Double Rifles: .375 and Better

Ardent

Ardent

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Northern BC, Coastal BC, or Africa. Depends on the
Who's into the double rifle game? I hunted Cape Buffalo using the .375 H&H in a bolt action this April, among other species though the others were non-dangerous, and saw the double rifle as nothing but an intrigue prior to this. Now, I'm jonesing for for one.

It wasn't that I had any sort of formative experience with my dangerous game that steeled me in opinion against bolt actions. I never once felt uncomfortable with the .375 while often being under 30 yards for near two ton beasts with bad attitudes in thick scrub, repeated over multiple days. I think it's just become that next desire is all, hunting with something so classic. Oddly enough, the real classics were really the bolt actions, even in the golden days of African hunting. But the double has always been something special, and different. Teddy Roosevelt had a Holland & Holland, that was barely used, while his lesser guns took an enormous bag. I suppose that is what has me chasing one, it's a niche tool, and a big bore double serves but one purpose; taking the largest, nastiest creatures on this planet. There's something fascinating about something so to the point, nearly useless in everyday hunting, and so beautiful.

I've settled on a selection of roughly three rifles I'm choosing from, but this will be a "in years to come" deal for me. They are the Heym 88-B PH model, Krieghoff Classic Big Five, and an old Greener I have an angle on so to speak. Likely want to get back to Africa before I buy another gun worth as much as these are. However life will not be complete until I own and use a beautiful German, or English (or in the single case of Searcy, American) double in a NE chambering. Any big doubles owners here? I know there are, I would love to see and hear about your classic Nitros. This is a fascination I know more than I alone share, so even if you're an outsider like me looking in, would love to hear the thoughts.
 
Hey Ardent I can tell you that the bug bite will only need to be scratched!! I had my first intro into the truly big bores 20 years ago when a close friend bought a black powder .500 3". I had read alot about doubles but had never held or shot one. Shooting my friends set the hook for me. My mentor has passed away and willed the gun to me. The rifle is made by R.J. Pritchett. I have never been able to find anything out about him but that is ok.

Now my jonesing had me wanting a smokeless modern version as I hope to get to Africa soon and taking a heavy double rifle and a medium bolt in .375 h&h are what my dreams are made of. This past spring I commisioned a .500 3" Nitro from John Bolliger. I made the trip to Idaho to have the stock fitted and test fire the rifle. The gun is a merkel and I managed 3 groups of 2 shots each into a little over an inch at 50 yards. We were happy with that!! The gun will shoot both softs and solids from woodleigh. Grain weight is 570!! Awsome. John figures the rifle will be completed around May of 2011.

My gun is being made on a merkel out of a few circumstances but I would have to take a look at searcys field grade and also the verney-carrons.

I have been looking into hunts for the type of animal this sort of rifle is made for and elephants really aren't as pricey as I thought. An well of course the buffalo. These guns definetly take a serious commitment in cost and shooting ability but man what fun. And when your friends ask what the hell are you going to shoot with that - your answer is what ever I want!!!

Good luck!

Oh yeah and as to the rifle that is right for you all I can say is it has to fit. These guns don't have any forgiveness.
 
Ardent... give John a call at Wolverine.... he has done a lot of research on the double rifles and owns several of them to boot..... A .470 NE is his baby and he plans on going to Africa again in the new year to shoot game with an 8 bore double rifle :eek: .... (Yes I have shot his rifles too :D) He has been over there quite a few times and has used a double from 9.3x74r up to his .470 NE on all kinds of game including Elephant.

Wolverine also carries a nice selection of Modern doubles down to some of the old timer classics.

just my 2 cents.... good luck :)
 
Double rifles, particularly English double rifles, are perhaps the best example we have of artwork with a practical application. I tried to like them, I really did, but failed. My experience involved a John Wilkes .500 NE with 570 gr X Bullets and Woodleigh Solids Handloads, both chronographed at 2150. The rifle had two things which I objected to right off the bat, and this might very well have influenced by opinion of the entire breed, and these things were fixable. First was the recoil pad which dated back to the early 1900s. It was akin to placing a piece of poplar on the butt of the walnut stock and declaring it softer. The rear sight was a single leaf express sight, but rather than being the normal wide and shallow V, this one was deep and narrow and tended to cover up too much of the target. Once confronted by these two problems, I naturally then began to look for others, and I wasn't long in finding them. The ammo was loaded on the warm side, I seem to recall 89 grs of 3031, although I can't say with certainty. Anyway, the rifle had a tendency of sticky opening, which I was told required the technique of breaking the action over your leg. Hmmm, so I take a $40,000 rifle and treat it like a piece of firewood, gotcha!. The rifle did balance and point nicely and was no trouble to carry all day, despite weighing 12 pounds or so.

