Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Double Rifles in Africa?

Paladin:
You are correct and I wrote too soon. I have shot plains game with my doubles--.500 bpe, .450-400, and some wildebeest with my beloved .600 Wilkes. I guess I meant to say there are better choices for long range plains game.
Nice pics! Thanks.
Cal

Cal,

I would have expected you to have shot plains game as well.

Yes, one could consider other choices for long range game, but I wouldn't trade the 330 yard wildebeest I took with a .338 WinMag for any of the others with the double. For me, the long shot is killing, not hunting.

Harder hunting? You bet, and worth every minute. I think my PH got as big a kick out of me shooting the double as I did.

Glad you liked the pics.

David

David:
I'd like to chat with you more as we have a good deal in common. My bag of trophies would be much higher if I used a modern whiz-bang magnum but doubles have been my favorite rifle since 1989 and the last 5-6 years my only hunting gun. Take a look at my website to see some fine doubles.

I was in Cody many years ago when in my Winchester days but have since sold my collection of express rifles (86-76) and now doubles are what does it for me. My last five hunts I used my .600 on several buffalo, a pair of hippo, some wildebeest and a moose. I agree. Long range shooting is assassination--not really hunting. To me skill is not only the shot but getting in close. There is not much hunting skill in shooting a buffalo or a white tail at 300 yards. My longest double shot was 90+ yards and most are in the 50 yard range. My moose was far closer and my grizzly was 8 (.450 no2).

You ever gut up to Alaska? If so, stop by.
Cheers,
Cal

Cal,

I'll send you a PM with phone. Look for the flashing envelope in the tool bar later on.

I figured out the long range killing part over 40 years ago on a 630 yard whitetail. I've done others since, but only as a means of putting meat on the table, and none in I don't know how many years.

I haven't been to Alaska in almost 20 years, and then I was only passing through. I would like to hunt up there some day. Moose and bear with a double would be a hoot for sure.

David

Had always dreamed of going to Africa with a double rifle. Over the years I carried a Valmet 9.3x74r,a Merkel 470Nitro and once I actually carried a Heym 37H&H along with a 375H&H model 70. I had to do some talking to get them thru So. Africa. Killed an Elephant with the Merkel ,sold it when I returned and took my next one with my 416Rigby. JUst as much pleasure with the boltgun. Have owned many doubles just no longer intrigued by them. Far overated in my humble estimation.

Had always dreamed of going to Africa with a double rifle. Over the years I carried a Valmet 9.3x74r,a Merkel 470Nitro and once I actually carried a Heym 37H&H along with a 375H&H model 70. I had to do some talking to get them thru So. Africa. Killed an Elephant with the Merkel ,sold it when I returned and took my next one with my 416Rigby. JUst as much pleasure with the boltgun. Have owned many doubles just no longer intrigued by them. Far overated in my humble estimation.

Here are a couple of my doubles to test my abilities on how to post pics here.
Pic with green back ground is a John Wilkes from 1914 in .600 nitro express and owned by Bill Pridham, an elephant hunter in Uganda in the post WWII years. Second photo is a Watson brothers .500 nitro express from 1907. This .500 was owned by Jack Lott in his Africa days. Let's hope this works. I'm using photo bucket.
Enjoy,
Cal

Very nice!

Cal,

Looks very nice. I love the scroll engraving.

A couple of pictures of my 450-400 3 1/4 Boswell circa 1907, provenance unknown unfortunately.

Beautiful, Mike, they don't get any better.
Cal

Cal,

Those old rifles are fine pieces of art, as are some of the new ones.

Thanks for the info on the other forum. It gets a little complicated between the 3" and 2 3/4" Nitros and BPEs.

The rifle you have for sale is nice, I just always have difficulty getting around the idea of not having a left hand stock.

Beautiful rifles, gents. While I do love my bespoke Verney-Carron, there is something magical about British Double rifles. In my view the apogee of the art of riflery combined with perfection in form, fit and function..

Look at the tight, perfect metal to metal fit. This was done by some very skilled people long before the idea of CNC ever came to mind. Sweet!

It is truly nice to see fine doubles with an honest patina of use.

all ill say is that phuggin gunner500 is gonna wind up costing me some money when all is said and done for his lil stunt of letting me borrow one of his rifles

Rattler:
Very nice. Tell us about the rifle.
Cal

Doubles Work.

I took my Krieghoff in .500NE back in 2012. Worked great. Lots of fun to have. I did a few elephant stalks even though they weren't on the list. Really nice too when you come around the corner and surprised by one. It worked really well when it came to Buff.

Rodda in 303 Brit. that a member here let me use when a bunch of us got together ona hog hunt in Tennessee two years ago...not sure Jerry ever told me the year but he told me it came with a provenance that had it appraised at about what i paid for my house didnt find that fact out until after i was done hunting with it....

every so often another member here gets in a dig bout me face planting crawling in the back of a truck ovver the side of the box....my knees are phugged and every so often the nerves that tell my brain where my foot is send bad info and i trip....anyways no one in the bed of the truck made a move to help me, they saved the rifle instead.....good guys or ild still be in Oklahoma as Jerry's ranch slave paying off that screw up

Cal,

Check your PM's.

David

By all means take a double to Africa if you want. It will add much enjoyment to your hunt.
On my first Trip i took two Bolts, but my Outfitter/Booking Agent went also and I used his Merkel 9.3x74 to take a couple of animals. that seemed to be about right for plains game. On my Dangerous game hunt a few years later my PH carried a Blaser in 470NE.