| 400NitroExpress |
| (.400 member) |
| 28/11/07 01:06 AM |
Re: .375 H&H or .470 NE for Buffalo (Please help the newbie)
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Quote:Quote:
While speaking with the salesman at Cabelas, he stated that he has had Heym's in the gun library and feels that the Chapuis's are in the same class as them. He also said he personally likes them better. He also showed me that it has two connecting latches on the bottom of the barrel where it sets into the receiver and stated that most doubles only have one. He said that it adds additional support to each barrel and in turn creates a more solid platform and the gun will hold up better in the long term.
If it was that bloody good, the British would have taken up the design.
Sales calp trap.
The A&D Design will hold up well if the gun is care for as it should be.
I agree with 500 Nitro, the guy is just a salesman.
Like I said before, the Merkel, Chapuis, Krieghoff, and Heym are all decent guns for the prices that they're offered at, but there are no free lunches. The Heym is the most expensive of the lot, and it's easily the best of the lot. Sure, a new Heym will take 6 - 9 months to have built. Any of them will if you order the gun and have it built to fit you, and that's the only reason to buy new. If you're going to buy out of stock and not have it built to fit you, then save some money and buy used.
The other reason that I recommended the Heym PH is that it is available in .450/.400. The Chapuis is not, so you're back to the same caliber dilemma (although I hear that Chapuis is going the offer the .375 Flanged Magnum, I haven't seen one yet). The K-gun might be available in .450/.400, (they've built one that I know of), but I don't recommend that gun because of the horrible safety design.
As to the Chapuis' hook design holding up better in the long term, I assume he means that they don't come off face (shoot loose) as easy. I've handled a lot of double rifles over the years. Some of the old British nitros are over 100 years old (which, of course, the Chapuis are not) and some are just flat worn out. The worst case of "off face" I've ever seen (you could stick a dime between the breech face and the barrels with the action closed) was...a Chapuis.
The Chapuis is a decent gun. I like them fine in 9.3, but feel that correct weight distribution was lost in scaling up to .470, and I don't like they way they handle. They're built with cost saving short-cuts that Heym doesn't use. You get what you pay for.