In the world of dangerous game hunting or protection, given a choice between the double and a good bolt gun, I would always choose the bolt gun. There can be nothing faster for the follow up shot than the double. I proved this to myself when I harped the trigger firing both barrels in such close succession that it sounded like a single shot. Recoil was no worse as both shots occurred as to separate events, although the muzzle rise was exaggerated. The thing is though, that when a powerful rifle is fired, it takes time to bring the piece down out of recoil, reacquire the target, and fire your second barrel. Thus, given a bolt gun of similar power, I would have time to cycle the action and be back on target in the same amount of time. If a third shot is required, the bolt gun wins by a mile.

Mark Sullivan has a technique for shooting a double rifle under threat that works, but is not for the faint of heart. But then again confronting charging dangerous game is not for the faint of heart. He waits until a charging game animal is almost on top of him before he fires his first barrel, which most often knocks the animal down then his followup shot is the kill shot. In a charge situation, shooting too soon he considers tactically dangerous, because it increases the possibility of a miss and now you have an a ton of enraged buffalo or a couple of tons of hippo bearing down on you while you frantically attempt to reload your empty rifle, which is impossible with the time available.
 
Double rifles are one of the most personal rifles one can deal with.

There are many varieties to choose from now. Only 5 years ago or so the choices were quite limited.
Tradeex, Wolverine, Ralph Martini, all carry Merkel, VC, and others.... several used ones appear for sale as well.... in a variety of calibers and price ranges. You get immersed in extractors vs. ejectors, cast off, length of pull, calibers, overwads for reloading, mono bullets pulling the rifling out of your bbl, rib separation.......

I love them. Are they the best or most efficient rifle on the market? Again - your personal choice. Are they way neat to be carrying when you approach a lion in the thicket? You bet!

A good bolt gun would be just as good though. But the feel of that heft of the double in your hands does give confidence.

My view - if you like them - get one, or two .... Use it - practice with it until it becomes like tying your shoe.

Make sure it fits so well that it becomes obsessive. You lift and fire and the bullet goes where you want it to go. No aiming - only instinctive shoooting allowed in my view. When I try to aim with my 470 - well things just go bad. When I just shoot the damn thing, all good things happen.

Go online and search out and read Nitro Express web site. Its THE site for doubles and has individuals arguing the merits of each until you cant stand it anymore. From inexpensive doubles to ones that you cannot believe that people actually own and use they are soooo wonderful looking.

It IS a very addicting thing - like fine cigars or cars .....

If you like the nostalgia of hunting with a fine double vs a plastic super gun - then it may be your cup of tea. They both have their places and I like to do both. It is just in some locations, the well used double is just so much more at home.
 
I have read that the new Sabatti doubles are very good value and retail for about US$6000 in big bores, I think Tradeex might have some.

It seems lots of people were very sceptical due to the lower rpice but reports seem favourable. I would love one in .450/.400 but that is a distant dream;)
 
I have the bug, but not for an African big bore. I own and use several German drillings and combination guns, and so am quite used to the idea of a hinge action rifle.
I have handled the new O/U F.A.I.R. 500 Safari on several occasions, and love the fit, balance and apparent shootability. I'd buy one in a "locally useable" rimmed chambering, 7x57R, 8x57IRS or maybe 9.3x74R. I have no need for a big bore to hunt our black bear, moose and elk.
The sights on those rifles are very easy to use, the fiber optics are highly visible and they align perfectly with my eye. They are stocked exactly right for me ( I'm 6' tall). I'd just like someone with experience with F.A.I.R. to vouch for their quality before I buy one.
 
Double Rifles: I will not open the old argument as to which is best a DR or a bolt for close encounters with dangerous game. Some of the old timers and a few recent hunters owe their lives to the fact that only the fast two shots of a DR could get them out of a situation while others claim that the increased firepower of the bolt saved them, to each his own.

I have a passion for DR, I make no secret of that, for what it is worth here is my view, based on my extensive research and limited experience, (my last Buff and Ellie were taken at 30 and 27 paces with a .470 NE DR.)

