hoppdoc:
I voted for the .400, but not without some thought. The .450/.470 class may well be better for Africa if DG are on the menu, but a double for Africa in the hands of a non-African will need to be shot a lot at other local game for familiarity and skill-development. Rifles in the .400 class will be used for practice on local game a helluva lot more than the .450-plus heavy hitters, and in my opinion that is what makes a successful African double: one that will be practiced with continuously at home, and can still 'do the business' on safari. So.... the .400 got the nod.

How many rounds are fired from the average double rifle 'state-side' for every shot fired in Africa? My guess would be in the high hundreds, or even more. ...at least it should be!

...and JPK, I fail to understand your obsession with a mere half-pound of rifle weight! So you contend that a .400 double should weigh only 9 1/2 lbs max, not ten? Mate, if the average shooter could actually pick that 1/2-pound in a well-balanced (read 'English'

) double rifle, not even blind-folded, I'd eat my hat! Ten pounds is just perfect for a .400 double as Rusty says. Hell, I carried mine for 16 km in 40 degree heat yesterday (as always it seems!). Did I beat myself up because it didn't weigh only 9 or 9 1/2 lbs? Hardly!