Double Barreled Rifles

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Al Bear

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I'm sure this has been discussed before...but I haven't seen it so I'm asking now: who has experience with double rifles and can tell me how both barrels group (say, at 100 yds) relative to the other barrel? Will both shots be within an inch of the other?
 
Al Bear said:
I'm sure this has been discussed before...but I haven't seen it so I'm asking now: who has experience with double rifles and can tell me how both barrels group (say, at 100 yds) relative to the other barrel? Will both shots be within an inch of the other?
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Dad and I had a sxs blaser rifle.you can regulate the barrels on the double blaser rifles aswell on some other higher end doubles.

Dad got the bullets from both barrels to easily touch eachother on paper @ 100yards.:D

The rifle was chambered in a 9.3 x74R
 
They are rather specialized rifles for close up, quick shooting. The very best might have the groups from both barrels touching at 100 yards, but precision is really not what they are for. They are designed to be ergonomic killing tools for instinctive, offhand shooting of very large game.
 
I've been shooting and studying doubles all my life, ......the best answer to your question is , "It all depends on the gun!". Doubles aren't made for benchrest shooting, but rather hunting purposes, so a 4" hundred yard group is okay. Some will only do 8", and others much better. They're sighted in and adjusted at the time of manufacture for a particular ammo. When you pick up a used one, it's up to you to duplicate that original load.
 
The way a double must be shot makes it very difficut to shoot 1" groups at 100 yards, even if the gun could do it. A double must be held as if you were shooting off hand, you then rest the hand that is holding the forend on a bag.
 
I have owned numerous express gun and combintaion guns, someare adjustable POI, soe ar eregulated at the facotry.
As was ststed , the longer distance style of hunting is not what and express or SXS rifle is for, it is perfect for stalking and quick shooting pout to 100 yards hwever.
My Tikka would shoot very tight groups at 200 yards, but was
"shotgun fast " also!
My FAIR 6.5X55 express gun is one of my all time favourite hunting guns.
I am assuming however, you are asking about big bores?
Cat
 
I have a double 30-06 and it is by no means a precision instrument. I might be able to get the barrels to within 2-3" at 100 yards, but that's about it. It's a 50-100 yd brush gun. It'll give you two fast shots at fairly close range, but not a whole lot of precision.
I bought it more because doubles are "cool", it was 50% off, and because I'll probably never be able to afford a Holland and Holland... :(
 
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jeff270 said:
I know 3 people with double rifles and I doubt any of them have ever fired them at 100 yards.
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There's a shooting range called sibbald flats west of calgary ab.While on the Bench my dad and I were knocking over Ram silhoulettes at 450 yards with his blaser sxs rifle.

on another note we never did take that rifle hunting and no way would have shot at any animal at 450 yards with that sxs rifle.
 
The Blaser doubles are a little different than most other doubles. A person can regulate the right bbl to shoot parallel to the left. There are other makes that have user adjustable regulation as well, like the Merkel 141 and Kreigoff Classic.

The thing that really sets the Blaser apart from the others is the two bbls are totally free floated from one another. This means that as the right bbl heats up it will not affect the left and vice versa. Blaser doubles are generally considered to be the most accurate doubles ever built as well as being the weirdest and most non traditional double ever designed. Most double rifle aficionados would never own one. I would own one just to see how accurate they really are.


An interesting thing to try though. One could set his Blaser rifle in bags on the bench and shoot it off the bench like a normal rifle, adjusting the bbls to shoot parallel. Then take the rifle and shoot it off hand and see how badly the bbls shoot apart from one another. I would guess the perfect shooting rifle off the bags would shoot about 8" apart at 100 yards when fired off hand. Just a guess.
 
Thanks, Gents. Excellent discussion. I get 1 (sometimes 2) shot(s) with my centre-fires in the field during the deer/moose hunts. So, most of my shooting is at the range. And that means I likely wouldn't get much joy from a double. Problem is ....doubles are just so dang ###y. I don't know that I can resist.
 
You'd get a lot of joy from it. The challenge of shooting a big double well is a joy in itself, along with their handling qualities. I'm building a new double rifle as we speak, the scratch built, one piece monoblock is almost complete. It's going to be a .475 Morrison, which is a rimmed 2.5" cased straight walled .475, 500gr bullets at 2150fps so essentially identical to .470 Nitro ballistics. I may regulate mine for 400gr bullets at 2,350fps however, that decision's still to be made. Neat 'trick' the .475 Morrison can do is it will fire .480 Ruger or .475 Linebaugh as a "Special", as the cases are the same diameter and rim dimensions are the same as well. I'll be regulating to make softball groups at 100 yards, and shooting inside 50 yards hope to do the same with .475 Linebaugh "Specials". Means I'll need to regulate to shooting near parallel, no small amount of work will be a challenge.
 
I have yet to post results of my 12 ga over 30-06, but I can tell you that the rifle is dead accurate at 50 metres using the fixed sights. Not quite the same as a double rifle, but very similar, and pleasant, handling qualities. Oh, and a joy to fire at the range. My only problem was actually finding time to shoot it as I kept responding to questions from other dudes at the range -- most wanting to hold it and fire it. Quite frankly, my Brno combo gun will make a great close range deer rifle, with buck loaded at top and 180 Gr down below. Cheers
 
Learning to shoot a big bore double well takes a bit of time. The technique is much different than it is with a bolt gun. One should to wrap his grip tightly around the splinter forend and both barrels, and rather than pressing the trigger with the pad of your trigger finger, push your finger into the trigger guard up to the second joint. If you shoot a double with the tip of your finger, you should start on the back trigger or the recoil will cause you to fire both barrels. When it happens its kind of a hoot though, recoil is no worse as each barrel fires as a separate even, it was after all the recoil of the first barrel that caused your finger to slap the second trigger. But the recoil impulse lasts longer than when having fired one barrel and the muzzles rise high in the air. I posted a video of me attempting to get used to a double, and at the end of the video I harped the triggers and fired both barrels. Your grip around the pistol grip should be firm with your thumb over the top to help prevent your hand from being thrown clear. If your rifle is firing maximum loads, you might find that the action sticks and required a bump to open, this can be done by holding the release over with your thumb and pushing down of the top of the rifle, pressing the hinge against the top of your thigh. I don't think it is unreasonabloe to expect 2 MOA or better from both barrels from a quality rifle.
 
The Kurgan said:
I have yet to post results of my 12 ga over 30-06, but I can tell you that the rifle is dead accurate at 50 metres using the fixed sights. Not quite the same as a double rifle, but very similar, and pleasant, handling qualities. Oh, and a joy to fire at the range. My only problem was actually finding time to shoot it as I kept responding to questions from other dudes at the range -- most wanting to hold it and fire it. Quite frankly, my Brno combo gun will make a great close range deer rifle, with buck loaded at top and 180 Gr down below. Cheers
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Neat gun, but in all fairness, nothing in common with a double rifle, your gun's only trying to make tight groups from a single barrel, an easy proposition compared to regulation, especially in the side by side 'proper' double rile configuration. Would like to hear if the shotgun patterns directly over / centers around the rifle barrel's impact however, as that would be nice for sure.
 
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