Given that we are talking about a rifle for use against dangerous game at close range. My points below apply equally to DR or bolt.

Use a large proven caliber with good bullets.
Rifle must be fast handling and balance well. It is a myth that only a DR can give this but balance and fast handling is a feature that is often overlooked.
Good sights, I prefer a wide shallow V express rear, with a large ivory bead. Use what works the best for you.
Scopes: Modern scopes with low magnification, large field of view and clearly defined reticles do work (for some) I strongly recommend QD mounts. Flash dots work for some.
Some claim that as we get older and our sight starts to fail to switch to optics, I prefer to get closer but you may have to pass up some shots.

Recoil: Use the heaviest caliber that you can shoot well, for me that is the .470 NE in my 12 lb Vaughn. I could use a 500 NE but I personally draw the line there. My 8 Bore is a different animal for a different job.

To summarise use the heaviest caliber cartridge in the fastest handling rifle that you can shoot well.

Study the antimony of the animal you intend to hunt and then practice shooting. I practice by firing 10rd of 470 NE full power hunting loads per day for the last 14 days before I leave for Africa. All shots are all off hand from 10 to 35 yds with the occasional longer shots., the object is to place all rds in the 6 inch bull. Walking up gophers is also good practice.

Anyone seriously interested in purchasing a DR and would like to try one out (or even just keen to shoot one) can do so by contacting me, I have 9.3 x 74R and .470 NE available.

As has been said Wolverine Supplies carries a good selection of dangerous game large bore rifles in stock, both bolt and doubles.
 
If we weren't so far apart I'd be there tomorrow John. I've noticed you also like iron sights on dangerous game, as you mention there, same here. In thick jess it's also nice to see your bore, not just your optic, has a clear path through the thorns and scrub. I hate how limited your view becomes looking through even just a 1X optic as well. A double will likely prove perfect in the "close and thick", as where I took this Buff bull in April. Perfect gun for snaking through the jess, up inside 25 yards of the nastiest beasts in the world to hunt.

First photo is immediately after I shot my bull and he's just fallen and began death bellowing, we were CLOSE. John will know what he's looking at, but look for the big black hulk in the grass and you'll see one curling horn jutting up. Had me thinking a double would do nicely, I had to shoot through that wall of brush, picking a path for my bullet through roughly a grapefruit sized clear corridor to the base of his neck. Next photo is after we'd got on the other side of that brush and rolled him up for a photo. Big bodied, old bull, he turned out to be over 1,900lbs, not a huge bull in spread, but one of the biggest they'd seen taken in the area for sheer mass.

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Later on, a telephoto zoom shot of "the look", from a younger, though mature, bull I saw later on:

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Other big, neat guys (young black rhino, likely my favourite animal and one I'll never hunt even if they rebound):

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There are monsters, here...

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Entering the conservancy and walking around felt a bit like being in Jurassic Park. I've been to probably about 40 countries now, and have spent months in the Amazon, and other "out there" places in this world. I was always disappointed when I first travelled to a new "wild" place. They just never lived up to my expectations. Africa however, did, you can feel it in your bones, and when you're walking in red soil, or in the jess and on the savannahs, you know you've entered the real world, or what's left of it. There's real monsters out there. Now just to get back, and make it that little bit better by holding a double rifle...
 
Ardent, congratulations you have a great Buff there. There is nothing as good as hunting big animals up close in thick bush!

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This fellow took one rd as he moved off, even if I say it myself that rd was perfectly placed. The 470Ne 500 rd Woodleigh SP entered behind his right shoulder, between 3rd and forth rib racked across his liver, through both lungs and came to rest inside his left shoulder. He ran off 100 yds, no chance for a second shot as I couldn’t be sure which one he was through the bush. He ran 100 yds and was out of sight. Let me assure you that the feel of a double .470 rifle in my hands was extremely comforting as we walked up. He lay dead, but he had buddies all around us.


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Thick thorn bush, no problem for an Ellie but impossible to push through, it would be fatal to turn and run back down a trail, you have to stand and fire, you or him. In these conditions you must have a lot of faith in a good rifle and your ability to use it when it counts.
 
Beautiful symmetry and drop/curl on your Buff there John. Even more beautiful, your .470. :redface: Hope to see that view of elephant sooner rather than later, hopefully holding a .450-400 double.

