In America, you would be hard-pressed to find a more magnificent collection of fine shotguns than at the Safari Club International Convention, held this year during the first week of February at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. One of our perennial favorites there is Austrian, Peter Hofer. Mr. Hofer specializes in drilling shotguns that include rifle barrels in a brilliant display of artisanal workmanship befitting royalty. At the 2017 SCI convention, he unveiled his latest creation, “The Peter Hofer Special Double Shotgun with Hidden 17 Hornet Rifle Barrel.” We asked him to explain the intricacies of designing and building it. − Irwin Greenstein, Publisher, Shotgun Life
Concentrated technology in the smallest of spaces is an extreme example of the greatest art of gunmaking. I have been making the Peter Hofer Special Double Shotgun drilling in 12, 20 and 28 bore with hidden rifle barrel in caliber in 17 HMR or 17 Hornet caliber. Now my newest model in .410 bore represents an extreme example of diminution.
The Peter Hofer Special Double Shotgun in .410/17 Hornet/HMR, with a weight of 2.5 kg (5½ pounds) I believe represents a world record in light weight which will be difficult for anyone else to beat.
An action had to be developed that was smaller and lighter than a standard .410 shotgun. This reduced action is packed with a huge amount of additional technology, such as a third interior lock, single trigger and separated ejectors for the shotgun barrels, set trigger and separate extractor for the hidden rifle barrel, and last but not least the additional rifle barrel hidden under the rib between the shotgun barrels.
The additional technology and that of the double shotgun with side lock had to be assembled perfectly like clockwork in a very reduced action and the smallest of spaces to guarantee a perfect functioning over several generations.
Thanks to this breathtaking weight reduction with a total weight of 2.5 kg, I was able to achieve the handling characteristics of a pure side-by-side .410 shotgun, but in fact, the magic of the gun is that it is a drilling .410/17 Hornet/HMR.
It is not possible to suspend the laws of physics and mechanics. What I find is that the limits of the technically feasible do not lie in big and bigger but in small and smaller. I believe that I have proved that The Peter Hofer Special Double Shotgun in .410/17 Hornet/HMR proves how far the limits can go in sophistication and technical inventiveness for drilling guns.
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