Chiappa Triple Barrel Shotgun – The Triple Crown – SHOT 2013

Authors Paul Helinski SHOT Show 2013

Chiappa Firearms
https://www.chiappafirearms.com/

Ok, before you beat our host Julie Mac up for calling this a rifle (er, twice), please keep in mind that Julie is a regular shooter here in Las Vegas, but she has never been exposed to shotguns. This was her first encounter out at Range Day, and though she shot that .375 Cheytac from APO at 500 yards and dinged the steel, she was afraid to actually shoot these three barrel shotguns. Ron Norton from Chiappa was such a gentleman for not correcting her and just saying SHOTGUN loudly twice, so do him a favor and go buy one of these silly guns. Three barrel shotgun and rifle combination guns, called Drillings, were very popular right after WWI in Europe, but I personally have never seen a three barrel sidexside+middle like this before. The Triple Crown and Triple Threat may do very well in the market because of the sheer simplicity of firing 3 rounds of 12 gauge in a home defense situation. At about $1,600, they aren’t cheap, but leave it to Chiappa, makers of that nifty, different, and great shooting Rhino revolver, to come up yet again with everyone’s new favorite oooh and aaah gun at the range.

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  • Bill May 13, 2015, 5:10 pm

    So there you are, in a duck blind waiting for something to fly over, because, you have been there ALL DAY LONG. Out of the corner of your eye, 3 Greenheads come zipping across your spread. you jump up fire three shots and only 2 splash(then you remember you are shooting and over/under), ENOUGH SAID???

  • THE PLAYER July 29, 2014, 4:40 am

    I like what you guys tend to be up too. This kind of clever work and exposure!
    Keep up the amazing works guys I’ve included you guys to my blogroll.

  • davidblaster March 27, 2014, 12:13 pm

    The triple crown is extremely lite weight and accurate as hell, being they are tuned to 50 yards. I tried a friend’s triple and I want one, faster then my semi but very expensive. But if money isn’t a problem then it is a gun that will not disappoint on geese and duck!!

  • .44 Special January 27, 2014, 10:51 pm

    Just for the record; the Scots made a number of three-barrel underlever shotguns in the 19th century. These were very high grade arms made by various wel known Scottish makers. As I remember they also had fairly long barrels which makes me tend to think they were for water fowl and certainly not for upland birds,

    You do have to admit that for home defense nothing would pack more of a psycological impact that a 3 – barrel 12 gauge! It would really get my attention and change my direction in one heck of a hurry. I don’t kmow if all three barrels can be fired simultaneously, but if they could that would be between 27 to 36 00 buck pellets headed down range in one dang powerful cloud. Much better that a blunderbuss!

    Souns like just the weapon for Cowboy competition as it fits right into the 1870 – 1890 period.

  • dennis January 27, 2014, 8:35 am

    Who would want to pack this thing around? Now if they made a .410-22 hornet-.41 mag that would be worth getting excited about.

    • Anthony Quinn January 13, 2016, 8:25 am

      Dennis,

      The guns are really not heavy..8.7 total…They are accurate, well balanced, with little recoil. While they might seem a little on the higher end as far as cost, they are made with great detail and truly a nice gun. The 20 gauge is now available and the 28 gauge due out this year

  • Justin Knapp January 18, 2014, 2:58 am

    The reason for three barrels most likely is three shot limit and each barrel can be choked for different range. Meaning you can have a close a medium and long range choke so the shot stays tight as the fowl gets further away. If I can come up with the extra money this will definantly find its way to my house.

  • officeninja October 1, 2013, 12:03 pm

    buy one and have file for a tax stamp and have the barrels cut to like 9″. there is your ultimate home defense gun

  • ron August 17, 2013, 6:42 pm

    For under $700 I’d be all over that. As a curiosity if nothing else. $1600? Don’t think so.

