Charles Daly Triple Crown Empire Grade

From our March/April 2025 issue

In 1959 French mathematician Jean Dieudonné declared: “Down with Euclid! Death to triangles!” Fortunately the triangle endured, as evidenced by this issue’s review gun: the Charles Daly Triple Crown Empire Grade 28-/20-gauge two-barrel set. The triangular arrangement of three shotgun barrels is a barmy idea, and the Triple Crown is an answer to a question nobody asked. Conversely, this novel, solidly built gun is intriguing enough to find a place in the safe of a curious collector.

It was around 1875 when the “Charles Daly” name first appeared on imported firearms. The shotguns and rifles were made by a handful of gunmakers, including Schiller and Lindner in Prussia and later Heym and Sauer in Germany. When I went to work at Orvis, I quickly learned that Prussian Daly Empire and Diamond Grades were exceptional guns that command serious money. Imports ceased just prior to World War II. From 1963 to ’76 BC Miroku of Japan made Daly shotguns. These modest field guns and a handful of fancier models were lovely, and I foolishly sold my Daly Miroku 20-gauge field gun. In 2017 Chiappa Firearms of Italy and Dayton, Ohio, assumed the Daly name. The company created the Triple Crown with the Turkish manufacturer Akkar. The gun retails for $4,925 and is built to SAAMI and CIP manufacturing and proof standards.

To start, the Triple Crown’s barrels are heavy. The 20-gauge tubes weigh 4 pounds 4 ounces, and the 28-gauge barrels tip the scales at 5 pounds. (The difference is due to the increased barrel thickness, to allow the 28-gauge barrels to fit the 20-gauge frame.) As a result, the gun weighs 8 pounds in 20 gauge and 8 pounds 12 ounces in 28.

The deep-drilled, chrome-lined 28" barrels had a glorious gloss-blued finish. The discernable burrs on the muzzles were unfortunate and easily could have been remedied with more quality control. The rib-end plugs were excellent, but the 28-gauge barrels had an odd hole at the center. Perhaps it was a weight-saving measure, but it is also a gateway to moisture. The machined-filed top ribs are ¼" wide and have red front beads. The jointures for the top ribs had minor gaps, and on the 20-gauge barrels they leaked bluing salts near the monoblock after heavy use. The debris wiped away easily but was off-putting. The jointures for the side and bottom ribs were acceptable. Unfortunately, the side ribs met the seam for the monoblock inelegantly on the 28-gauge barrels and looked squeezed into place. 

The monoblocks’ machining was excellent. The hooks, lugs and bites were crisp and polished. I like extractor guns and was pleased with the excellent fit and operation of them in both sets of barrels. The 3" chambers transition to ½" forcing cones, and the overbored barrels measured .631" for the 20-gauge (nominal is .615") and .557" for the 28 (nominal is .545"). 

I frequently encounter fragile Turkish chokes, but these extended chokes were well made and steel safe through Modified. The Cylinder, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified and Full tubes all measured a couple thou tighter than nominal. Knurled portions are separated by a band with a letter indicating constriction. The 20-gauge chokes have cut-outs at the ends and come with a cast wrench. They threaded easily and stayed put after many rounds. The 28-gauge chokes lack cut-outs and hand-tighten only. They threaded and seated perfectly but annoyingly backed out after several rounds and needed constant attention.

Given the heavy barrels, weight is mitigated by the compact milled-steel action. It is 1⅜" wide and finished in the white. It is well built, comfortable in the hand and my favorite part of the gun. A tasteful laser-engraved acanthus scroll adorns most of the action as well as the trigger guard and toplever. Although shallow, it is sharply executed against a gray background. “CD” is engraved prominently on the bottom. The rounded edges and hinge-pin faces are unadorned. Polished fences swoop from the sides. It is all quite elegant. The face was splendid, with no errant machining marks. The knuckle was polished, and a wide, well-fit cocking bar rode along the bottom. The stout, replaceable hinge pin sits at the front. Discolored freckles on the steel in the well detracted from the otherwise nicely finished surfaces.

The barrels pivot on the pin from a hook on the front lug of the monoblock. The radiused edge of the rear lug displaces a thick bolt under the face that engages a bite in the lug. Both lugs settle in deep cuts in the well. It is a robust lock-up. A notable space under the locking bolt might collect debris, and special attention would be imperative to keep this area clean.

I was pleasantly surprised by the internals. Everything was well machined, securely assembled and arranged in a compact and economical manner. The hammers, sears and trigger-sear catch were simple, clean-forged parts. Nothing was polished, but all had nice smooth surfaces. Three parallel hammers pivot from the bottom with a fraction of space between them. Sears pivot from the top. A bifurcated leaf spring for the safety sits at the top, and sturdy coil-spring assemblies sit at the bottom with three firing pins ensconced deep in the action. My only quibble was with some stray metal shavings that could get about the action and muck things up.

