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I read of so many folks who own doulbles but everywhere I see them they are ridiculously expensive. I would like to have one, but not at the cost of a secong mortgage. A double rifle in .458 Win that could be reamed to .458 Lott would be a terrific addition to my cabinet.

Any ideas?

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ATHiker07, welcome to the wacky world of double rifles! Double rifles are not expencive when you consider it takes a minimum of 400 man hours, of very skilled labor, to build a double rifle. With the Hourly wage of a simple machinest, which doesn't have the ability to build a viable double rifle, it suprises me they aren't higher.

First you need to think about the cartridge you want in a double rifle! Even if a double was made yesterday, with modern steel, it is still 18th century technology, and is not suited to high pressure cartridges, like the 458 Win Mag. Even though some were made in these chamberings,and sadly still are, it was only because KYNOCH had ceased to make the NE rounds, and the 458 was all that was available. Most have been rechambered to 450NE 3 1/4", or 450NE No2.

The fact is a double rifle should never be chambered for a rimless, or belted rimless cartridge, even a low pressure one. A 450NE, or a 450#2, 500/450NE or 470 NE will do anything the 458 Win Mag, or the LOTT will without the rifle damageing pressures. Restrict your 458 LOTT to a good CRF bolt rifle, and use flanged, low pressre rounds in your double. The verious .450s are a good choice, because the wide veriaty of cheap bullets. Handloading is a must for most double owners. #1 because you must tailer a load to your rifle to meet the regulation built into the rifle. #2 the cost of factory ammo, ammo that may or may not shoot in your rifle , is expencive. Example 470NE is $220 per 20 rounds! Even handloaded it will cost you $100 per 20 to load it yourself. As someone pointed out, a Merkel 470NE or a 500NE is a great buy, but there are others as well.

A B. Searcy PH will set you back about $10K,if you order quick, the price is going up by $2K next year. but it is 50% down, and about 8 months to pay off the other 50%. This rifle will be made to fit you, and have auto sel ejectors, top notch wood. If anything goes wrong with it, Butch is a phone call away!

When someone says doubles are expencive, while stepping out of a wornout used 4X4 they just payed $20K for, and it will be in the wrecking yard in five years, I have to grin! That double will be in the field with your great grand children!





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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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In the long run it is cheaper to shoot the .500 NE than the .470 NE if you reload, because the brass is much cheaper. Huntington's sells their "house" brand of brass "HDS" in .500 but not .470. You have to buy Norma in .470 at more than twice the price.

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Here's a shot of one of the pieces of brass I had to doctor on (loaded for the Purdey):

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On this very forum, I bought 90 once shot federal cases for $1.00 each (8 reloads / $1.00 = $0.12) and shoot Cast Performace heat treated lead bullets @ $0.32 each and 77Grn R15 at $0.22 per shot.

.12 + .32 + .22 +.01 = $0.67/per shot

so

20 * .67 = $13.40

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Bonanza how many Cape Buffalo do you plan to shoot with that K-Mart load, and how often do you think you will be able to get brass for $1 per round?

Yes, you can load throw away loads with lead bullets once you have the brass, and plenty of powder! Paper targets don't bite back, however, so it makes little difference what you shoot at it!!

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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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5) Final word - there are a lot of guys who can't shoot their big bores because they are scared the hell of them. I plan on becomeing a marksman with mine, in fact - I won the Nitro 1 class and pulled a second in two other events with my .375 double, and that was against guys with scoped bolt guns!

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By the way I've congratulated you on those wins several times. That is quite an achievment for a NEW TO DOUBLE RIFLE shooter. Let me give you something to think about, if you had to use full power loads, how well do you think you would have done, say with your 470NE, against those bolt rifles? It is my opinion, the only way to become profecient with a dangerous game rifle is to practice with the loads you are going to use while hunting DANGEROUS GAME, but that's just me!

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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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BTW, how do you do "in reply to"

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Just like that!

Down below the text field you will see a grupe of options! Click on "QUOTE" , then scroll down to the text of the person you are quoteing, then highlight the text you want, and drag it up to the field, and drop it between the two words "QUOTE QUOTE". When it is submitted, it will show as "IN REPLY TO" in a outlined box!

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Honestly, I'm working my way up to the full-house loads. I belive one can "learn to tolerate" recoil by starting with somthing like a .375 and progressivly stepping it up

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That is a sound idea, but the loads need to be worked up for the full house as well. This is done in small stages for a new Big Bore shooter. Load about four rounds of the lowest "WORK UP" for a full load. Go to the range with you low recoil loads, and sometime durring the session, shoot a group with these four rounds from a cool barrel set. Next time you go to the range take four more loaded a little hotter, and repeat the four shot group. This way you won't develope a flinch with the real loads. Once you get a full load worked up, then stay off the bench with the double, and do you full house practice while stump shooting under hunting conditions. Targets of oppertunity, like rocks, stumps, and at guessed at ranges. Snapp shoot with a one-two punch fireing the right barrel first. This will teach you to stay away from the back trigger durring recoil. In walk-about shooting you will not notice the recoil nere as much as you will at a fireing range, especially from a bench! A double rifle is a "stand on your hind legs, and shoot" type of 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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