  • firebird February 18, 2013, 1:48 pm

    Nobody needs a reason for a different type or caliber of gun. All shooting needs anywhere and for anything can be covered well by less than 10% of guns already on the market. Just wanting something different and having the cash is all that is required for a new gun purchase. To ridicule another persons choices is indeed for small childish minds. I have no use for an AR15, just doesn’t appeal to me, but I don’t condemn those that love them. At less than 9LBS with the 28″ barrels, the Triple is lighter than many super mag 3 1/2″ 12Ga and 10Ga Shotguns. The extra weight and straight stock go a long way to reduce recoil. I like the looks of it and reviews by several gun writers that have tested them are all very good. The price isn’t high at all compared to many doubles sold today.
    I may never buy one but it does have my interest as useful and very unique and maybe worth looking into more.

  • Jon February 2, 2013, 3:08 am

    Like others that commented this would be great if it had a barrel for an rifle caliber like .223 or .308 on the top barrel so you can have a all around hunting gun for any type of game.

  • John D. February 1, 2013, 2:56 pm

    The only reason I would want a firearm with three barrels is if they were three different barrels. Imagine a .22 (LR, WMR, Horrnet), a .30 cal (30-30, 308, 30-06, 300 Mag) and a shotgun (12ga or 20ga) with 24″ blacken stainless barrels and synthetic stock and a thumb selector easy enough to switch between the barrels while pointed. That would be one gun for any occassion, and worth the money and weight. You could take down small game, large game and fowl, and have two calibers of decent size for self defence. I have the Savage 24 in 30-30 over 12ga but I don’t care for the selector and would rather a 308 over 12ga to share ammo with my FAL. I’m excited about this gun and will keep my eye on Chiappa to see if they come out with a practical modern drilling (or whatever you call the one with two rifles and a shotgun).

    • Patrick January 28, 2014, 4:55 am

      Short Lane.com
      Will enable you to configure that Triple just about anyway you want, They have rifled inserts in many calibers.

  • Marty Mayo February 1, 2013, 1:48 pm

    Wow… absolutely amazed at all the heated vitriole against this shotgun. If it’s not for you, then so be it. You don’t have to work yourself up into such a lather about it. Not everyone wants a pump. Personally, I shoot better with my double o/u than I do with my pump. But I never take my o/u with me when I duck hunt because it only has 2 shells. I want the 3rd shell because it’s the federal legal limit, so I take my pump. Now, with the Triple Crown being available, I will be able to have the type of shotgun I shoot best AND the legal limit if shells. Like I said, not for everybody, but then again nothing is. It’s great to see a manufacturer that cares to market to the wants of specific shooters instead of trying to make everyone purchase from their one-size-fits- all product line. Just saying…..

    • Administrator February 1, 2013, 4:43 pm

      People are so wonderful when their life sucks and they take just a little too much anti-depressant, and some how they all find their way into our comments. This gun is a little silly but Chiappa is a fun and well intentioned company and a lot of people will love it.

  • Sam February 1, 2013, 10:21 am

    3 barrel shotgun! Wow!, practical? maybe not to me, although a couple 45/70 insert barrels would be interesting!, Balking and condemning such an arm as impractal, or useless, or branding the buyers and users of it with derogatory names Is pretty much the same as what many gunners and anti-gunners alike did and still do with semi auto military style rifles and high capacity handguns! If people want a 3 barrel shotgun , that is reason enough to build them! although I doubt large numbers of my neighbors will rush to buy them, I believe they do have a place in the market. as far as price goes, look at the going rate on AR’s, AK’s and similar units, buy it if you want it, all the reason necessary!

  • Gladstone January 29, 2013, 3:34 pm

    This got me, um, excited. When is this sucker in stores?

    • Administrator January 29, 2013, 4:14 pm

      I would contact Chiappa or MKS Supply.

  • Gladstone January 29, 2013, 3:34 pm

    This got me, um, excited. When is this sucker in stores?

  • Paul January 28, 2013, 12:12 pm

    I wouldn’t waste my money on a triple barrel. my Rem. side by side double is great for home defense, and my Rugar 44 mag Redhawk will take care of any longer shots. or home defense my double is enough, don’t want to shoot through walls and #8 shot has proven to be the best choice for home defense anyway. I bought this shotgun for $300.00 and have never had any problems with quick loads either.
    The only reason t spend $1600.00 on a Triple Barrel is to have a show off piece to hang on the wall and let jealous visitors / friends gawk over the piece. (This is someone with more money than brains).

