Gentlemen:

Greetings from the great state of Alaska! My name has been thrown about regarding the two passions of my life--double rifles and African hunting--and it would be a pleasure to answer any questions you may have about my latest venture on the .600 nitro express. Many folks have written about this, the greatest big game caliber ever produced, and in the rewriting and rehashing of the same material over the years, the same errors abound. Craig Boddington had an article on the .577, .600, and .700 rifles a short time ago and Wieland's Dangerous Game Rifles both have the same errors. The African Hunter magazine (which I author the Doubles Column) had an article a few months ago on the .600 that was so in left field it was an embarrassment it was ever published (the AH may or may not run my rebuttal as it may have been too strongly worded!).

If you can, check out my website calpappas.com which has lots of good info on it. Mainly see the Magazine Articles From the Past section for dozens of scanned articles on doubles and African hunting from the 1940s through the early 1970s. They are loaded with information not available today and forgotten about by most. Also are some good photos of double rifles and some limited info on the 4-bore double Hughes I own and shoot every weekend. One member here was correct--it was owned my Maynard Buehler in the 1950s and '60s. It is a trip to shoot and there should be an article about it coming about in the African Hunter as well as the Black Powder Cartridge News.

Of course, I would like to sell my book on the .600s and you can see some details of it on my site. While not wanting to give too much information away, I will be pleased to answer any questions I can about the caliber. Of the printed misinformation I correct is that 80 rifles were produced in the vintage years, the average weight being 18 pounds, the horrible affects of the recoil, the type of actions and powder charges that the .600 was made for. There is lots more, too, with over 30 vintage .600s photographed and nearly 30 modern rifles. Ballistics (vintage and modern), original ammo, a data base of 203 rifles, and nearly 30 pages of history and stories from original users before WWII. Take a look.....

Of additional interest is that I will be pleased to assist in making suggestions for your next African trip. I have been 13 times and can give some good tips of what to avoid, government paperwork, airline info, etc...

Last of all, I am getting a good number or requests for double rifle appraisals. The details can be found on my site.

Good shooting to all of you,
Cal