Double Rifle?

"...a .470 NE at some money more..." And that's being polite. Midway wants $280.99US per 20 for Federal 500 grain Speer Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. A-Square 500 grain RN's run $100.99US per 10. $14.05 and $10.10 a shot, respectively.
There a Nyati on one U.S. site. Prices start at $8595.00US. $9900Cdn. Plus shipping, taxes and duty. Or you can have an H&H for 135,000 Euros. $208,631.71Cdn. plus shipping, taxes and duty.
 
If they bring in Merkels for $5000 to Whitehorse, it will leave nothing for mark-up, and I doubt any dealer will do that. :D

I have had a few double rifles, and I tend to like the ones built in central Europe the best. Choosing a double rifle, pick a cartridge that makes sense. Preferrably a rimmed cartridge. For Canadian big game hunting, the 9.3x74R is hard to beat. Lot of nice doubles are made in 7x65R, but unless all you will ever hunt with it are deer class animals, you might feel a little under-gunned.
If you buy the double to be a collectors piece only, then any brand name and caliber will probably do.

Vasa
 
Vasa said:
If you buy the double to be a collectors piece only, then any brand name and caliber will probably do.

Vasa
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Not quite. Any newly manufactured double will decrease in price as soon as you buy it. The new Kreighoff/Merkel/Chapuis/Blaser etc are more working guns and not collectibles IMO.

If you want to buy a double as an investment, buy used, buy the best one you can afford, and make sure it is on face and does not have any problems. British guns have more demand than those made by the continental makers, and the larger Nitro Express calibres are more popular than the BP or smaller bores. Hammerless is usually prefered to hammered as is over lever to under lever. Be prepared to drop a minimum of $8000 US. Yes you can pick some doubles up for $6000 but that extra $2000 gets you a lot more gun. Go to www.NitroExpress.com and to a search in the Doubles forum. There is a lot to be learned there and they are a good group of guys.

I know some people are going to say "Wow, that's a lot of money for a gun" and it is and it isn't. Yes you can buy a mass produced rifle for $1000 or less, but it usually takes 400 hours to make a DR. There is a lot more time with the hand fit and finish, and when buying a DR made before WWII, it was made by CRAFTSMEN. As for the money issue as a whole, most people do not blink when someone buys a quad or a boat, but think the purchase of a DR extravagant. If you buy right, you will get your money back with a double. You can not say that with a quad or boat.

If those new Merkel 9.3x74's come available @ $5000 in Whitehorse, I want the guy's phone number.:cool:
 
Engraving

I forgot to mention the engraving that comes on some doubles. Price out how much that extra bit of artistry costs if you were to get it done today.
 
The $5000 in Whitehorse for the Merkel double 9.3x74R does seem like an incredible price and it's at least $2000 less than I had expected. They quoted this to a friend that is looking for one, I am not in 9.3x74R. I hope he has a written quote, they are still saying they can do this price. It is the Model 410 with the European stock with great drop, too much for my taste.
I have looked around a lot for a .470 or .500 and there are some good deals out there for a couple of thousand more. As mentioned, it's the price of a quad or boat. I have so many rifles that selling off 20 to fund this just wouldn't matter, to me it would be worthwhile. Buying the Kokiak for $4000 the last time and being completely disapointed was a very good lesson. I will wait until I can afford what I want until I buy another. The price of ammo is not an issue, I will not ever be putting factory ammo in one. I have owned a number of .500 NE guns and a .577 NE and .600, I am used to finding this brass and making this ammo. The .470 brass is available and easy to access and form, it's no problem compared to the other big NE ammo. The .500 NE uses the same brass as the .470 NE necked up, most handloaders on here would know how straightforward this is.

P.S. These are SXS double rifles we are talking about, there are a few O/U double rifles that sell for less money than the SxS guns. I don't know much about the quality of these new O/U double rifles.
 
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dudu said:
I wonder what's wrong with these?

