66 SHOOTING SPORTS MAGAZINE
FIREARMS | GUN TEST
rinity
Want the ultimate one gun solution to your stalking
and varminting? Then Blaser might just have the thing!
I
love a challenge and Blaser’s new
Bockdrilling (three barrelled gun) the
BD14 has really been a test of my
fortitude and tolerance to my fellow man and
ammunition producers! So what is a drilling?
The concept comes from the Germans (who
else) and in essence incorporates three
barrels usually in a combination of rifl ed and
smoothbore shotgun tubes in a spread of
calibres built around a break-barrel action.
Traditionally guns are big and heavy, but the
principle gives one gun that can do it all
from red deer, roe and small game; birds
rabbits etc. depending on how it’s
chambered.
This design is very much part of the
Germanic hunting ethos and tradition and I
can see the rationale behind it. How many
times have you been out and come upon
quarry that is not suited for your single
calibre rifl e, or wished you had a shotgun or
small centrefi re? I certainly have.
LIGHTER, HANDIER
Blaser’s new BD14 strives to offer a far
more practical fi eld rifl e and to a greater
degree succeeds. It weighs 7.4 lbs (un-
scoped) and offers 22” barrels. When I say
barrels they have where possible shaved
weight and they are more slim, rifl ed tubes,
though the shotgun is as you might expect.
Equally they have done away with the
traditional methods of soldering the three
together and all the associated problems of
regulation. Meaning the rifl ed tubes needs
to be set up so they shoot to the same
point of aim/impact at a given distance!
This uber skilful task was traditionally
done by unsoldering and driving a wedge in/
out at the muzzles to divert the tubes
accordingly. Today many doubles and
drillings use mechanical regulators which
makes the job less awkward. Blaser’s
approach is typically elegant and effi cient.5.6 ON THE SIDE
From the side the BD14 looks like an over
& under shotgun complete with top lever
with a sliding de-cocker behind it on the
tang. Called a kickspanner it (and like the
R93/R8 straight-pulls) pushes forward to
fi re and springs back to de-cock (safe).
From the front you get the idea of the
layout; at 6 o’clock is the larger bore rifl ebarrel, above is the 20-bore tube and at 9
o’clock some form of 22 centrefi re.
The lower barrel is fi xed as is the upper
shotgun tube though they are only attached
at the muzzle and monobloc. The side barrel
is semi-fl oating and passes through vertical
and horizontal adjuster blocks midway and atI did some load
development on
the range with a
Lee hand press