By far the most common usable rifle caliber in a drilling is 8X57JR. It uses .318 bullets but you can load your own or just buy S&B loaded ammo. Also you'll find that 16 gauges predominate. If you can find a drilling with nitro proof and 70mm chambers life is easier, but I would never turn down a 65mm gun, as RST and others make dandy ammo. I have both 12GA and 16GA drillings, and the 16s are much handier and lighter than the 12s. 12GA drillings predominate in postwar guns, as most of them are used primarily for shooting driven game with slugs and buckshot backing the rifle barrel. Nowadays the right shotgun barrel is often fitted with a rifle caliber insert to produce a double rifle drilling. Again this is for driven large game, not small game hunting. While the 9.3X72 is a common drilling caliber in older guns, the only ammo maker now is probably S&B and the round is anemic compared to the 8X57JR. I would not stick to a particular barrel length, but rather look for a gun that handles like a shotgun if your aim is to use it for small game with a rifle backup. Try to find a drilling that does not use a Greener side safe but rather has a safety on the top tang. The Germans love Greener safes but they are hard to get used to when you are familiar with a tang safety. If you buy a drilling without a scope, figure $1500 to install one. Claw mounts are nice but the EAW swing mounts are as nice and much less expensive. If you find a drilling with claw mount bases but no scope, there is a conversion kit that will permit the claw mount bases to be converted to a swing mount. NECG and Kreighoff USA are two sources of drilling components and supplies.