The cast skeleton toplever had some unsightly marks on the edges of the negative space. It opened the gun with ease and returned to center when the gun was open. This is by design, as the barrel lug displaces the bolt and moves the lever upon closing—and a good deal of effort is required to do this. The toplever was very slow in returning to its proper position, just right of center, and occasionally required a slight push to make it correct. The manual safety with barrel selector, which allows you to fire the right or left barrel first, is a peculiar affair that looks like a pudgy grub. The safety was slightly gritty but positive. The barrel selector operated with ease. The fixed mechanical trigger has a wide gold blade. Take-up was negligible with zero creep, and there were delightful 5-pound breaks across the board. In fact, the triggers were a real highlight. 

The “extra fancy” Turkish walnut had handsome contrasting waves of figure. The medium-gloss, hand-rubbed oil finish did not fill all the pores, leaving a textured feel. The full pistol grip has a racy angled knob and slight right-hand palm swell. The grip geometry was quite agreeable. The checkering was unusual, with drill-bit impressions arranged to create a diamond pattern that provided a secure grip. It is an inventive approach that I liked. Wood-to-metal fit was very good. Unfortunately, the interior head of the stock lacked finish, and tooling marks remained. The 14¼" LOP (to the back of a well-fit ½" rubber pad) was shorter than that on many production guns these days. Other stock dimensions were: 1½"drop at comb, 2⅜" drop at heel, ¼" cast-off at heel and ⅜" at the toe, and 4° of pitch. Daly warranties the wood for one year, which is almost unheard of these days. Impressive!

The forearm is more beavertail than splinter and shares the same finish and checkering as the stock—although there was a noticeable gap in the finish near the iron hook. The unadorned iron and Deeley-style latch had excellent inletting, but the rough-cut underside of the forearm was crude and lacked finish. The paucity of refinement here reduces costs but denotes a lack of quality. The latch would also benefit from proper fitting. It required a good pull for removal and an emphatic squeeze to attach to both sets of barrels.

Patterning and shooting the gun were adventures. To begin, the balance was a burden. With the 20-gauge barrels, the gun balanced 2" ahead of the pin; with the 28-gauge tubes, it balanced ¼" farther still. The gun alwaysfelt barrel heavy. Given the considerable “ballast,” recoil was almost nonexistent with Winchester AA 20-gauge and Super Sport 28-gauge target loads. The owner’s manual incorrectly states the firing sequence as right or left barrel first and top barrel last. The top barrel always fired second. The 20-gauge barrels converged perfectly, and all the chokes patterned 50/50. The 28-gauge right and left barrels converged properly, while the top barrel was 2" high and to the left. I tried all the chokes pre-mounted and low-gun, but nothing changed. 

Over the course of 10 sporting clays stations with Cylinder choke in the right barrel, Improved Cylinder in the top and Modified in the left, I made several observations. With the 20-gauge barrels, the gun was far more appealing to carry and shoot. When it was fitted with the 28-gauge barrels, carrying and shooting it were Herculean tasks. Both sets of barrels required a good deal of effort to get moving. The swing of the 20-gauge barrels was smoother. The gun was hardly nimble, but I was able to break a variety of targets. It reminded me of shooting my first 20-gauge Stoeger Condor or an early incarnation of a 12-gauge Citori. The 28-gauge barrels were ponderous and difficult to wrangle. With them on, it felt like shooting a heavy pool noodle. I am a fit guy, but the 28-gauge tubes drained my constitution. Given the configuration of the stock, I found myself shooting high; so I found it best to point several inches below the targets.

I had several peers try the gun with both sets of barrels. While a few were amused with the configuration and enjoyed some success, the consensus was that the gun fights the shooter’s impulse to point it in the proper direction. Everyone did enjoy firing the gun in rapid succession, and the trigger offered the flawless performance of a semi-automatic. Ultimately, I concluded that the 20-gauge would be a tolerable field gun. I am not sure where the 28-gauge would be at home.

In my inaugural Shooting Sportsman article, I wrote: “Gimmicks and solutions in search of problems in shotguns are anathema.” I stand by this but was willing to give the Daly its due. “Empire Grade” is a name that harkens back to the pre-war glory days of Daly shotguns, but in my estimation the Triple Crown does not measure up to its forebears. That said, the exceptional internal components are a testament to Turkish gunmaking potential. Other elements of the gun warrant praise, as well, but overall the Triple Crown strikes me as heavy and a bit impractical. 

The Triple Crown’s compact milled-steel action is well built, comfortable in the hand and nicely engraved.

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