A drilling shotgun, also simply referred to as a drilling, is a multi-barrel firearm that traditionally combines a shotgun and a rifle in one weapon. The term “drilling” originates from the German word “Dreiling,” which translates to “triplet” or “triple”. This refers to the usual three barrels that drilling shotguns are equipped with. While the specific combination can vary, a common configuration is two shotgun barrels and one rifle barrel.
Drilling shotguns are designed to offer the versatility of both shot and solid projectile shooting. With this, they have the ability to adapt to different hunting situations. For instance, a hunter can use the shotgun barrels for small game or flying birds, and the rifle barrel for larger game. The drilling shotgun, with its combined power of a shotgun and a rifle, provides flexibility and convenience in one single firearm.