If I had a dealer whom I trusted, and if the price seemed reasonable, I would never hesitate to buy an old English double simply because it is old. In reality, I don't know any dealers who are skilled in evaluating old doubles, I have never stubled onto one in the shops that I frequent, I suspect I would be set back by the asking price and I would wonder a bit about shooting a right-handed big-bore as a lefty. As it is, I have owned ONE double rifle. It is a Searcy made as a lefty gun for me to my dimensions.

Gunmaker: Searcy
Model: Field Grade
Caliber: 470 NE
NEW, so not "inspected"
Regulated with Woodleigh weldcores... load provided by Searcy
Commercial interests: none
Miscellaneous comments: Beautiful wood! 10-1/4 pounds, which makes it my heaviest rifle. Close inspection at bores shows the top and bottom metal strips between barrels to be a bit tilted off level and the seam of the right barrel where it joins to monobloc is visible, wheras the left really is not. (One looks at the little things when he has a keen interest!) Trouble with the second firing pin indenting primer with firing of first barrel... fixed at factory. They suggested I may have been dry-firing and have compressed the rebound springs on the firing pins. I recall only a rare dry-firing and then with snap-caps. Good accuracy. Cost of under $7000 new about 3 years ago. Took one year to the month to have made and shipped.