pages attest to. You are right, no other combo gun swings and points as well as a Paradox. Nothing "goofy" about a paradox and the use of such adjectives to describe one only highlights the users inexperience with rifled choke guns. Leslie Taylor effectivly increased the accuracy of the rifled choke gun to well beyond 150 yards with guns such as SKB's, while maintaining great shot patterns.