I'm interested to hear what you fellows have to say. I already know there will be a lot of chest-puffing and assertions that "I shoot my double rifle impeccably", etc. Fine, I'm sure you're right. But I'm interested in reading some substantive observations and enlightening discussion from the rest of you chaps, especially those of you who own and shoot a fine double rifle.
It seems to me that there are pros and cons with every type of rifle, some more than others, but whatever you choose you have to practice with it until its use is cemented into "muscle memory" and until you can be confident with it.
My own experience with my double, a very utilitarian 9.3x74, and with various break actions such as drillings, combination etc, is that they can be made up into compact and handy hunting arms. A double can also be regulated to shoot accurately enough to put one or two into the vitals of an animal, and if it fits you properly it should enable you to do so very quickly. There again a bolt action which fits you properly should enable you to put the first one in about as quick, though the second shot, if required, will take rather longer.
With practice you can also put in a third and fourth in pretty short order with a double too - and the fourth round about as quick as that from a bolt action in my own actual experience (culling buffalo in Oz, not Africa). I don't know about the reliability aspect - something like a Mauser 98 which has been properly set up for the calibre it is chambered for is a pretty well-proven platform under the worst of conditions. A double also is rather dependent on sticking with a particular load, and not really the go if you want to try different ones. Not really likely to be a long-range sort of number either, especially with open sights.
