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You could say the same thing about any double rifle. They. too, have a "very fine" fit between barrels and action, so I suppose they shouldn't be taken into a situation where they could be exposed to dirt and refuse to close.

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Hmmm , you probably dont want to say that too loudly on this forum as there seems to be a few double gunophiles that frequent this forum and you might end up shattering some dreams of DG perfection. But hey we're in the Mauser den now. Perhaps to negate the potential difficulty in closing issue you've got to carry the double closed with the safety on and hope like hell it aint too hot? But in all reality, say in South or East Africa the only real threat would be twigs getting jammed in somewhere and then breaking off to cause a potential fit / closing problem. (Certainly in many areas of Zimbabwe or Zambia that has potential to be a real threat.)

Yes after I wrote my reply I was pondering the claw mount situation and thought they would really be no different to the Smithsons in the face of foreign matter. I guess its one of the good things about reading and contemplating issues that arise in these Q&A forums, it can clarify your thinking on the potential problems, or the pros and cons of something as simple as a scope mount option. And as we know, if anything is going to go wrong the chances of such happening are exponentially greater in the heat of a tense moment than they are at a leisurely pace at the range. The consequences can also be a little more drastic too.
I was interested in looking at claw mounts as an option but this is now a no go for me. I just dont like running the risk of a drama if there are other options that negate such problems. What's the down side of using Talleys on a DG rifle?

By the way have you ever had a peep through a Swarovski Z6 1-6. They have got a hell of a FOV and eye relief and cant imagine why you'd ever have take one off a resort to irons. Probably a little better than the Leupy in low light as well. Only mentioned it cos the GMA's and Smithsons arent budget items. Talleys and a Swaroski might be an alternative worth exploring.... Probably similarish total coin as the Leupy Smithson combo. Or Talleys and S&B 1.1-4x. Just a thought.

Its really impossible to stock a rifle to be perfect for both open sights and a scope, the line of sight of each is just too far apart to enable perfection for both, unless you are happy with a grappling hook for a foresight and say a high mounted peep at the rear. And one very real advantage (for me anyway, I know others will dispute this and I dont want to start a war) of having a scope sighted rifle is that the comb ends up being nice and high and straight which significantly reduces felt recoil and the risk of being beaten up by the consequences of Newtons 3rd law. Having it nice and straight means there will be way less stock rotation under recoil minimising lift and facial beatings. If you stock a rifle for irons the opposite is true and in addition you get no "cheek plant" when using a scope. You end up with the infamous and ludicrous German "chin on comb sighting position", which should stay in Germany for the rest of the worlds sake.

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