| Ahmed577 |
| (.333 member) |
| 24/08/22 11:35 PM |
O/u British best double rifle.
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Am about to order LONDON BEST in o/u rifle. 9.3 x 74 r. Is this the best choice.
| 93x64mm |
| (.416 member) |
| 25/08/22 06:09 AM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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I saw an O/U in 9.3x74 a while back here at the range, I think from memory it was a Berretta. It was a lovely little thing to handle & it was so smooth to operate, like a 410 shotgun really.
I think the owner only used factory ammo in it, it wasn't a kicker & he was only a little fellow too!
| 3DogMike |
| (.400 member) |
| 25/08/22 11:14 AM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Were it my rifle I would stay traditional Brit and go with a .375 Flanged Magnum. Basically the same as a 9.3x74
Now if you don’t want to hand load the 9.3x74 seems a better choice just because availability of the .375 could be very hit or miss.
Of course it also depends upon whether the maker will do one in .375 Fl Mag?
Just my 2¢ (or 2p)
- Mike
| bwanabobftw |
| (.375 member) |
| 25/08/22 12:04 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Quote:
Were it my rifle I would stay traditional Brit and go with a .375 Flanged Magnum. Basically the same as a 9.3x74
Now if you don’t want to hand load the 9.3x74 seems a better choice just because availability of the .375 could be very hit or miss.
Of course it also depends upon whether the maker will do one in .375 Fl Mag?
Just my 2¢ (or 2p)
- Mike
I agree with Mike, I’d go with the .375 Flanged.
Robert (my 2p)
| prairie_ghost |
| (.300 member) |
| 25/08/22 03:07 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Given the rest of your battery you have shown an OU would be a unique addition and something different. I’m sure it would be lovely.
| eagle27 |
| (.400 member) |
| 25/08/22 07:50 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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You can hardly call an U/O a "traditional Brit", requiring a traditional Brit cartridge. The 9.3x74 has a long tradition, is a very flexible and capable cartridge and much more common in terms of factory ammo supply for someone who is not a handloader. A London Best or any other class manufacturer U/O in this cartridge would be perfect.
CptCurl
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| (.450 member) |
| 25/08/22 08:43 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Please give more details about what you are considering. On this scant information I find it impossible to say yea or nay.
In my collection I have one O/U double rifle. It is a very highly embellished, best quality Merkel 323E. I like it, but I have quite a few SxS doubles to go with it.
(Sorry, the photographic barrel distortion in the photo above makes it look like the case is warped. It's not.)
The sidelocks are hand-detachable. It's almost impossible to see the screw operating head hidden in the deeply incised engraving.
This rifle is chambered in .375 H&H. It was built in Suhl, East Germany (GDR), behind the Iron Curtain in 1985. It came into my collection in the spring of 1999.
Historically, in the realm of O/U guns and rifles, Merkel wrote the book - or at least the first chapters.
Merkel perfected the O/U Kirsten lock well before Boss or Woodward got into the O/U design.
I'm not saying you should get a Merkel. I'm just expounding a tidbit of history.
Please give us details of your O/U plans.
Curl
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CptCurl
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| (.450 member) |
| 25/08/22 08:53 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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As an aside, let me mention that many years ago I had a Valmet O/U double rifle chambered in .30-06. It was just a plain-Jane basic grade Valmet with two other sets of barrels: 12 ga. x 12 ga. and 12 ga. over .222 Rem.
That rifle was fantastically accurate and was the death of a number of whitetail deer. I did not like the single trigger, so I replaced the trigger with double triggers.
Our fearless leader, John, has a Valmet O/U rifle also. My Valmet has drifted into history.
Curl
| 93x64mm |
| (.416 member) |
| 25/08/22 09:10 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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That's a beautiful piece of hardware Capt!
Very nice indeed!
Why should an over & under be limited to a .375Flanged or 9.3x74, Ahmed577 has a real collection in many & varied calibres; why not in .333 Jeffery Flanged, 7x64Rimmed or perhaps even a .450-400?
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NitroX
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| (.700 member) |
| 25/08/22 09:13 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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I am eager to contribute, but wasctalking to C on the phone when he was posting. So will see what members contribute before sticking in.
I am thinking of some other options.
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NitroX
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| (.700 member) |
| 25/08/22 09:39 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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My first suggestion. Assuming the gunmaker could do it.
