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All, As some of you know, I manage a brand of double rifles (Chapuis). I am kicking around some ideas for 2026 new product introductions. One of them is to offer a basic model with no engraving, 2-star wood and no special finish, that would retail for less than $10,000 in 2026. The calibers...

All ~ Bragging time: I have just scored this lovely Westley Richards Mauser in .275 HV (7x57mm). My guess is that it was made sometime in the early 20th century, but best thing of all, it's been relined in England during its working life, thus has a mirror bore and is an absolute tack-driver...

All ~ I have recently acquired a lovely Alex Henry .450 BPE single shot, probably from the mid 1880s. Upon attempting to insert an empty resized case, it appears that the head is slightly too wide for the chamber, thereby preventing the case to fully insert. It's probably a matter of just a few...

All ~ I have just returned from an inebriating SCI show, where among other ineffable pleasures, I have scored a rifle I had ogled online for at least two years: It's an Alex Henry falling block (circa 1885) in .450 BPE, which I'm very much planning on taking to Africa. It has all the...

After a couple years' hiatus from the Dark Continent, I am planning my next South African safari in 2025. On the menu is plains game--I want to do my Springbuck slam as well as hunt other species to add to my collection. Perhaps red Hartebeest, or Waterbuck, or whatever the Gods send my way...

Hello, I've been flirting with the idea of buying a Westley Richards single shot chambered for the .400/360--proved for 41gr cordite and 314gr max bullet. I wanted to know if anyone here has any experience with this cartridge--specifically the Westley Richards variety. I've read conflicting...

I've always had a longing for remote and deserted places. Modern Western Man, living in congested, overcrowded spaces and complacent with all the conveniences that civilization and technology bring, can sometimes envy Natural Man, with his feeling of isolation and awe of nature--a nature that...

Considering a Winter Muskox hunt with Erik Lomholt-Bek of Trophy Hunting Greenland. Has anyone had any experience with this outfit? Thanks! Tom

I am trying to decide on the default regulation of the Chapuis X4 double rifle in .30-06 that we have started offering. I've polled some writers and they tend to gravitate towards the 180gr load. Retailers point more towards the 165-168gr range, with a few actually choosing the 150. Which...

The Beretta Galleries of New York City and Dallas are holding two gala events dedicated to Chapuis. There will be National-level gun writers attending, as well as executives from the Chapuis factory (Loire Valley, France). The events are 100% free and open to the public--there will be hors...

I am trying to replace the Lyman sight that was originally mounted on my 1925 H&H single shot rifle. The holes are spaced exactly 1.5" apart on the tang, behind the safety. I've occasionally seen a few mounted on vintage double rifles like this one: This also shows a slight curve on the base...

Some use a rifle so they can hunt. Others hunt so they can use specific rifles. Like me, for example. It was 1995 or thereabouts when NRA launched a publication program featuring reprints of hunting and firearm classics, all nicely bound in pigskin and gold accents and complete with matching...

Upon my 2021 safari, I was surprised to hear my PH tell me that I was the first client he'd ever had using a single-shot rifle. But then again, I remember reading somewhere (Boddington? Woods? Capstick?) that in spite of the popularity of single shots in the four decades straddling 1900 and of...

I was recently at the Chapuis factory in France, and I had a chance to play with their diminutive RGEX double rifles. For some reason, the trim 28-ga round action, together with the niceness of the wood and the compact barrel size (something I normally do NOT like compared to a longer...

.375 H&H Mag, 26” barrels, ejectors, manual safety, colorcase receiver, Talley rings—I “honored” it with the first scope I ever bought, a fixed power Leupold M8 4x.

All, just an FYI on my "baby," the Uberti Courteney (.303 British and .45-70 calibers available so far). As we speak, a set of Talley screw-lock rings are en route to Gardone, Italy, where I'm having the factory look into doing away with the Weaver-type slots in the quarter-rib in favor of...

Howdy gents, would anyone have a set of these in good condition? Even a few pieces of brass would be a plus. Thank you in advance, Tom

Army & Navy .450/400 3.25” N.E., accurate and with regulating loading data.

I handload for two Nitro for Black cartridges. I know the usual Seyfried conversion rate with the 4198 powders, but in this dystopic time of component scarcity I am running out of my last can of 4198. I'm also running out of RL15, so I am SOL with the other Seyfried conversion rate using the...

I have just purchased a Westley Richards sliding block rifle manufactured in the early years of the 20th century. Chambering is .500 NE, which means that I can also use the versatile Nitro for Black loads in it (Ross Seyfried calls the .500 NfB "the .300 Win Mag of the Edwardian age"). The...

