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I have sold some of my colt and winchester collection , and before my wife spends the money at the car lot , I have decided to buy a double rifle , I would like to get some advise from the more experience , because I have little in this field. What should I look for , or lookout for!
My first choice in caliber is 450 3.250 bpe or Cfb
Rigby or h&h under-lever hammer gun
Solid condition field grade and a good shooter
Must be original even if low finish
I seen a holland at the gun show in Louisville ky last year but the cal . Was 50 bpe , asking prise was 10,000 ,I did not know enough about it to make an offer , do you get factory letters on these like colt on win?
What price range will I be looking at ? Thank for any and all advice, please excuse bad spelling and English .

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Welcome onboard Charvez.


As a former Winchester & Colt collector I can tell you allready the mindset from that "collectorworld" isn´t 100% adapteable to the "englishgun collecting world".

Condition is everyhing but....Original condition may not influence the Price as much as it does in the Winchester & Colt world. Don´t be afraid to buy a gun that has been refurbished, restored or refinished. Here the English doublerifle will still hold its value if things is done correctly and will still be an attractive piece. Here the name, caliber comes first in and other things as nonrebounding, Rebounding, hammerless, dollshead ext, engravings, barrellength, cased or no case may have a larger influence than "original finish".
Personally I would much rather buy an English doublerifle with an attractive known name that has been refinished expertly than buy a lesser known name gun with no finish(but original) at all.

If you can find a good H&H hammerrifle in either .450ex or .500ex I would say you are on the right track. .500ex is more attractive than .450ex(just like in Winchesters). People who has been in this longer than I have been say that the average hunter/shooter becomes more happy with the .500express in the long run and it is here an invisible line is drawn from comming from .450express to 500cal that one actually move up to a still truly usefull biggame caliber. Even Buffalo is still hunted today with .500express rifles.

Read book, read on-line articals, read Nitroexpress forum(the best) and start with a good academical Foundation of knowledge to later to make a good choice....and stay happy longer..:LOL

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