Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Moderate-priced double rifle?

Probably $1,500 to $2,500 under market price.

I think Krieghoff's 375 flange is user adjustable regulation at the muzzle. If that is correct I will probably add one at some point to use with the 270 TSX so I have a better chance of getting it to regulate

I was/am(?) considering carrying it again this spring season, however I am 67 years old and have been carrying my 458 MkX for well over half that time.
Doubles can be unbelievably fast for the second shot, unless you are instinctively reaching for a bolt handle for the second shot !

Phil, I will be 67 this summer, Lord-willing. I can relate completely my friend.

It'd be an interesting class reunion.

Go with the familiar and proven--to you.

Anybody even considered an O/U? (Last time I looked they WERE doubles....).

If you are looking for function and don't care about Pukkah Sahib associations, I'd look at a Valmet. They work. And they can be scoped, if you want or need that.

The only thing I can think negative about them (we're looking at FUNCTION, remember?) is that the bottom barrel is slower to reload than a SxS, assuming you might need more than two tries. Mostly you don't.

9.3x74R.

Phil's Zoli is an O/U. Nice looking rifle, and it apparently shoots very well for him.

Thanks gents, for the good advice thus far. Keep it coming. I had never been in a position to consider a double rifle until recently. Not long ago, I had a chance conversation with one of my former supervisors, and learned of the great hunting in South Africa – and the surprising news of how affordable it was. Africa was always a place for the wealthy few; not someplace I would ever be able to afford. But with the strong dollar, it seems that a decent plains-game hunt can be had for not much more than the cost of a guided elk hunt here in the US. My old boss and his wife had been to South Africa twice and they are already discussing another trip after Cape buffalo. He provided contact information for the PH who seems (via email) like a decent fellow. This was a bit of a game-changer for me; even with airfare and fees, an African hunt might suddenly be within the realm of the possible.

My initial thought was to take my bolt action or a single-shot rifle on a plains game hunt. But not knowing whether post-retirement finances will permit more than one trip, it seems logical to consider adding dangerous game to the menu. That would require a rifle with a bit more punch than I currently own. To me, doing it right means a double rifle; a modern bolt gun just will not do. Most likely it would just be one DG hunt; thereafter I might use it on hogs or “a range toy” as someone here mentioned. Perhaps after a few years it will be sold to its next caretaker, which is why I would like something that would hold its value reasonably well.

But enough rambling. I don’t know how this will ultimately play out, but a hunt which was once unimaginable could be within reach in a few years’ time. Lots of assumptions made (strength of the dollar, political interference with hunting, continued job security and good health, just to name a few) but I am now toying with the idea of purchasing a double rifle in a dangerous game caliber.

JorgeI: I have only heard the name Verney-Carron but had not considered them because the ones which I’ve seen online were well outside my budget. Based on your comments above, I searched used guns and saw this one in .470 NE with spare 12-ga barrel:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=549530152 The shotgun barrels are rifled, which I presume was done to allow for less-expensive practice to take place.

Internet Guru: I’m seeing a few Merkels which are within my budget, but didn’t know how well they stack up, so I appreciate your insights. The few that I have personally handled are solid and the actions seem rather stiff, but perhaps that is because they are new.

458Win: Thanks for the information. My sole experience with an Antonio Zoli has been with one of their flintlocks. It was my favored deer rifle for many years; very accurate but also difficult for which to find spare parts. And I would prefer a SxS double rather than an O/U. Just personal preference.

Biebs, I returned your PM.

The story that O&U's are slower to load is simply a myth as the barrels have completely dropped fully open by the time you can move your hand back to drop two more rounds in.



And you can't do this with any other O&U and unless you have a Wesley Richards you can't do it with a SxS either.

Contact Ken Buch at VC USA, he usually has good deals on previously owned ones. This K gun is a GREAT deal though.

Phil, no Rustoleum on that one?

THAT , is the real reason I offered it for sale. I couldn't make myself paint it

LOL :-)

I have lusted for a double rifle for about a year now since I shot one at a SXS sporting clays shoot. I have looked at the BPE rifles with hammers and Jones under lever. I shoot SXS shotguns so there is no issue there but do I want a big bore BPE and figure out the smokeless powder conversion or an express rifle? It will be mostly a range toy with some deer hunting tossed in. The other and maybe more practical thing is find something like a 303 or 360. I bought a Ruger #1 450-400 NE and that's a fun gun to shoot. The K is a heck of a deal and if it was a 450-400 I'd be all over it.

What to do, what to do the hunt is half the fun.

I saw a pre war Heym in 405Win listed on Guns International. I'm familiar with the cartridge but not the maker. Any thoughts?

Ran into a gentleman who was selling off some of his personal collection. One of these was an older Jeffreys double in .450-400 (he guessed 1920s vintage). Very nicely balanced, locked up solid, and it seemed well-fitted to me (both the seller and I are of similar size and build). He showed me a number of photos where he had used this rifle on past trips to Africa.

The rifle is currently priced at the upper end of my range, but the seller indicated a willingness to negotiate. Given the vintage and the manufacturer, would I be correct in thinking that it would hold its value better than of current manufacture? I would think that the Jeffreys would appeal to both the shooter and the collector market.

It would depend on the price and the condition of the rifle. how are the bores?

If/when one is prepared to make that kind of INVESTMENT on a British double, the seller should agree to a third party inspection (like George Caswell of Champlin Arms) or another reputable double gun dealer. If the seller declines, then PASS. Unless of course you can "steal" it for a ridiculously low price, then spend the coin to restore it.

Butch Searcy's PH model starts at $15,500 according to his web site.

http://www.searcyent.com/new%20field%20grade.htm

The bores are clean and bright; no pitting that I could see.

The rest of the rifle looks very good for its age, with one possible exception. There are three (nicely engraved) pins which pass longitudinally through the bottom of the (boxlock) action. I noticed that one side was flush but the pins stood just a bit proud on the opposite side, and asked the seller whether this was normal. Whereupon he mentioned that they may have drifted a bit, and gave them a couple sharp whacks with a rawhide mallet which seemed to even things out. Not sure whether that is normal for that vintage or if that should be taken as a big red flag.

Thinking out loud here, but my thought process was that perhaps a rifle from one of the manufacturers from the classic period might be more desirable (and thus, more salable) when the time comes to divest and move on. I've been watching Gunbroker and sometimes GunsAmerica for awhile now, and see the same rifles listed for months on end. Even when the starting price drops, they still sit. My conclusion is that the market for these is limited and (as someone mentioned in another post) that the current market is a bit soft; therefore a rifle which appeals both to the collector market and the hunting market may be a better investment.