.360 No.2 Nitro Express
Quote:
The .360 No 2 Nitro Express is a rimmed, bottlenecked cartridge designed for use in single shot and double rifles.[1]
The .360 No 2 Nitro Express fires a .367 in (9.3 mm) calibre, 320 gr (21 g) bullet at a velocity of 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/.360_No_2_Nitro_Express
The 9.3x74R is of course more practical. Much the same ballistics? Maybe this .360 is slightly more powerful.
| Ahmed577 |
| (.333 member) |
| 25/08/22 10:38 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Am thinking European calibre because in my head o/u sits there. My BOSS battery has a 5.6x50
r o/u. Page 206 of boss & co Donald Dallas book shows a 375 h&h o/u rifle. I want a gun built on same lines. Calibre not sure your thoughts will help. This is my last gun. Let’s hope my estate doesn’t handle delivery.
| Marrakai |
| (.416 member) |
| 25/08/22 10:48 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Personally speaking, I just like things to be "pukka".
For me this means Euro chamberings for Euro rifles, and Brit chamberings for Brit rifles. American cartridges in American rifles too, for that matter.
Nicest 9.3x74 U/O double I have fired was a Beretta Gold Sable, and were I inclined towards stack-barrel rifles I could certainly be happy with that set-up. My eldest daughter was absolutely smitten with the Gold Sable!
In a Brit double, it would need to be a rimmed Brit cartridge, regardless of barrel configuration. Closest to the 9.3 would be the .360 No.2 as mentioned by John, and I do like the cartridge ever since playing with a hammerless SxS so-chambered many years ago. Mike's suggestion of the .375 Flanged Magnum is also excellent imho, and probably the logical favorite since the .333 would likely be more trouble than its worth these days.
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NitroX
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| (.700 member) |
| 26/08/22 07:47 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Quote:
Am thinking European calibre because in my head o/u sits there. My BOSS battery has a 5.6x50
r o/u. Page 206 of boss & co Donald Dallas book shows a 375 h&h o/u rifle. I want a gun built on same lines. Calibre not sure your thoughts will help. This is my last gun. Let’s hope my estate doesn’t handle delivery.
C's commissioned rifle will be a Boss under and over double rifle. Prior to C's U/O rifles,he mentioned to me Boss had made only the mention .375 back in X.
IF it was mine, and a Euro calibre, the following COULD be choices:
the obvious and very useful 9.3x74R;
that cartridge necked down to 8x75R;
something I wouldn't choose, a 10.75x68 Rimmed - does it exist?
the modern .500/416 NE;
many medium rifle choices.
I'm sure there are other choices?
Imperial choices:
a .450/400;
something I would choose, not having one, a .375 Flanged;
matching the .500/416, a .416 No.2 Rigby;
I would be attracted to the .333 Flanged Jeffery.
Lots of larger medium bore rimmed choices.
C feels an U/O is less suited to a very large bore, and is more Continental European. Maybe the Ferlach gunmakers might disagree on the first?
Another complication for C is he likes to have the BOSS serial number to match the calibre e.g. 10375, 10600 etc. The prefix 11### might be an option. A shotgun and rifle can use the same Boss serial number. One of C's rifles wears the same SN as one of Eric Clapton's shotguns.
This rifle would be the final order of C's 15 year, so far, Boss project.
Keep suggestions flowing.
I like the .333 Flanged. A 300 gr .333 at 2200 fps is still very effective. I would get an assurance from Geoff McDonald that he will resume, one day, making projectiles for it before commissioning a new rifle though first. Useful without projectiles for hunting. Bertram makes useful .333 projectiles for ferals and targets as well.
| Moosemind |
| (.224 member) |
| 04/09/22 06:01 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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There is a Westley Richards Ovundo in 9.3x74r built for maharajah on Egun. It is spectacular.
| 008 |
| (.275 member) |
| 01/11/22 12:44 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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I have an Italian made O/U in 9.3. Love it. So easy to point and shoot like a fit quail gun. Caliber is really dependent on what you want to hunt, if you’re looking to fill a hole an O/U in 9.3 is the traditional and correct (imo) choice. I have 28 gauge barrels for mine as well and use it for everything.
| tinker |
| (.416 member) |
| 01/11/22 01:02 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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375 Flanged seems right
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NitroX
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| (.700 member) |
| 01/11/22 01:28 PM |
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Re: O/u British best double rifle.
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Quote:
There is a Westley Richards Ovundo in 9.3x74r built for maharajah on Egun. It is spectacular.
Probably originally was a .360. Lots were rechambered.