Hey, Y'all,

Here's one to stir up the troops, and possibly make a few shake in their tennie pumps, but what the hey-----

There are lots of good, solid doubles, in twelve, sixteen and twenty gauge out there, some with double under-bolt , some with single under-bolt and doll's-head lock, some with doll's-head lock only, and some with all three. So here's my somewhat addle-brained question; after looking over the previous post about building a 22 rf, .218 Bee, .22 Hornet on a .410 frame, why not a larger starting platform, say a 16 ga, being rebarrelled to some straight-walled, or nearly so, .40- or .45-cal. case (.45-90 or .45-120, even .450 Express come to mind)? What would be the limiting factors in such an endeavor? Heat treat of the original breech? Frame stretch? Type of lock-up among the many types? Quantity of LORTAB on hand?

I've an idea that the inherent strength of many of the earlier double rifles (read pre-1925) wasn't a whole lot better, if in fact as good as, most of the modern double shotguns. There again, I've been wrong about nearly everything in the past (women, marriage, earning power, capacity for cheap scotch, parental lineage of local county sheriff, length of ensuing incarceration, etc.) Since this the only way, short of trading my whole twenty-nine-gun collection for one relatively cheap double rifle, I could ever hope to own one, this question is not made totally in jest.Plus, I just LLLLUUUUUVVVVVV a good argument!

I'm a retired manufacturing troubleshooter-engineer and before that spent thirty years as a toolmaker/machinist, all in the aircraft engine industry. I've done so much for so long with so little, I'm now qualified to do anything with NOTHING!! Having said that, no type or ammount of machine-work or hand-finesse is beyond my capability.

Anybody out there ever hear of this being attempted before? C'mon, guys, I'm burnin' inside!!!!!

"When in Doubt, Use More Gun!!!"