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double rifles

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rlreed View Drop Down
Optics GrassHopper
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    Posted: October/08/2009 at 22:53
Not that I will ever be able to own one. I was wondering if they are worth the cost. I have had a winchester 375 H@H and an cz 458 lott both of which I sold. They were both great guns but neither one was one I would stake my life own. I was not sure if the winchester had enough power if things went band and the cz trigger messed up one time. If I ever do get the oppurtunity to go to Africa I want a rifle I can trust. Any suggestions?
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Urimaginaryfrnd View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/09/2009 at 00:55
Double rifles are the professional hunters dangerous game gun and the reason why is you have a second shot instantly available without having to rely on working the action. I have friends that are very much into them. Unfortunately they are terribly expensive and often chambered in odd cartridges that are either difficult to find ammo for or you have to make your own from some other case so it really depends on the caliber as to it being a good choice.  I believe Kickboxer has a 458 Lott in a Ruger #1  single shot adequate cartridge as is 416 Rigby.  I have a 375 H&H in an Encore single shot. The Ruger #1 is an ejector where the Encore is an extractor but Bullberry  http://www.bullberry.com/ has an accuracy guarantee on their barrels and you can carry several barrels in different calibers and switch from one to another relatively easily.  The frame will also work for a pistol but in the U.S. should be initially purchased as a pistol frame if it is ever to be used that way here.  An Encore pistol in a  heavy caliber like .375 H&H   etc would be good backup  I have one in 45-70 that I am quite fond of.   The Ruger #1 with a little practice might be a very solid choice wearing extra cartridges on your wrist.  I will also suggest a rather non typical optic like a 2moa Aimpoint or an illuminated Trijicon.  One of my friends has a lioness mounted in his den that came into camp hunting them at night,  he uses a double rifle.    A lot of what is right for you depends on what you can afford to spend. I would think a .338 Lapua in a Sako or AI would  knock down African game.  There is a fellow on this forum called 8shots  He lives in Africa and might be able to shed more light on what is allowed as some countries have specific limits on what calibers can be used for what type game.
Here is a Ruger Bolt action  458 lott
470 Nitro double
9.3x74R  Merkel  double
500 NE  Merkel  New Thunbs Up
470  NE   Krieghoff
375 H& H  Merkel NEW    Lovely Engraving  Thunbs Up
 
Good Luck it will be a tough choice.

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
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John Barsness View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/09/2009 at 09:47
First, I wonder exactly which animals you intend to hunt where that the .375 H&H might not handle even if things "went bad." I have hunted in Africa some and know quite a few PH's, and they are just about universal in their sentiment that the .375 is the perfect dangerous-game rifle for the visiting hunter (well, with the possible exception of leopard, where many would suggest something even less powerful). In fact the most experienced PH I know uses a .375 as his back-up rifle when guiding clients for Cape buffalo.
 
As for the CZ screwing up, I have seen more CZ's in the hands of PH's than any other bolt rifle over the past few years. This partly because they are an affordable controlled-round-feed rifle, but also because they are quite reliable. There are ways to make the trigger more reliable, though most of the PH's I know have had no trouble with their's. And I have never had any trouble with the trigger on my own CZ .416 Rigby in several years of use.
 
Most PH's will be happy to have you use whatever rifle you want to, but I don't thinka any I know would suggest a double for anything except possibly elephant. This is because a big double is much harder to hit with at anything over fairly close range, when compared to a scoped bolt (or single-shot) and putting the first shot in the right place is by far the most important factor in the whole equation.
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martin3175 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote martin3175 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/09/2009 at 09:52
I have always enamored over owning a double ever since living in South Africa for 13 months back in my younger years... Now that life has blessed me with 3 kids ,a mortgage, and car payments ( my vehicles are still cheaper than a classic double ) ..it's just not in the works. Maybe one day I'll hit the lottery ??
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John Barsness View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/09/2009 at 10:48
I thought aqbout buying a big double pretty seriously a couple of years ago--then realized that the money spent could pay for another safari! So I stuck with my .375 and .416 bolt rifles.
 
I do have a couple of doubles, a .30-40 Krag over/under built on a Ruger Red Label shotgun frame, and a pre-WWII German side-by-side in 9.3x74R, which is legal in some African countries for dangerous game. I haven't taken it yet, but may someday; mostly it has hunted timber in Montana. But I got it for a pretty good deal 6-7 years ago, about a fifth of the cost of a new Merkel....
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Kickboxer View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/09/2009 at 15:57
Originally posted by John Barsness John Barsness wrote:

I thought aqbout buying a big double pretty seriously a couple of years ago--then realized that the money spent could pay for another safari! So I stuck with my .375 and .416 bolt rifles.
 
I do have a couple of doubles, a .30-40 Krag over/under built on a Ruger Red Label shotgun frame, and a pre-WWII German side-by-side in 9.3x74R, which is legal in some African countries for dangerous game. I haven't taken it yet, but may someday; mostly it has hunted timber in Montana. But I got it for a pretty good deal 6-7 years ago, about a fifth of the cost of a new Merkel....
A man after my own heart...

With my Ruger #1 in .458 Lott, I carry a culling belt cross-slung over my shoulder.  I've practiced a bit and I can grab a round, after shooting, on the way up to eject the empty and reload pretty quickly.  Probably not as fast as a bolt, but not too far behind...

However, I think back to the reason I got the Lott in the first place... an oscure advertisement on the net claimed the Lott was "guaranteed to knock down anything that walks on the planet...".  I had to have it.  
The double rifle has a certain mystique and appeal to it.  I have always wanted one...  found one "at the right price" not long ago, but I did not like the caliber (double 30-06) for that rifle.  Seemed like a waste to me and probably the reason it was something I could afford. 


Edited by Kickboxer - October/09/2009 at 22:26
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lucytuma View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/09/2009 at 20:40
While a "nitro" double is completely out of my budget, I sure wouldn't mind having a Ruger #1 in 450/400. 
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." - Thomas Jefferson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/09/2009 at 22:41
i wish my H&H was a crpf.


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Urimaginaryfrnd View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/10/2009 at 00:31
I've always wanted a double rifle, it's just not something I need.

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
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