Chiappa X-Caliber Combination Gun: Shoot a Dozen Different Calibers/Gauges
Russ Chastain 08.22.16
Talk about versatile. This popper is something else. I grew up seeing (and sorta-kinda wanting) one of those old Savage “combination guns.” You know, those break-open two-barreled guns that usually had one shotgun barrel and one rifle barrel, one above the other.
It seems like someone has been making a gun like that for ages, and production sort of bounces around from one manufacturer to the next. Well, now it’s Chiappa’s turn to make a splash, and they’re doing their best by offering an over/under combo gun that can safely fire 12 different types of ammo.
The gun itself is an all-steel break-open number, hinged to allow the barrel to swing way down under the rest of the gun. This reduces the overall length of the gun to that of the 18.5″ barrels, allowing the gun to be easily packed along on hiking trips or in a survival kit.
The X-Caliber comes with a smoothbore 12-gauge shotgun barrel (3″ chamber) above a 22 LR rimfire barrel, and it includes 8 adapters that can be inserted into the 12-gauge barrel to enable you to also shoot the following types of ammo:
- 380 ACP
- 9mm Luger (9mm Parabellum, 9×19)
- 38 Special
- 357 Magnum
- 40 S&W
- 44 Magnum
- 45 ACP
- 410 shotgun
- 45 Colt
- 20 gauge shotgun
The 8″ long rifled handgun adapters fit into the 12 gauge barrel, and you can buy a set of adapters separately and use them in any break-action 12-gauge shotgun if you want.
Pretty nifty. I think I might need me some of these. The only thing scaring me off is the price. A set of the adapters runs $450, while the X-Caliber gun, which comes with a set of adapters, is north of $600.
But still, I want. It would be pretty sweet to have one barrel of 44 mag or 45 Colt when I’m out hunting with my over/under shotgun, you know, for when the coyote shows up too far out for my turkey load to do him in.