  • trknrick January 20, 2013, 12:09 pm

    I know it would be illegal, but just think how good it would be for home only defense if you cut down the barrels…

    • Administrator January 20, 2013, 12:11 pm

      The 18 inch version of this with a breacher caps is actually pretty sweet.

      • trknrick January 20, 2013, 12:20 pm

        I was thinking the end of the stock. It could fit on the end table right by the door. Also take off the butt and leave just the grip… Imagine being the bad guy breaking in and staring down those barrels…

      • trknrick January 20, 2013, 12:21 pm

        A new “Dirty Gurty”….

    • AJ January 22, 2014, 5:18 am

      Actually for a measly $200 and a 6 or 7 month wait you could file for a federal tax stamp to make a short barrel shotgun and legally make a short barrel shotgun out of one of these. In some “non communist” states at least! I know that here in NH you can. You have to fill out a BATF federal form to make a short barrel shotgun and wait for paperwork to be approved and file with a $200 Tax stamp with the paperwork and when that comes back all you need to do is get out your hacksaw and have at it and you can legally cut it down to whatever you wrote on the paperwork that you were going to alter the gun barrel to. It isn’t against the law you just have to file the correct paperwork!

    • AJ January 22, 2014, 5:23 am

      Actually for a measly $200 and a 6 or 7 month wait you could file for a federal tax stamp to make a short barrel shotgun and legally make a short barrel shotgun out of one of these. In some “non communist” states at least! I know that here in NH you can. You have to fill out a BATF federal form to make a short barrel shotgun and wait for paperwork to be approved and file with a $200 Tax stamp with the paperwork and when that comes back all you need to do is get out your hacksaw and have at it and you can legally cut it down to whatever you wrote on the paperwork that you were going to alter the gun barrel to. It isn’t against the law you just have to file the correct paperwork!

  • Mikel January 20, 2013, 11:53 am

    Lol, I’m just now getting into single shot shottys as I have had a Saiga12 for a couple of years now. While I’m gettting pretty quick at reloading the singles, I don’t even wanna try to speedload the triples.

  • Randy January 19, 2013, 10:32 pm

    To pricey for me. But if I had the cash would buy it just for the fun of it. I don’t really use a shotgun so the 3 I own are plenty.

  • Ross January 18, 2013, 10:55 pm

    This seems like the perfect solution for all those times when a double barrel shotgun just isn’t heavy enough !

  • Scotty Z January 18, 2013, 3:54 pm

    That’s just plain dumb.. These manufacturers are desperate to come up with the cool/unique/gee-whiz stuff that will get the market talking.. my guess is this won’t be around long.

  • B. Young January 17, 2013, 11:51 pm

    That’s a beauty for the shotgun guy that has everything. I would like to see the look on the bad guy’s face when the last old american liquor store owner pulls that out from the under the register and sticks it in his face! Now if you could shoot all three at once…..!

    • carol January 18, 2013, 4:14 pm

      that’s hilarious!

  • Chad January 17, 2013, 10:04 pm

    Gotta love the European mentality of “multiple-barrel repeaters” for critical defense situations where “single-barrel repeaters” inevitably have “fatal flaws”, at least according to today’s pro-Euro “firearm journalists”. British double-rifles, German triple-shotguns, etc…. I find the “British” (despite the fact that basically NONE of them were made in England but were just exported from there after being built in continental Europe) double-rifle propaganda especially hilarious. “Lightning fast follow-up shot” etc… Uh, last I checked, your first shot is usually your best and there’s no reason whatsoever to believe your second shot will be any more effective than your first MISS given the psychology involved with missing a first shot in a “life and death” situation. But of course they never mention the possibility of needing a THIRD or FOURTH shot. It’s all hilarious. Nothing like spending tens of thousands of dollars on a “hunting rifle” that can’t even shoot MOA at 75 yards. But the propaganda has been extremely effective at separating lots of idiots from their money.

