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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Double Rifles

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AussieMike
.300 member


Reged: 01/09/04
Posts: 236
Loc: Southern Tablelands, NSW, Aust...
Small Bore Doubles
      #22686 - 26/12/04 02:58 PM

How many of you use small bore doubles like the 303? I have lots of fun with a 243 U/O Merkel and a 303 Westley Richards.

The Merkel I consider expendable - when I was motorcycling to jobs in the bush I used to carry the barrels in a cut down fishing rod tube on the rack and the butstock in the paniers. Like the 303 you can get ammo anywhere and doubles are a real talking point with property owners - after examining your rifle and having a copule of shots they often get much more talkative about where they've seen pigs etc.

So what small doubles do you shoot and what game have you taken?

mike


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mickey
.416 member


Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: AussieMike]
      #22698 - 27/12/04 05:07 AM

I've got a Watson Bros. in 303. Still working on loads but I will use it when the time comes.



--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.


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AussieMike
.300 member


Reged: 01/09/04
Posts: 236
Loc: Southern Tablelands, NSW, Aust...
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: mickey]
      #22702 - 27/12/04 07:04 AM

Mickey,

Nice sidelock. My 303 is an early one regulated for 215g loads but regulates very well with Winchester 180gn factory loads - the only factory load I shoot in any of my rifles. The Silver Tip projectile seems to balance so well with the cartridge - I've had such good results on deer (fallow) goats and pigs I just keep buying them.

For plinking I use a reduced load of AR2208 (Varget) under a 150gn Taipan projectile.

It is a joy to carry, and has no recoil to speak of. It is a best quality box lock made the year before the drop lock was introduced. The case has the original owners address in South Africa on it. If things are a bit quiet hunting you can just sit and imagine where it has been and what it has seen.

mike


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4seventy
Sponsor


Reged: 07/05/03
Posts: 2210
Loc: Queensland Australia
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: AussieMike]
      #22709 - 27/12/04 09:23 AM

I have shot many good boars with my Winchester Grand European O/U 7x65 rimmed and also quite a few goats foxes and crows.

The grand european is looked down on my many experts for several reasons.

First it is a Winchester, a name not associated with the making of double rifles.
Second, it is a Winchester "made in Japan".
Third it is an O/U not SxS.
Forth it has a single trigger which (shock horror) is the inertia type.
Fifth they were not traditionaly regulated and many shot their two barrel groups well apart or well crossed.

As I am not an "expert" on much of anything, I looked at the grand euro in a different way.

To start with I don't give a rats arse what makers name is on the thing.
And actually this "Japanese" made double is very well put together.
Also I don't give a stuff about it being O/U either.
The inertia single trigger has never given even the slightest trouble.
And to get it to shoot well I reregulated it for the Woodliegh 160 grainers.
Great little double which has EAW QD rings and ejectors.


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AussieMike
.300 member


Reged: 01/09/04
Posts: 236
Loc: Southern Tablelands, NSW, Aust...
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: 4seventy]
      #22711 - 27/12/04 10:35 AM

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


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4seventy
Sponsor


Reged: 07/05/03
Posts: 2210
Loc: Queensland Australia
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: AussieMike]
      #22714 - 27/12/04 12:25 PM

In reply to:

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,
Very true!

In reply to:

The Brno is the only firearm I've come across which has two single set triggers




I see Champlins has an Austrian 458 SxS double which has the same thing.

Edited by 4seventy (27/12/04 12:37 PM)


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vapodog
.300 member


Reged: 28/12/04
Posts: 237
Loc: Nebraska USA
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: AussieMike]
      #23082 - 01/01/05 01:47 PM

I read this book about making double rifles from shotgun actions and decided to try it.....I used a cheap Stoeger .410 action and used a couple springfield barrels that had sat in a corner for ever.

It went well and I chambered it to ..30-30 and fired it. The 20" barrels was still heavy and maybe I'll try it again.....this was my first attempt and it was successful except I couldn't get either barrel to hit a barn from the inside.

I had some fun and destroyed it. Then sold the .410 as the action was still good.

I think there's a market for a good set of barrels in things like the .22 Hornet and the like for existing shotguns.

--------------------


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AussieMike
.300 member


Reged: 01/09/04
Posts: 236
Loc: Southern Tablelands, NSW, Aust...
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: vapodog]
      #23090 - 01/01/05 03:11 PM

Full length inserts in 22 Hornet which could be regulated would be easy - someone in Oz makes them by custom order for about $US600 each. You could then put a non intrusive claw mount on a good quality shotgun and have a light double, shotgun combination.

Inserts I've used in my drilling can be very accurate - 22LR at 1" at 50 yards with a 6x scope.

mike


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k80
.333 member


Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 314
Loc: San Antonio ,Texas, U.S.A.
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: AussieMike]
      #24436 - 18/01/05 11:16 AM

A double in 300H&H would be ideal.
IMHO.

Ken
San Antonio


--------------------
Ken
San Antonio

Welcome to South Texas


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500Nitro
.450 member


Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: k80]
      #24691 - 21/01/05 01:37 AM


I have a William Horton 360 BPE Boxlock, cased with accessories.

It is in very good condition (almost too good to use) but I will be doing some
shooting with it when I get round to reloading for it.

500 Nitro


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butchloc
.300 member


Reged: 18/12/04
Posts: 230
Loc: faribault mn
Re: Small Bore Doubles [Re: 500Nitro]
      #24708 - 21/01/05 05:13 AM

i have a pair of beretta o/u one in 3006 and the other in 9.3x74r with a set of 20 ga. barrels that snap onto either action. Love this setup. I can go just about anywhere and am set for just about anything. The 06 will hold within 1 1/4" at 100 yds with consecutive barrels, the 9.3 not quite as good but within 2". used this setup last trip to africa. got a 7'10" 200#+ leopard with the 06 and a 10'2" black maned lion with the 9.3, plus birds for the table.

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