Background
The Gilboa Snake was originally designed in Israel for military applications. Multi-barreled firearms are not a new concept. In fact, many countries experimented with multi-barreled firearms, including the United States with the Special Purpose Individual Weapon program.
The basic idea is to increase the number of projectiles per shot, which should lead to an increase in hit probability. This concept was tested with firearms with several barrels, Flechette ammunition that broke into many pieces, and hyper-burst systems. In the long run, there were basically no successfully adopted designs, leading to the concept being largely scrapped.
That is, until an Israeli firearms company named Silver Shadow (parent company of Gilboa Rifles) rebooted the idea with the Gilboa Snake. The company is known for its innovative and iconic firearm systems such as the Corner Shot, which allows users to make accurate shots around corners without exposing themselves.
Design
The Gilboa Snake is basically two AR-15s meshed. The rifle features two 16-inch barrels, two carbine-length direct gas impingement gas systems, two triggers, a dual magazine well, two bolts that eject in different directions, and a fat butt stock with two bigger tubes.
The rifle also features an M-LOK handguard, A2 style birdcages, and a top-mounted rail for optics. The handguard is set with an end plate that puts pressure on the barrels for windage and elevation, so the user must zero the barrels along with the optic. The barrels can be set to parallel, set to intersect at a certain distance, or widen for a greater spread.
The Gilboa Snake feeds from a conjoined magazine well that accepts standard AR-pattern magazines. The system can run the included dual magazine or two individually inserted magazines. The magazine wells share a magazine release button; however, each bolt is controlled by an independent bolt hold/release on its respective side.
Domestic Version
The original Silver Shadow Gilboa Snake is slightly different from the domestic American version. The original Snake is a double-barreled semi/fully-automatic rifle lightly modeled after the AR-15. I say “lightly,” because while the aesthetic resembles the AR-15, it runs off a piston-driven operating system, helping to eliminate the need for dual buffer tubes.
Additionally, the Israeli version features only one trigger that operates both barrels. The double trigger on the American version is due to concerns with the ATF over-regulating or reclassifying the firearm as a machine gun, since one trigger pull would lead to two bullets being fired.
On the Range
I have had the pleasure of firing many firearms – including machine guns, grenade launchers, and unique historical pieces – but there is nothing quite like shooting a double-barreled sporting rifle.
My first impression of the design is that it is heavy and awkward. There is an adjustment period to get used to the weight, the fat cheek weld, the fat handguard, and reaching your trigger finger across both triggers. It took a moment, but a few rounds into the first set of magazines, I figured out how to pressure both triggers at the same time.
What can I say? It’s pretty awesome to feel the double recoil, to hear the reverberations of two shots, and to see a double hit on the target. While it is difficult to be consistent, you can master the manual of arms to get both barrels to fire simultaneously. The fun is controlling the firearm and knowing that you’re sending double the power downrange. It turns the 2-2-2 triple target drill into a 1-1-1.
The concept of zeroing the barrels is rather interesting, although I basically only see the benefit of zeroing them for parallel, since the barrels are less than 2 inches apart. Shooting drills at 50 yards and in was easy, but I struggled to score two simultaneous hits at 100 yards with the current barrel zeroing settings. Regardless, it’s a total blast to blast away with a double-barreled AR. If anything, it’s a conversation starter. About halfway through our shooting session, some law enforcement officers showed up to train and were fascinated by the concept.
Summary
The Gilboa Snake revives a firearm concept that was scrapped for a reason. Its effectiveness as a legitimate tool is still a bit in question for me. I could see a bit more usefulness in the Israeli version that uses only one trigger and eliminates the double buffer tube. Unfortunately, it is a tad difficult to master the two-trigger system.
However you may feel about the system, there is no denying the cool factor. Double the firearm; double the fun. The Gilboa Snake is a unique firearm that will be the talk of anyone’s firearm collection. There is also no denying the fun that I had on the range. While the concept may be dated, I still find it intriguing, not to mention enjoyable. There is something about having one of the most iconic American firearm designs, double barrel, with 60 rounds at your disposal.
You may ask yourself, "Why? Why have a double-barreled AR-15?" But friends, ask not “Why?” but “Why not?” God bless the Second Amendment and outlandish firearm designs like the double-barreled Gilboa Snake.
