Fladude, there are no ignorant questions except those questions not asked! One should never venture into the double rifle world without asking a lot of questions. Of course you will have to seperate the wheat from the chaff, and do a little search of the different builder's websites!

Butch Searcy builds a very good double rifle, but he will tell you himself he is not trying to compete with the likes of H&H, or Purdy. However, if you want a solid double rifle that is as accurate as any you can buy, then he makes that. His Classic, IMO, is one of the nicest double rifles for the price you can buy, but is getting close to the Heym in price. There are several off the shelf doubles you can buy cheaper than the Searcy, but they are not better and in many ways, are far inferior to Btch's rifles. If you want a working double rifle than the PH model is the way to go. It will shoot right along with anyone's double, and is money well spent.

There are many who run down Butch's rifles,and the other off the shelf rifles as well, but that is mostly by folks who can't compete with the price points of those rifles, and have a need to downgrade the compition to make themselves look better, nothing more.

You will hear the same nonsense about Merkel, Chapuis, and others, but that is part of the chaff I was talking about.

Actually, a box lock is a better rifle in most cases than a side lock, and is less prone to stock breakage, because less wood is removed from the critical area of the stock where it meets the action.

First, you need to handle as many different doubles as you can, to find the ones that fit you, because that is the key to the natural feel that is a must with a double rifle. Once you find a few that fit the best, then start asking questions limited to the ones that fit you. This is, as it should be, and time consuming undertaking. If you find an older double that fits you properly, and you are considering it, ask for some one who lives close enough, so they can help you personally to judge the quality of the piece. It is very easy to get taken with some of the older stuff, and it has always been my reccomendation that a man new to double rifles should buy NEW!

It would take a book to tell you everything you NEED to know, in regard to double rifles, but hang in there, you have come to the right place, and that's a start in the right dirrection!