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Alan,

I've got a Brno 375 U/O which I bought new around '84. I paid about $A2,500 new, with scope. I didn't know much about doubles at the time and tried to shoot it with 220gn slugs for the 375 Win Big Bore Round as well as 235gn Sierra's. I shot a few rabbits and pigs with it but gave up on it because it didn't regulate.

It came to my attention a few months ago because the recoil pad perished and started oozing along the bottom of my safe. I started a thread asking peoples opinions and the feedback was if anything, positive, so I thought I'd have a play with it.

I have the original factory target somewhere which showed a two inch 50m group with RWS 305gn projectiles. Based on my experience with light projectiles I always thought that the Czech metre might be about one foot long.

I got my missus to put the picnic table on the verandah and to place a cardboard box at the 50m mark and then carry out my rifle and ammo for me (I'm on crutches and can't put any weight on my right leg so can't carry anything I can't fit in my mouth - the missus initially complained about fetching and carrying for my target shooting but I got her to help me for an afternnon of archery at a 50 yard target. She spent an hour with the metal detector and still couldn't find two of the six arrows fired.)

I use a 2" square of masking tape as an aiming point. I fired four shots using 300gn RWS factory loads I bought with the rifle and could not see any hits on the target, so, rather despondent I sent the missus down to retrieve the box - all four shots were on the 2" square.

Since then I've mucked around quite a bit and find that regulation is more than acceptable with 300gn Woodleigh's from 2400-2570fps but the rifle is really sensitive to velocity changes - 150fps is worth about 5" change in POI at 50m.

I've got the original east german Zeiss which has wonderfully clear optics and, if I can get the windage screws loose, I am going to try to get a load which regulates with that. It crosses badly with 300gn bullets but is shooting apart with Woodleigh 350gn at 2100fps, which appears to be well under maximum.

If that fails, I'll zero the scope with 250gn Barnes X bullets from the top barrel. The Brno is the only firearm I've come across which has two single set triggers - ie you can set the rear trigger by pushing it forward, just like the front one. Using the front trigger set means that, for my hand, I can't get a good grip on the pistol grip and get my knuckles rapped by the trigger guard. Operating in single shot mode the top barrel is a lot easier to reload and canting the rifle should have less effect on POI. The down slide is a slight increase in felt recoil and muzzle rise.

So, after 20 years of thinking I've got a bit junk in the safe, just because everyone told me so, to realising that I've got a good all round rifle for Africa or up north.

I suspect that there are quite a few other U/O doubles with non traditional makers names on them which are really quite good bits of gear, but probably owned by people who haven't had the opportunity to learn about doubles.

mike