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Well, I've been quietly following this thread for a while now, and can't believe the drivel being posted about British doubles. "If you want a wallhanger...", "for reliability in the field, think again..", "90% of English guns out there are junk", "the bores are bad", "they require a lot of maintenence", "they shoot off the face", etc.

These comments demonstrate extreme prejudice, and I can only wonder at the reasons.

1. The poster himself is unable to tell a good gun from a junker, and has been bitten several times in the past as a result?

2. The poster is unwilling to spend what a good gun is worth, and is attempting to justify his choice of a cheaper modern gun by denigrating fine British arms?

3. The poster doesn't understand the subtlties of handling and gun 'feel', and is happy with a light-actioned, heavy-barrelled, recoil-reduced slug of a gun?

4. The poster actually likes the shiny look of new things generally!

Look, its certainly true that there are plenty of bad deals out there, but I have seen a double or two over the years, courtesy of a gunsmith mate who was Holland's regulator in Oz when he had a shingle, and the two most stuffed doubles I have ever laid eyes on were a Chapuis in 9.3 and a Ferlach in .458. Both post-2ndWar, non-British, modern doubles!

Buying a used double, even a vintage double, is not rocket-science. If the gun is tight, and if recently tightened, done correctly (no peening or squeezing), the bores are bright with good rifling, the internals are crisp with no poorly-finished replacement parts, the ejectors are correctly timed, everything functions correctly, and it shoots, just buy it! I'm getting a bit tired of this 'urban myth' that there is something mystical or sinister about buying a used Brit double, and that you need a PhD in Pommie Gunsmithing to contemplate such a purchase.

The only real killer is bore condition, and its the easiest to judge. Patch it out dry, and look through them. D-uh! Also examine the crowns. Thats it!

The big costs are regulation (test this by shooting, if it regulates, then it regulates! No mystery here!), tightening (simply factor in the cost: five hundred?), and restocking (hey, a stock examination is pretty simple, too!). Check Mickey's posts for some of the finer points.

Having said this, I have acquired a couple of Brit doubles myself for restoration, BP hammerguns, but I never paid more than 3 grand, one was only $1250. The work cost me only time and a few pennies, and now they are fabulous shooters and simply wonderful things to own. I wouldn't swap any of them for 10 Chapuis/Merkel/Kreighoff/Searcy/CalRigbys!

Hunting and shooting are sports, hobbies, and pass-times, even to those of us who earn our living from it, and should be enjoyed, any way you like. You want to shoot a German, Belgian or American double! Thats fine by me. ...EXCEPT that shit-canning pommie doubles seems to be becoming part of the package!

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Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
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www.marrakai-adventure.com.au

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