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Elmer may not have been an authority on doubles. He did, however do a damn site more hunting with one, in Africa, Idaho and Alaska than I ever will and probably more than anyone on this forum has done as well. We do seem to have a lot of experts here, though with more knowlede than he had.
: I merely stated what someone with great experience in hunting and some experience with doubles preferred, not that it was the proper way to do it.

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Elmer is one of my all time favorites in the gun rag business, and he did a lot of hunting in Alaska, Wyoming, and Idaho. He did some hunting in Africa as well but not a lot! If you want to know what Elmer's preference was it was not rear trigger first, in most cases! His preference was for a single trigger on a double rifle! Adtionally, Elmer was a real expert on lever action rifles, pistols of all kinds, but prefered revolvers. Most of his hunting with a rifle that was not a lever action, was with a bolt rifle! He owned a few doubles over the years, but most were single trigger rifles by Westley Richards. The Westley Richards is something I totally agree with Elmer on, but the single trigger I definently do not.

A single trigger is the only single item on a double rifle that will put the rifle out of service completely if it breaks. That has nothing to do with shooting the left barrel first, however! The reason the trigger is lighter on the right barrel is because that is the first one fired by the regulator, so that is cut with a light pull, and that is why the "SET" trigger is on that trigger, because the first shot is usually the more precise, on an un alarmed animal, and the back trigger is cut for a heavier pull, because it avoids doubleing, to some extent, and is uaually the second shot, on an incoming, or running away animal, and a light trigger is not needed. Fireing the back trigger first to avoid a double discharge, is somtimes the cause of a doubleing because the recoil of fireing the left barrel sets off the light trigger on the right barrel.

In the case of, rear trigger first, it is one's personal choice! However, there those here, and other places on the internet, that disclaim the fact that a right handed double rifle with two triggers is "DESIGNED" to be fire front trigger first! The rifles are regulated that way at the makers,, and the trigger engagement is cut for that sequince of fire. The front trigger is always lighter than the back trigger. There is a reason for that! If you look at any rifle that has a set trigger on one of the triggers, it will always be the front trigger on a right handed rifle. There is a reason for that, as well!

It make no difference to me how one shoots "HIS" double rifle, but mine are fired front trigger first!

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..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"

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With the greatest of respect. I believe that the difference in felt pull weight between front and rear triggers, has far more to do with the angle of force and the distence from the pivot to the moment of force (the finger) than differing sear release pressures.

With the rear trigger on a double trigger gun the trigger finger has to move the trigger in a more upward fashion at the same time as to the rear. The front trigger pivots more naturally around the pin. The front trigger is generaly also longer reducing the pressure needed to trip the sear.

Regards.

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With the greatest of respect. I believe that the difference in felt pull weight between front and rear triggers, has far more to do with the angle of force and the distence from the pivot to the moment of force (the finger) than differing sear release pressures.

With the rear trigger on a double trigger gun the trigger finger has to move the trigger in a more upward fashion at the same time as to the rear. The front trigger pivots more naturally around the pin. The front trigger is generaly also longer reducing the pressure needed to trip the sear.

Regards.

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One of the real advantages of a double is without doubt the possibility to load a solid in one barrel and a soft in the other. I think the makers of good doubles are aware of this fact and they design their locks accordingly. So it should be no problem to fire either barrel first without the risk of doubling. Also I believe that that the POI will not change too much at reasonable hunting distances if You discharge the left barrel first, at least if You use open sights.
So I wonder where the problem is !

Kalunga

"In my profession my needs are few, a dependable rifle, a cool nerve and a really good pair of boots !"

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I carry my doubles that way when hunting buffalo, but it has nothing to do with the order of pulling triggers other than I always carry a soft point in the right barrel! I like the first shot on a Buffalo to be a soft, followed by all solids! I don't hunt Elephant, but if i did then the rifle would always be loaded with solids in "BOTH" barrels!, and I would still pull the front trigger first in both cases!

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..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"

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With the greatest of respect. I believe that the difference in felt pull weight between front and rear triggers, has far more to do with the angle of force and the distence from the pivot to the moment of force (the finger) than differing sear release pressures.

With the rear trigger on a double trigger gun the trigger finger has to move the trigger in a more upward fashion at the same time as to the rear. The front trigger pivots more naturally around the pin. The front trigger is generaly also longer reducing the pressure needed to trip the sear.

Regards.

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The pull weights are actually cut with the front trigger lighter than the back. This is measurable with a trigger pull scale! The recoil of one barrel going off is what sets off the second barrel in a double that is prone to mechanical doubleing, and the fix is to build up the sear surfaces and re-cut the offending trigger. If a double is habitually doubleing when the first shot is taken, if you reverse the trigger pull the rifle will not usually double.

The trigger pulls are set differently for two reasons! #1 is because when fireing the right barrel, with a less than perfect hold on the rifle by the trigger hand, the finger will sometimes hit the back trigger setting it off as well, #2 because the recoil from the right barrel going off may disengage the sear on the left lock, if it is cut too lightly. These two reasons are the same reasons the right trigger is always the trigger that is fitted with a set trigger, if the rifle has one!

If your rifle works fine pulling the back trigger first, then do so! However because it does doesn't change the fact that the rifle was designed to be fired 1, Right, 2, Left, on a right hand rifle, and is set opposite on a left hand rifle.

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..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"

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Below is the Hallowell website that shows photos of the lockwork for a bar action and back action sidelock as well as a photo of a two trigger gun which indicates the forward position of the common trigger pin, or common location if not a common, shared pin, around which the levers rotate.

http://www.hallowellco.com/boxlock.htm#Bar-Action

If someone knows how to post the actual photos that would be great since this is an interesting issue.

The blade of the rear trigger is further from the pin than the front trigger blade and perhaps this makes the rear trigger more mechanically advantaged, but then the length of the two triggers' levers as measured from pin to sear lever is equal.

Any engineer want to answer the question of whether the leverage is equal or advantaged for one or the other?

FWIW, the two locks show two sears each, one on each lock is engaged and the other on each lock is a secondary or safety sear designed to catch the tumbler, aka hammer,
from falling home in case the primary sear is knock out of engagement by cause other than the approporiate trigger being pulled. When the appropriate trigger is pulled, both sears are rotated so that the tumbler can fall freely.

JPK

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Here you go!

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