Double Express -O/U Rifles
Asper Express Calibre 30-06 Spfd. $2,849.00
Asper Express Calibre 8 x 57JRS $2,799.00
Asper Express Calibre 9.3 x 74R $2,799.00
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Where should I be looking for these?
 
I love my Baikal 30-06 ... The importer told an amigo that he has standing orders for 500 of the 45-70's in Canada but for whatever the reason .. they are probably not going to show up ... Pity .... I don't consider my 30-06 to be in the least ugly ... Of course I consider myself to be quite attractive and that doesn't seem to be unanimous ...
 
Scruffy, I just bought one of the Baikal .30/06 doubles too. Just over $1000 with the scope mount included. I am looking forward to trying it out. For the money, how can you go wrong?
I heard there was a problem with the Baikal .45/70 doubles and that we weren't going to be seeing them. They say one came apart in the proof house. I put a down payment on one of these almost two years ago now. It just doesn't seem like it's going to happen in .45/70. A 9.3 double by Baikal in the same $1000 price range would be a big seller I bet.
What kind of accuracy are you getting from the 06?
 
This is off the topic of affordable doubles, but might be the right crowd. I just had the privilege today of handling a Wesley Richards double in .577 Nitro Express. The trouble is, that is the closest I'll ever get to having one. Man am I depressed! Guns like that are wasted on billionaires and royalty.
 
Dogleg said:
This is off the topic of affordable doubles, but might be the right crowd. I just had the privilege today of handling a Wesley Richards double in .577 Nitro Express. The trouble is, that is the closest I'll ever get to having one. Man am I depressed! Guns like that are wasted on billionaires and royalty.
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I guess it all depends on what you like. I hunted with an expensive double rifle in Tanzania and I wasn't impressed. (MS tried to sell it to me for $40K)

If it hadn't been for the extremely generous nature of the client we shared the hunt with (he gave me unlimited access to his Custom Shop M-70 .375) I'd of been out of luck trying to hit plains game with that club.

I had a hard time with the sight picture (the rear sight was very high and had a very deep narrow V) and the 90 year old rubber recoil pad might as well of just been a piece of soft wood. If the ammo you shoot is a bit on the warm side it locks the breech solid, and you have to bump it over your knee like you are breaking a piece of fire wood.

Any time someone wants to speed shoot a double against a bolt gun, the bolt gun wins hands down if 3 shots are fired. As far as I'm concerned I would feel much better armed with a good CRF bolt gun.
 
Boomer,
I'll never own a rifle like that, but that doesn't stop me from appreciateing it for what it is, a super short range stopper of the highest level. I have no doubt that I am better served with a scoped bolt gun for a hunting rifle, whether for plains game, dangerous game or hunting locally. I'd probably feel that way even if money was no object, but it is not a choice I have to make anyway.
I picked up another .375 in a trade yesterday, so I have another one to shoot the heck out of.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147229
 
Dogleg said:
This is off the topic of affordable doubles, but might be the right crowd. I just had the privilege today of handling a Wesley Richards double in .577 Nitro Express. The trouble is, that is the closest I'll ever get to having one. Man am I depressed! Guns like that are wasted on billionaires and royalty.
Click to expand...
I know what you mean. I had the opptuneity to handle a Rigby in 470 NE!:D
Lovely gun!:)
 
Casull ... my Baikal shoots minute of jack rabbit at 40-50 yards .. minute of whitetail doe at a hundred ... Actually I've only shot a few gophers with it .. but I have no doubt that I can cleanly take the larger varmints cleanly at those ranges ..
 
Ted
No I have not shopped for expensive double rifles in Whitehorse, but "Why Not"! :cheers:
If you have some, let me know, I'm always in the market for something new, and I'm in town almost weekly.

Vasa
 
OK. Anybody got an online source for double rifles in Whitehorse?
I don't get a chance to go in person, but I would sure buy online!:cool:
 
i wish someone like CZ/Tikka/Browning/Winchester/or weatherby could make a afordable combo rimfire/20 bore i think this liiks like a CZ project i would buy one, i have thought about Bailkal but a little hesitent
 
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