Any point in a 'small' double rifle?

[Challer]

Double rifle in 470.
Scoped bolt in 375, H&H or R.
Side by side 12 ga shotgun, with same feel and function (safety etc) as double rifle. Small game/bird hunting with shotgun builds speed and familiarity with stopping rifle.

K will make you a Classic with 470/375/06 or 300 WM/ 20 or 12G barrels all on the same receiver. It's big ticket but works well.

 

[IvW]

Only 20ga no 12ga....

 

[Red Leg]

First of all, I strongly agree with those who suggest a first foray into dangerous game is best accomplished with a scoped .375.

I am a bit of a contrarian here, but a 40 something double rifle is a fairly wasteful investment for most client hunters who have a couple of buffalo and perhaps a elephant in their future. I hasten to add that I own a 500/416 and a .470. In the above scenario, the client will shoot less than ten rounds at game (counting insurance rounds) during his ownership of the rifle.

On the other hand, a scoped .375 double can be an extremely useful rifle for Africa (and other places). Let me also address up front that though rims were important on double rifle rounds in the early days of the last century, German and Austrian gunmakers have been building totally reliable doubles in .375 for nearly a century.

A quality .375 double can be scoped. My Blaser S2 was designed to use the same mounting system as the R8. It shoots MOA from each barrel, and the barrels regulate into 2.5 inches for four shots LxR/LxR at 100 yards. I sight in on the right barrel. That gives me the full capability range of a .375 with the first shot, and a second only a few MOA away. A Heym in .375 should be capable of the same accuracy. For a follow-up, one can simply remove the scope or crank it down to 1x.

With such a rifle, a client can complete a safari including a DG animal like a buffalo and PG. I admit it could be just me, but that sounds like a far more enjoyable and useful rifle to own than a 40 something. I should add my S2 and I completed just such a satisfactory hunt in Mozambique a few years ago that included a buffalo well under 100 yards and a waterbuck beyond 200.

All that said, I brought a scoped .375 Mauser for my first buffalo, and a scoped R8 in .375 for my last two.

 

[AHughes]

I agree!

I agree with the 30-30 too or maybe a 35 remmy!!

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I have a Merkel double in 9.3x74R. It was my first double and the only one I still have. It has killed everything from eland to turkey. I think it is one of the more practical double rifles if "practical" and "double rifle" can be used in the same sentence. It works great on whitetail and pigs here in Texas.

Safe hunting

 

[SaintPanzer]

A charging cottontail would not stand a chance.

View attachment 592027

Not fair! This isn't showing up in any searches...

 

[BeeMaa]

Not fair! This isn't showing up in any searches...

Search complete...although they didn't have a double rifle to properly stop the charge.

 

[HWL]

A sxs double rifle in .22 Hornet would be an amazing thing to own and shoot.

HWL

 

[Red Leg]

View attachment 592270
HWL

Particularly if designed as one. I assume those are inserts?

 

[VertigoBE]

View attachment 592270
HWL

Those are inserts in a shotgun right?

 

[Warbeast]

Even a 22Hornet double Rifle is a joyfull thing.
Go for it

 

[spike.t]

9.3x74r...you will be able to use it all the time

 

[spike.t]

Here is a .22lr double I saw at sci...dinky little thing

 

[HWL]

Those are inserts in a shotgun right?

...you are right.

HWL

 

[V.Veritas]

I had these 2 print screens saved when I was deciding what caliber double rifle to get in order to get the most use out of it.

Maybe it helps somebody else too.

 

[Safari Dave]

I'd love a .30-30!

For hunting, fun, and practice.

No harm in that.



(Maybe I could overcome my current DR recoil anticipation problem with a .30-30)



I'd gladly trade my Winchester Model 94 - Even Steven!

 

[Ridge Runner]

Not fair! This isn't showing up in any searches...

Have you searched for charging jackalope? I hear tell they look to be warm and fuzzy docile critters, but they can get big and when provoked have a nasty bite to go with their horns.

 

[SaintPanzer]

Have you searched for charging jackalope? I hear tell they look to be warm and fuzzy docile critters, but they can get big and when provoked have a nasty bite to go with their horns.

The jackalopes can charge all they want, but that cool little rifle is no longer listed on Guns International...

I do think it would be nice to have a double in .22 Hornet. A set of barrels there, maybe another set in 7X65R for whitetail, and a third set in 9.3X74. Actually, I take it back. I have some brass for 9.5X57R, which I bought thinking the R was mis-posted and they would fit in my M1910. No joy on the M1910, but I have some brass that would work great in a double... until I need to find more brass!

 

[mauserhunter]

Hey them bunnies can put a hurting on you, when we where kids me and a friend were rabbit hunting, I was jumping up and down on a brush pile to drive them out. Well one jumped out basically into my buddy's arms he hugged the thing trying to get ahold of it and it rabbit kicked his balls what looked like a dozen times hard to tell I was to busy laughing jumping off the brush. His parents made him go the the er to get checked out, bet if he had a double it would have saved him from the embarrassment lol.

 

[rookhawk]

The OP is describing medium bore rifles. Yes, there is absolutely a place for 375HH/9.3x74R class doubles. Especially so for Alaskans and Europeans that might use them in the timber for running boar, bear protection, elk, woodland bison, etc, etc.

What about smallbore double rifles? 7x57r, 7x65r, .303 British? Yes, there's definitely a place for those as well. They are wonderful for getting off a very quick follow up shot on elusive creatures at close range.

If I was going to own a double rifle "for all seasons" in addition to specialty magazine rifles, I'd own a 375 Flanged. It is wonderful for deer, boar, and larger North American game. It's wonderful for all the African plains game, inclusive of Giraffe and Eland, and its functional for leopard, lion, hippo (brain), and buffalo.

Basically, it can do everything marginally or adequately except for body shots on Hippo, Elephant, and Rhino.

That's a pretty good compromise double rifle.