All - I'm debating the purchase of a lovely .500 NE falling block. I'm sufficiently familiar with cartridge history and handloading to know that the same case can also be used with the older BPE or Nitro-for-Black load, typically a 440gr bullet traveling somewhere just under 2,000 fps. And...

This week I've tried a new handload for the .318 WR - used 57gr of R19, as per the Woodleigh loading manual. It lists it as a mid-range load. Used WLR primers. In my Bertram cases, it gave me two issues: first, it filled the case up to the neck, almost requiring a compressed load with the 250gr...

The original 1925 order ledger about my H&H single shot includes the words "Lyman Sight." The tang of my rifle is indeed drilled for such sight--with the holes spaced exactly 1.5" apart, each hole looking pretty shallow and measuring 0.150" across. Approximate height of the sight to match the V...

OK, so I'm finally getting a brand-spanking-new rifle--somewhat reluctantly because until now I've loved and used only fine vintage pieces. Heck, in a way I feel like I'm losing my innocence. I'd like some advice as to which scope to put on it. I'd like to go with one of the premium brands...

The Two Amigos Do South Africa – It had been a long time coming for my hunting buddy Joe and me. I knew I had the perfect adventure partner: Joe, the exuberant, big-hearted Cuban-American life-of-the-party type; me, the more quiet, pensive, bookish guy. Perfect complement to each other, and...

I used to manage the SAKO brand years ago, before the 85 was introduced. I hear that there are some questions about the ejection of the cases, which sometimes hit the scope knobs and fall back into the action. Upon speaking with Beretta gunsmiths and customer service, I gleaned that there are...

Has anyone has had any experience with the .45-70 Underwood 350gr +P ammo on African plains game? A friend and I are headed to ZA in August and he is planning on taking his lever gun and this particular load. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom

It seems to be more rare than the fabled white elephant. There are no in-stock sources available for .450 NE brass (thin rim), and I've had bad luck with a batch of 10 (ten!) BELL basic .450 that I bought, two of which split during resizing--so the other 8 I'm a bit reluctant to use. Does...

All, I've just bought an 1888s P. Webley double in .450 BPE, and I want to make sure I buy the right components for it. I was simply going to buy a batch of Hornady .450 NE brass and either Hornady or RCBS 3-die sets (since I want to have the expander die in case I go the paper-patch route)...

I have an opportunity to buy a pre-war .275 H&H bolt at a decent price--cosmetically, the rifle has been to hell and back but it is structurally sound and has a bright, shiny bore. If it was (mostly) any other caliber, I'd jump on it, but it is the .275 that is giving me pause. Bullet diameter...

This was announced at SHOT 2020 - Uberti "Courteney" single shot, 24" .303 British on an 1885 action. I hope this helps revive the popularity of that fantastic caliber.

Does anyone have some loading data for this cartridge, specifically for the 250 gr bullet? Thanks Tom

Today I had the chance to handle and dry-snap a new Rigby Highland Stalker, and my impression was highly positive--especially at the price of just under $ 8 grand US. The only thing negative I could possibly say about it, if I really had to, was that the barrel swivel ring is a bit clunky--so if...

As a die-hard classic-rifle fanatic, to me the pleasure of hunting is largely in taking my favorite weapon on an adventure. I have my dream large medium bore in the form of a falling block single shot in .375 H&H flanged, topped with a crystal-clear 6x Zeiss scope. This one has relegated all my...

I've been ready to book my first safari for a few months. I know what animals I want (kudu & other common plains game), I know I want to go to South Africa or Namibia, I know for how long, what time of year and what my budget is. One thing I can't seem to make up my mind on, though, is the...

OK, so I'm about to take the plunge and plonk down the deposit on my first plains-game safari in 2018. The two areas I'm thinking about (the Karoo and north-central Namibia) have some non-negligible open terrain, which means that some 200-yard shots may be called for. I'm generally very...

Hello, I'm Tom, from Virginia (originally from Switzerland). I've been dreaming of Africa since I first picked up a copy of Taylor's African Rifles and Cartridges, which also turned me into a handloading fiend. I used to be product manager for Sako and Tikka (at Beretta USA), only to be...

Hello, All, This is my first post because this year I'm planning my first Safari. South Africa, Kudu + other plains game TBD. Ever since I've dreamt of my first safari, I've dreamt of the rifle I would carrying as much as the animals I would take and the experience I would have. I grew up on...