Is a double rifle useful for hunting in Canada?

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Beaver Skin

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A double rifle screams class all the way, I don't think any of us will disagree there. However, how useful are they for the type of hunting conditions we face in Canada?

I think a double in a medium caliber like 9.3x74R would be great for North America but are they worth all the complications that come with type of firearm?
 
Bear hunting comes to mind. Or wild boar maybe.

I don't know that it leands any ADVANTAGE to other kinds of hunts, but i sure can't see it hurting any. (as long as you can get it hitting accurately with both barrels. )
 
I think that a scopped double in 9.3x74R regulated for 250g bullets is about as good as it can get for a north american double.

The problem is that nobody wants to drag a $7000 minimum rifle through the muskeg, out in a -30 snow storm or bounce it around on a quad all day.
 
303carbine said:
Lots of people hunt with a Ruger No 1 single shot.....so why not a double.:D
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Absolutely - I have hunted elk with a 45-70 single shot, but with the pucker factor in grizzly country, it might be nice to have that second shot only a trigger pull away! :)

I know - I know - this isn't supposed to be a grizzly defence thread! :p
 
NO.

If you can shed the money for a nice one, than you can afford to hunt the way you want, not necesarely going thru thick bush/muskeg.
This is particular a place where a double is inferior to most bolt actions.
Pucker factor in grizz country? Not weighing more than the pure feeling of hunting with a double. I never did, so take my words with a grain of salt.
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Like RoA said, unless you're rich, there is no real advantage.
 
I'd immagine the extra weight would far outweigh any practical advantage of having two barrels. Unless you're sitting in a stand I guess and have a gunbearer.
 
Republic of Alberta said:
I think that a scopped double in 9.3x74R regulated for 250g bullets is about as good as it can get for a north american double.

The problem is that nobody wants to drag a $7000 minimum rifle through the muskeg, out in a -30 snow storm or bounce it around on a quad all day.
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This sums up what I was thinking about. With the type of hunting that we do in BC, it is not always possible to cradle a fine firearm. Though I love fine walnut and blued steel, the beauty of stainless / synthetic firearms is found in their praticality.
 
Beaver Skin said:
Though I love fine walnut and blued steel, the beauty of stainless / synthetic firearms is found in their praticality.
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This means we have to make a new double rifle for canada. I will call it a double bubba...stainless and synthetic, problably with a silver 50mm objective scope too;)
 
Hell - they ain't even practical in Africa!

Look guys - the argument goes like this - on dangerous game the second shot from a double is supposed to be the quickest second shot available from any sporting arm. With a mild cartridge this may indeed be so, but it came to my attention when shooting one, that if the firearm has enough recoil to raise the muzzle 30 degrees, you have lots of time to work the action of a bolt gun as you pull the piece down out of recoil, and back on target.

Back in the days of ivory hunting, I bet that the real advantage of these guns was dependability, rather than the fabled fast second shot. You essentially had two rifles glued together, separate barrels and separate lock work. This provided the hunter of the day with a redundant and dependable system, in a land far from gunsmiths. If you had a bad primer, the second shot was right there.

Today's ammo is so much better, and so are our rifles. If you want to own an interesting artifact, and have the $50K to pay for it, then fill your boots. But as a practical hunting tool, they ain't the answer.
 
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