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Gentlemen, and Mr. reflex264, IMHO, there will never be a cartridge fired from the shoulder that one can count on to down a Cape Buffalo, with only one shot, on the spot, down dead, unless the spine or brain is hit, switching off the lights!

That being said, all the chamberings being touted here, are fine, when the right shot placement is delivered. I've owned just about every chambering offered in a S/S double rifle, over the years. The largest being an 8 bore rifle, and three different 577 doubles, down to a little 300 Rook rifle. All have their niche, but none are all consuming as to suitability for ANY PURPOSE!

It has always been my opinion that a person who is looking to own his first double rifle should always buy "NEW". Buy it chambered for a medium chambering that is best suited as an all around rifle for hunting at home, but, at the same time, legal for Africa as well. With a double rifle that is very shootable, both for cost, of feeding, and acceptable recoil, as well as being replaceable if lost, or stolen. This, to me, means one of the so-called off the shelf rifles like Heym, Merkel, Chapuis, and Krieghoff. The chamberings should be no larger than 470NE, but are a better choice being one of the 9.3 to .458 chamberings, with my choice for a first double rifle being either a 9.3X74R, or a 450/400NE 3”,or both. with the nod given to the 450/400NE 3”. The 375 H&H flanged is a perfect choice, however, components, and loaded ammo, are hard to come by at times!

I was lucky enough to have been given an opportunity to handle and shoot the new HEYM PH model 88B chambered for 450/400NE 3” Jeffery at our last DRSS get together/hunt down at 4K Ranch, near Brady, Texas, this January! The importer, of Heym, and two factory people were there as well, and the rifle a production model.

This rifle not only is very well made, it fit me perfectly. It is in the 10-pound range, and perfectly balanced with 1/3 rd of the total weight between the hands. I had no trouble at all, hitting wind bounced balloons with ease. The rifle is extremely accurate, and is value for money spent, IMO!

IMO People who dream of their first double rifle tend to buy too large. This is partly because of gun/hunting magazine writer’s penchant for overstating the effectiveness of large rifles. You would not believe the number of large chambered double rifles I’ve bought at bargain prices because the guy who bought it new, decided suddenly he didn’t
need a rifle that big, or simply decided he is not a double rifle guy, after all. I have a 470NE Merkel 140-2 that is the result of a changed mind! He did give the 470NE a chance, by taking two good Elephant bulls, and three Cape Buffalo with it. If this guy had bought a 450/400NE 3” rifle, he may still be using it!

With equal shot placement, in most cases, a 577NE will do nothing better, or quicker than a like placed .450 bullet, of equal quality. I can hear the sighs over the Internet, and can predict the string of numbers being typed as we speak, but nonetheless from 9.3 to 577NE a bullet in the brain is death in mid stride. Taylor said it best in his book African rifles when he said, paraphrased here, The idea that a large bore rifle is automatically a stopper of a conflict, with a dangerous game animal, is a careless, and potentially dangerous concept! This was his response to someone who disagreed with his choice of a 450/400NE 3” double rifle for elephant in tight cover. It is true that big bones are damaged better by heavy large bullets, than the same quality smaller bullet. In fact a smaller bullet tends to over penetrate, and is not the best choice in herd shooting, being a danger for the killing of an animal behind the one being shot at.

There is not a better choice for a first time double rifle today than a well made S/S double chambered for the 450/400NE, if you are going to have only one, God forbid, to hunt it all from hogs to elephant, with the bulk of hunting being for animals topping out at cape buffalo. For Lion, I don’t think there is a better chambering, or platform than a well made and appointed S/S double rifle, with two triggers, manual safety, ejectors, if you want, and the rifle is only made better with a properly mounted scope in quality QD mounts!

………….All just my opinion, and worth exactly what you paid for 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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