Reflections and personal insight---

So what exactly makes the DR so great? After all it is just a gun or is it? Could it be the game you hunt with a Double?? Does dangerous game hunting set hunters apart? You betcha--

The DR is critisized by so many unknowledgible hunters on many points but never as works orf art!!

The neat thing about Doubles is that you can get a basic one one which you can hunt with and enjoyas a Dangerous game hunting tool or you can have so much more!!

Granted the Double is quite specialized and almost prohibitedly expensive at the entry level for the average hunter. The average hunter cannot afford to hunt the dangerous game that it is best suited for much less even fly to Africa. The average hunter may eventually spend $1500 for a top end bolt and that and have an Alaskan Hunt be the ultimate hunt for him.But the average hunter would never consider hunting DANGEROUS GAME or would he?

I think that Doubles could even evolve into 2 catagories. One would be a 470 or 500 class Alaskan Big Bear gun for the environment of Alaska with stainless steel, syntheic stock
and other modifications and the other would be the BEST QUALITY English Double we know today. Strange but I want both!!

What is the difference between the basic working Double
(I assume most would agree it would be a Merkel and extend up to Heym/Searcy etc. with auto ejectors etc.) and the WORK of ART Double??

The answer? Maybe it is when you start adding features to you gun that don't improve its basic function but only its appearance---

Gentlemen--what $$ and exact custom features start creating a work of art? What do these entry "works of art" rifles cost by current manufacturors or does history suggest it starts and ends at an ENGLISH DOUBLE, best quality ???

Pardon me for my rambling-
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts-it is much appreciated.