Before I purchased a double rifle, I thought I knew everything about shooting. Oh boy, I was wrong. Regulation of a double rifle is the area I was completely unaware of. It humbled me. But because I had reloaded for many years and for multiple rifle calibers, I had the necessary experience and equipment to tackle this challenge. After reading “The Bible” on the subject ("Shooting the British Double Rifle" by Graeme Wright), I felt pretty confident that I would be able to handle this project. That is before I actually started shooting it.
The first problem was the express sights. I’m 65 and my vision is not as good as before. So, I really can’t see the sights clearly. As a consequence, my target acquisition was very slow and accuracy was awful. So, I’ve milled out two slots behind the rear sight and installed a Trijicon RMR.
That solved one problem, but created another one. The sight was now sitting too high and I have to lift my head up to see through the red dot sight. My cheek bone was not touching the comb. That led to a weaker grip and a nasty hematoma on my shoulder that spread to my upper arm in a few days.
Thankfully, I realized that I needed help from an expert. So, I sought advice from one of the best shotgun gurus in Michigan (and maybe in the entire US), Bryan Bilinski (Fieldsport in Traverse City). After a thorough evaluation of my rifle, he installed a better recoil pad, adjusted the trigger pull for both triggers (the rear trigger pull was just a 1.5 pounds), bent the stock to provide a proper cast and installed an adjustable comb (he actually subcontracted that job to Graco Corporation in Arkansas who did an amazing job).
I was able to regulate my rifle using CEB Safari Solid bullets and RL-15 powder. 93.5 grains of RL-15 pushes 570 grains bullet at 2131 fps.
Now my rifle fits like a glove and shoots like a dream. I still need to decide what to do with the gap created by adjustable comb. I don’t want it to catch brunches when I am walking through the thick brush. I will post an update when I fix that issue.
Anyway, I can’t wait to use my 500 NE rifle during my upcoming trip to Africa.
The first problem was the express sights. I’m 65 and my vision is not as good as before. So, I really can’t see the sights clearly. As a consequence, my target acquisition was very slow and accuracy was awful. So, I’ve milled out two slots behind the rear sight and installed a Trijicon RMR.
That solved one problem, but created another one. The sight was now sitting too high and I have to lift my head up to see through the red dot sight. My cheek bone was not touching the comb. That led to a weaker grip and a nasty hematoma on my shoulder that spread to my upper arm in a few days.
Thankfully, I realized that I needed help from an expert. So, I sought advice from one of the best shotgun gurus in Michigan (and maybe in the entire US), Bryan Bilinski (Fieldsport in Traverse City). After a thorough evaluation of my rifle, he installed a better recoil pad, adjusted the trigger pull for both triggers (the rear trigger pull was just a 1.5 pounds), bent the stock to provide a proper cast and installed an adjustable comb (he actually subcontracted that job to Graco Corporation in Arkansas who did an amazing job).
I was able to regulate my rifle using CEB Safari Solid bullets and RL-15 powder. 93.5 grains of RL-15 pushes 570 grains bullet at 2131 fps.
Now my rifle fits like a glove and shoots like a dream. I still need to decide what to do with the gap created by adjustable comb. I don’t want it to catch brunches when I am walking through the thick brush. I will post an update when I fix that issue.
Anyway, I can’t wait to use my 500 NE rifle during my upcoming trip to Africa.
