In Australia, the best buy would have to be a vintage British top-lever hammer-gun chambered for the .450 or .500 Express cartridge. These can still be picked up for the equivalent of $3000 to $5000 USD here, in serviceable condition with good bores, and are excellent all-round hunting doubles when loaded 'nitro-for-black' with bonded-core soft-points.

The various .450 Expresses will turn up around 1950 fps with a 350-grain Woodleigh, that's nearly 3000 ftlbs muzzle energy, with a mid-range trajectory of less than an inch when sighted dead-on at 100 yards. No elk, boar, or white-tail would be safe within 150 yards!

The .500 N-for-B usually gets a 440gr JSP up to 1900 fps, for around 3500 ftlbs ME, and a similar trajectory.

For the dyed-in-the-wool scope shooters, try practicing shooting with open express sights, and you will find a whole new world will open up to you. The challenge of stalking game on a level playing field with the likes of Baker, Selous, Neumann, et al will add an extra dimension to the pleasure and satisfaction derived from your days in the hunting field.

I realise that there are many who have been convinced that vintage Brit doubles are somehow full of mystery, and mere mortals cannot possibly be expected to identify potential faults at the point of purchase, but in reality most faults will be glaring, and the vast majority (excepting bore condition) can be rectified with a little TLC , or for the manually challenged, a few dollars. We are talking about a 'good shooter' here after all, not the centre-piece of a collection.

The only accessory I would recommend to improve the looks is a smear of blood on the butstock from the first head of big game you manage to successfully flatten with the ol'girl!