I just saw an interesting looking gun in the NRA's American Hunter magazine. It comes with 3 interchangeable barrels: .243 Win, .22 LR, and 20 gauge shotgun. The blurb and the accompanying photo show a synthetic stock, scope mounts and an adjustable cheekpiece. Surprisingly, there is no mention of it yet at Rossi's US website although they do list a wood-stocked version without the mounts and cheekpiece here.

All in all a pretty versatile setup. A scoped .243 for long range deer-size game, .22 LR for small game, shotloads for birds, and slugs for (admittedly last-ditch) bear defense. I could see this as a pilot's survival gun depending on the weight, and of course the quality.

Quite interresting. I will have to take a look at it in detail.

Thanks,
Bill

Not bad I suppose, though I would like the high power chambering in something just a tad stronger, say a 25-06 or 25 WSSM as a minimum, just so I wouldn't feel too guilty shooting it at elk sized game.

I dunno about classing this as a pilot's survival firearm, though. Toting three barrels around is I think problematic from a survival perspective, and certainly would be prohibitive for E&E.

NEF makes a nice single shot with interchangable barrels that is much more versatile, in that you they have many more chambering configurations to choose from. Then again, Thompson makes a single shot pistol that also has interchangable barrels and is good for hunting most north american game except maybe Griz or Kodiak or Polar bears.

It is, of course, nice to see the market grow by the addition of new models and variations. I won't knock Rossi for putting it out there one bit. I am sure there's gonna be a market for this baby.

You are right of course about E&E. I should have specified a civilian application where one would expect to be able to stay with the downed aircraft.

I would prefer a larger caliber to .243 for elk as well, but at 5 lbs (for the wood-stocked version at least) it might get to be a burden to shoot. (I think these were developed with youth hunters in mind rather than as a survival tool.) But in a survival situation a .243, while not perfect, will get the job done.

Last spring I briefly looked at Rossi combo's at Gander Mountain, but, the sights were held on by plastic. I'm not a fan of that, so that setup was a no no for me.

Without seeing it I agree that sounds pretty cheesy, and would definately be something to look out for. The NRA review site here mentions that it has "Fiber-optic sights and a Weaver-style scope base" so hopefully they have upgraded.

I did find a picture sans scope here. While butt-ugly, it is kind of cool looking.

If I have to travel on foot with a gun I vote for a large caliber handgun for self defense, like a Glock G23, and a .22lr handgun or rifle for food like a T/C Contender or an Advantage Arms .22lr slide. I have one for my Glock 23 and it is accurate and reliable. It loves the Remington golden bullet.

Craig,
I have been toying with the idea of a .22LR conversion from AA for my G17. It sounds like you are quite happy with yours for the G23.
Bill

The Trifecta is a youth gun so won't it be a bit small for many shooters?

If the best survival knife is 'the one you have on you' I shudder at what I've seen used in the field for 'survival rifles.' Brooks Range Alaska homesteaders favour misurp Mauser 98s with factory loadings notoriously underpowered in a equally notorious cartridge for reloading. In much of South America the single shot shotgun is king, and so deadly compared to indigenous weapons many arboreal species are in danger as much from native hunters as clearcutting.But the firearms industry would have us believe only the new wunder cartridge will do in it's proprietory new launching package. Several years past Marlin came out with the 'guide gun' a miserable carbine version of their .45-70 with visions of stopping all those killer bears in league with pagan biker gangs to devour any and all outside of Area 51 where Steve Fossey no doubt encountered a UFO and is talking with TBF Avenger pilots.I lost track of all the self proclaimed 'guides' who felt obligated to buy one, replete with personal stories of stopping said bears. I always wanted the splendid Luftwaffe Sauer Drilling. I finally did hunt with a Drilling, flushed a deer and raised my rifle to fire the 7x57R. the 16 guage report reminded me why I like the KISS principle.

I've been tempted to buy a shotgun for survival for a long time. The shotgun seems to be the most versatile. Easy to get shells, you can hunt anything with it, best for self defense...but then I remember the statistics. Lots of people shoot bears and the bear still kills them (a grizzly can still function for a time after it's heart has stopped pumping). I don't know of a single case where properly used pepper spray wasn't 100% effective.

Still tempted to buy the shotgun but I haven't found an argument strong enough to get it yet.