| wadeb |
| (.224 member) |
| 28/04/08 02:43 AM |
.577 NE
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I have just come back from the range after doing the final benchrest testing of my searcy .577. My load for this rifle is 125gr RL-15 and this groups at just over 2 inches, giving an average velocity of 2111 fps(on my chronograph at least, with temp at 60-70 degrees). This is using woodleigh solids and barnes TSX bullets. I am very happy with this and look forward to testing this on a buffalo in July. For those .577 owners out there, please reply with load data and performance of their rifles, if I knew how to post pictures I would post pictures of the groups. I also find this rifle very comfortable to shoot and in fact it feels almost like my searcy .500.
Wadeb
CptCurl
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| (.450 member) |
| 28/04/08 02:53 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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Congratulations! Sure would like to see photos of the rifle and the targets.
Curl
| Nakihunter |
| (.375 member) |
| 28/04/08 07:38 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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Is it safe to use Barnes TSX in a double rifle? I thought I read in another thread that single metal bullets are a no-no in doubles. I have no experience & just want to make sure I understand these issues correctly.
Congratulations on your new rifle.
| wadeb |
| (.224 member) |
| 28/04/08 10:09 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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In new doubles it is fine but I would never do it in an older one. A william Evans .470 that I have, the only bullets that I use are woodleighs and I don't even use federal factory ammo through it because my experience of chronographing and pulling heads on federals is that they are hotter than Ross Seyfrieds conversion to the origional cordite loads. Back to the TSX bullets, Butch okays them and he actually told me that Barnes had just come out with the TSX for .577. In fact, he gave me a box of .500 TSX's to try on buffalo two years ago and since then, I have never looked back. Their penetration and perfomance as of yet have been superb for me.
wadeb
| Bighammer |
| (.275 member) |
| 07/05/08 10:58 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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Hey Wadeb,
Just came across this post of yours and I see you're an owner of Searcy doubles including a .500 (which would be my choice).
I've recently put the question out to all about Searcy as I'm very interested in purchasing one of their doubles.
Your most honest comments and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
| wadeb |
| (.224 member) |
| 07/05/08 12:35 PM |
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Re: .577 NE
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Bighammer, as far as I am concerned, Butch's rifles are awsome. They are well made, well balanced and very accurate. he also is a great guy who is old school and is very interesting to talk to. He calls a spade a spade. In fact, because my .500 turned out so well in every way, I decided to purchase my .577 from him, and that rifle, being a deluxe is even better than the PH(this is not to say that the PH model is bad at all) Bighammer, you will be extremely happy with a searcy .500 and will not regret it, you just need to be a little patient with the wait.
Wadeb
| Bighammer |
| (.275 member) |
| 07/05/08 03:46 PM |
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Re: .577 NE
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Wadeb,
Good to hear from you. I figured that given you have two of Searcy's rifles, they'd be good. I am expecting a wait for these types of firearms and it isn't a big problem anyway as my .375 will take care of anything I have planned for this year!
Would you recommend the Deluxe over the Classic and why?
Thanks.
| wadeb |
| (.224 member) |
| 08/05/08 12:33 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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Bighammer, that is merely a personal choice. Before I owned a searcy, all I had used was an english double and so was not that impressed with a stainless steel action, but when I finally got the .500 it grew on me pretty darn quick to the point of ordering my .577 on the deluxe model rather than the classic. My guess is that they are both awsome and you would be just as happy with either. The classic is a little cheaper, so that could be a deciding factor.
wadeb
| dnovo |
| (.333 member) |
| 08/05/08 05:59 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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There seems to be an undercurrent of disquiet as to Butch and his rifles -- but without any real substance. I have read a fair amount of carping and sniping about them, but nothing really specific as far as detail. Indeed, it seems more hearsay than fact.
Those that own them and use them speak very highly of both the product and the company. By contrast, the only other 'American' company that builds doubles, Rigby in California, has many very vocal detractors. I'd go with those on this site how have first hand experience with the company and the product and buy one. Dave
| dnovo |
| (.333 member) |
| 08/05/08 08:48 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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By the way, by coincidence I had to call Searcy today to find out about loading data on a 577 I picked up on the secondary market. Sturgis couldn't help, and they said to call Butch. He called me back as soon as he finished up on something in the shop, gave me a lot of information on how the rifle had been regulated and made some excellent suggestions on lighter loads for causal shooting. We then swapped some industry gossip and he said to call back if I had any questions. Given that level of support for a customer who bought in the secondary market, I would not hesitate to recommend that you purchase one of his rifles. Dave
| Nakihunter |
| (.375 member) |
| 08/05/08 09:02 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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I have never owned a DR & have drooled over them since I was a teenager in India. I have handles a pair of WRs in the 1970s & they were works of art. I also handles 2 Army & Navy 450/400 (hammer NEs) in the 1990's & they were good but not as easy to handle as the WRs.
Is the Searcy design similar to the English rifles? Do the rifles feel & handle like the English rifles? The Searcy rifles look really nice and appear to be like the English rifles to my untrained eye.
I would like to know the views of others on this subject.
| poprivit |
| (.333 member) |
| 08/05/08 09:23 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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I've been to Butch's shop and shot his .470, .577 and 700. He's a good man and knows a great Mexican restaurant nearby.
To get to the point, he loaned me an underlever .577 in 1998 to hunt elephant in Botswana. It went boom, the tusks are in my room. Johan Calitz shoots Searcy. Google him as he's a very well known outfitter in Botswana. I just hunted with him and got a very nice Cape Buffalo with - dare I say it - my Ruger M77 in .458 Lott. Searcy's doubles are excellent rifles. The Redneck Rigby is built in Californi on a Merkel 140 action and cost a whole group more.
| Bighammer |
| (.275 member) |
| 08/05/08 09:34 AM |
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Re: .577 NE
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Wadeb, Dnovo and Poprivit,
You guys have been of great help. Facts are a lot easier to believe than hearsay and given Butch's readiness to help along with his expertise and guarantee on his rifles says it all about him and his product.
I'm one step closer thanks to all of you.