Mike,

After reading some of the replies I belive "tipping" is as much a cultural thing as one could find.
In the US tipping is a way of life it seams in other countries this would not be the case. I know in NYC there are books associated exclusively to the arena of tipping and what is and is not appropriate as it is part of society, especially in this the Christmas season were one would be considered quite rude not to tip a regular door man, laundry service etc...

Some seam to be under the impression tipping here in the US and as it is done by Americans is a status symbol being made of millionaires throwing money around for bargain rights. It is rather then the latter a issue of proper edict here and in other countries practiced by all in every income range and social standing. Sorry to bring it back up but I for one take offense to it being looked upon as a practice by the social elite for mear bragging rights.

As for your search for the double rifle. I have been on the same quest and found that for a affordable price without sacrificing quality in the form of a new working rifle a few seam to stand out, in the opinions of most more well versed on the subject then myself, above the rest.

I have settled on the Butch Search built double myself, pending a personal meeting to confirm the feel and point of the rifle for myself. It is a custom built rifle to your measure and can be had with ejectors in your choice of most popular calibers from the 10-13K dollar range US depending on appointments. I also liked the Merkel but decide on the Searcy deluxe for myself as its custom fitted (Merkel pointed a bit short for me) has the ejectors, not that it was a must but a nice option for the same money and it came standard in the 470NE and I can latter fit a 375H&H barrel set to make the double a bit more user friendly for the larger US game I frequently find myself in search of as well.

http://www.searcyent.com/

James F. Nixon III