Not long ago on this forum I suggested that any double that would not keep four shots from both barrels in 3" from rest at 100 yards ought to be got rid of, Ray Atkinson responded that this was unrealistic, 5 to 8" was more like it, and Ray suggested that using a double at over 100 yards was problematic. Now Ray's experience vastly exceeds mine and what he says has to be taken very seriously. I have only owned about ten doubles in a lifetime of shooting and only two of them would meet my own accuracy demand with factory ammunition, a Westley .318 which would actually stay inside 2" and a Timner (Coblenz) double 9.3x74R over 20 drilling, the only one I still own, that will stay inside 3" for eight shots. Two others, a Gastinne Rennete 9x57R and a Westley .375 H&H, would do it with handloads. A Rigby .350 No2 made 4". The other five were far out with factory ammo and for one reason or another I did not try to reload for them, anyway, one was an 8 bore and two shots were enough to satisfy me !

What I would like to know, and have not seen discussed on this forum, is, what were the classical makers' accuracy standards before they would consider a rifle ready for sale? What are the requirements today? Are they different for big bores and smaller rifles? For the different makers? How, for instance, does Searcy compare with Merkel, Kreighoff, Chapuis, the Italians? The Brits? If anyone has the facts, I would very much like to know them.