It took us four days to get in that close on the bull we were after. I was management hunting, so it had to be him, the old guy. Tough deal trying to single out just the oldest, especially when he loved the thick stuff so.

Ganderite, she yours? Gotta love golden era guns, I feel the 20's were a golden era for sure for Africa destined quality arms.
 
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Tripping over Buff in thick Mopani scrub can be very exciting. It is almost impossible to stalk your selected Bull in this stuff.

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Moments after taking this photo three old Bulls move into view from behind the tree to our left. I was too busy leopard crawling backwards to take a photo. In the middle of the group of cows, one had just calved. The calf was still wet and their cord was still showing, at times like that it is not good to upset a herd.

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Look close! There are two young Bulls in this photo, they both carry about 50 lb a tusk. They were playfully sparing and that tree got in the way, so one of them pushed it down and then walked away! Only in Africa.

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Sorry for the poor photo, I was on foot and did not want to provoke a charge as I did not want to shoot him. This is to show how amazing it is that big Ellie disappear in the bush.

The point of these photos is to show why heavy caliber “stopping” rifles are required, encounters can be very close. These photos were all taken this Feb when everything was beautifully lush and green.
 
To everyone who would like use a double rifle - it is important to note that they dont have to be big bores. There are many fine 7x57R, 8x57R, 9.3x74, .375 flanged and otherwise, and many others....

They are a riot to use and will kill most anything you wish.

I was hunting in Namibia when we had the chance to cull a man killing rogue ele. "All" I had was my 9.3 and was worried about my first ele with such a "small" rifle. My guide and good friend laughed and wondered about what else I would need.

My BRNO o/u 9.3x74 has accounted for many, many heads of game. It is all you may really need with good heavy bullets or solids. It is deadly accurate with its scope and hits hard. You never even feel the recoil. The rimmed rounds give positive extraction (one reason I love the rimmed rounds only in the doubles).

An 8x57R or 7x57R is all you may need here in Alberta. They are fun to shoot, compact, are deadly and will not cost you an arm and a leg to find one that is right for you.
 
Farshot is correct, double rifles in the light calibers are delightful. We don’t see many in North America but they are extremely popular in Europe. Double rifles are not the ultimate long range cannon for shooting game across wide open canyons but for stalking game under practical conditions they are hard to beat.

The 9.3 x 74R is a great caliber for North American game and as Farshot found out she is adequate for Ellie and Buff in Africa. Below is an example of a 9.3 x 74R O/U rifle in stock and on special for $4,250.00 call for details.
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I think that any African Hunt needs a SxS in .470 cal. or larger, my vote goes with the Kreighoff, they have a developed a great reputation making great competition shotguns. I'd trust my life to very few guns, but a Kreighoff in .500 would sit well with me, mind you, so would an 8 bore double.
 
I was sorely disappointed that I couldn't take my 470 with me on my recent trip to Zim. That said, there was so much water from late rains and the buff were so spread out that it was impossible to track dugga boys. When we did get on a herd there was no way to get inside 100 yards from them. The buff in Chewore South are getting the tar beat out of them by the lions so the herds can be tough to get near. Friggin' lions were everywhere and we were constantly walking on their tracks. The good news is that the lioness quota is going up next year. Mind you, they could probably shoot 30 lionesses out of the Chewore (North and South) and Sapi before it would make a difference to the buffalo. But I digress. I was glad to have a scoped rifle when the time came for the shot on my buff. Of course, that's why you bring two (or three) rifles when you go.

I got into a funny spot while stalking babboons. We headed out from the truck and, as we stalked up, ran into some impala. I wanted a nice ram as well so we switched in mid stream to them. Then, as we got closer, a babboon fight erupted to our right and several dogs came running through the scrub. By the tiem I saw them come out of the low mopane the lead dog was within 20 feet. I just couldn't get a look at him through the 3x optics. I wished for irons that day.

A nice double in 9.3x72 would make a fine rifle for black bears either from a stand or in the bush. I'm hoping to use my 470 on either bear or bison this year.

I'm not a fan of the Krieghoff safety/cocking system, but I hear it works like a hot damn. I worry that it wouldn't be as fast to get into action as a conventional safety like my Merkel has. The safety is so easy to flick off as the rifle comes up. In a pinch I would want to get into action as fast as possible. That said, Paul Smith of Chifuti uses a Krieghoff 470 as a backup rifle so it must work well enough.
 
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