  • Chad January 17, 2013, 9:57 pm

    More pro-European gun propaganda. The “sheer simplicity” of a 3-barrel shotgun for “home defense”? For $1600? I kind of like the “sheer simplicity” of my single-barrel 5-shot Browning BPS pump for the $340 I gave for it 20 years ago.

  • Sam Meyer January 17, 2013, 7:22 pm

    Ridiculous!!!!! Why any manufacturer would waste time producing such a useless pos is beyond me, unless it is meant for those too “intellectually challenged” to operate a pump or auto loader. As a field gun it makes absolutely no sense for any experienced upland hunter, as it has to be prohibitively heavy.

    • Bill Browning October 11, 2013, 7:43 am

      Why not!!!! what makes you think your idea of a gun should be the only idea. We are individuals, with different wants. You must be the type to look at what you need instead of what you may want. This gun fits a category of my collection that includes unique designs. So this is fitting for me. Plus, if you think this gun is ridiculous, why are you wasting your time responding. Go find something you can be positive about and leave those of us who like unique things alone. By the way we also use pumps, auto loaders, pistols, and anything that goes bang.

      • Tim B October 21, 2013, 1:25 pm

        This is cool, but I want a quad barrel for skeet… 😀

        And if a double-barrel isn’t “useless”, why do so many guys use them for skeet or fowling, when an auto or pump is “better”? Because a gun’s a gun, and if it gets the job done, it works. I often shoot a Chiappa 1887 on the skeet range, and I do just fine, and people always marvel because “lever guns are slow”. They’re only slow because most people aren’t used to shooting them, and I’ve learned to be quick with it from Cowboy Action.

        Haters gonna hate, but if you just want more of the same thing, then have fun being all tied up in the old ways. Novelty breeds innovation, and even if it doesn’t, it’s at least kinda fun.

    • allen laws March 28, 2018, 3:24 pm

      My God, so much ugliness over a company that is above and beyond its competition. Different yes, expensive yes, worth it yes. Jeez everyone take a chill pill

  • mtman2 January 17, 2013, 6:55 pm

    LIKE IT!!! GOOD BEAR GUN WHEN FISHING OUT BACK ALASKA… 3″ chamber???

  • Dave January 17, 2013, 4:37 pm

    Looks like another expensive, clever solution to a non-existent problem.

    • Brian December 2, 2013, 12:05 pm

      Who said there was a problem?????
      If you dont like it dont buy it. There are many good shooters out there including myself who could make good use of it especially if the top barrel was rifled and it had iron sights and the barrels were down to the legal minimum.

  • gary January 17, 2013, 4:30 pm

    i have one come from ww2 the german didnt need it no more it came from family passed down (dont mean to offend anybody that is the history) mine is made by kriegof sempert 20ga 8x58rsaur hevely engraved silver and gold

  • BLH557 January 17, 2013, 4:02 pm

    I grew up shooting a sixteen gauge double with an underbarrel rifle on it. It was made in Germany and was a hammer gun, as well. I never shot the rifle part, but many ducks and geese were served well (done) as a result of the sixteen gauge. Also shot an L.C. Smith queen steel 12 ga. double for many years and later a Fiochi. Loved the doubles. My dad had a pair of L.C. Smith Damascus double tens with 30″ barrels. Beautiful guns. All of them burned up in a house fire. (Try to register THAT, Feinstein!)

  • LEL MN January 17, 2013, 3:57 pm

    Love that 3x shorty! Now, where to find an extra $1600 (plus TAX and license plate).

  • Rocky Wiley January 17, 2013, 3:41 pm

    Just aq comment, a 3 barrel shotgun is not a drilling! Know if you had 3 shotgun barrels and a rifled chambered barrel that would be a different story, the are several drillings with two shotgun barrels and one, tow rifled barrels.

    • Mannie August 24, 2014, 3:22 pm

      Actually, it IS a “Drilling.” The word simply means triple. Yes, a conventional drilling has barrels of different calibers.

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