Chapius Iphisi 375h&h

[Kevin Peacocke]

Lower rings will be too low because the rib is machined to mimic a Talley base. With lower rings you may not be able to clear the express sights and the top lever, depending on what scope you use.

Also, quick detach have the fins. Because the rib is the base, the fins won't clear the barrels as you turn them.

I hope this answers your question. Extra highs will be the safest choice, although with highs you can pretty much retain the same cheek weld as when you use open sights.

How is that possible Tom? Surely the scope line of sight will be much higher than the open sights?

 

[Tom Leoni]

@Kevin Peacocke - Sorry that I wasn't more literal. My "pretty much" meant that it requires far less of a neck-stretch than the many mounts that you usually find on doubles with scopes--especially the vintage ones. I find the highs that I mounted on my Iphisi (w/Zeiss Conquest V6) to be a near ideal compromise between closeness to the natural line of sight and access the top lever. Again, extra-high may be the safest choice for modern scopes. YMMV depending on your scope, shooting style, etc.

 

[uplander01]

And how much room you want to have for your thumb under the diopter of the scope..to operate the lever.

Had a really good custom rifle builder tell me once that stock design cannot be made perfect for both express sights and an optic set up, on an express rifle the express sights should take precedence, then deal with whatever you have to with the optic and adjusting your eye alignment for longer shots through the scope.

 

[Wheels]

Why did they opt to name it Iphisi? That is isiZulu / Nguni for a spotted hyena?

As with most Bantu languages there is a good amount of overlap. I find it interesting the KiSwahili for hyena is fisi which gets you pretty close to iphisi. Also there are words I used years ago that no one in Tanzania under 60 will recognize as KiSwahili today. I wonder if Iphisi/Big Game Hunter is a similar type word that still shows up in dictionaries.

I don't mean to detract from the thread. Fantastic looking rifles.

 

[ActionBob]

Well, the ones I had in stock were polished up in a matter of, uh, a day. Very rewarding on one hand, but I had to be very creative when it came to sending a shooting sample for a writer's writeup.

There will be more coming within a month, and more yet in the new year.

BTW, please make sure that if you scope it, you use high or extra-high rings, and that you use the fixed ones (i.e., the ones locked with an Allen key).

Hi Tom;
J. J. Suggested a factory swing or pivot mount. I think this will be the first Iphisi he will work on so I'm sure his recommendation is based upon past experience with other models. Are you saying we are better off with high Talley mounts? We just got home tonight and haven't had time to choose a scope yet either. Any recommendations?

Or are we still better off staying with an RMR type optic? I was thinking we will want some magnification;

 

[Tom Leoni]

Hi Tom;
J. J. Suggested a factory swing or pivot mount. I think this will be the first Iphisi he will work on so I'm sure his recommendation is based upon past experience with other models. Are you saying we are better off with high Talley mounts? We just got home tonight and haven't had time to choose a scope yet either. Any recommendations?

Or are we still better off staying with an RMR type optic? I was thinking we will want some magnification;

Hi Bob--please tell Gina that she is the *first* worldwide buyer to own an Iphisi--so congratulations are in order!

The idea behind using Talley for the Iphisi was to make it far less expensive to scope. Talley is a premium brand that turns out excellent product at very attractive prices. A set of rings goes from $82 to $182, while what he calls factory swing or pivot mounts are Recknagel products retailing for the better part of $800. I felt that offering a price point double rifle with scopemounts costing nearly 10% of its price would have been a bit of a bait-and-switch--which is why I chose Talley instead.

So Recknagel stays with the higher-end line (the Elan), while the Iphisi uses the much more widely-available but still reputable and premium-grade Talley system.

I'm not a big fan of red dots on a double rifle--unless we're talking the truly big bores; however, I understand the reason why many hunters want it, so I am shopping around for a base for an RMR-type sight. I will post updates on AH as soon as I have it. Not a question of if, only when.

Again, Congrats to Gina!

 

[wesheltonj]

I believe theses use a Doctor Mount:

Leica Tempus ASPH. - Models | Leica Camera US

leica-camera.com

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Hi Bob and @Just Gina , any news on how the iphisi is doing?

 

[Just Gina]

Hi Bob and @Just Gina , any news on how the iphisi is doing?

Hi Kevin!
No Sir, it is still visiting JJ. Cannot wait to get it back home!

 

[Tom Leoni]

Hi Kevin!
No Sir, it is still visiting JJ. Cannot wait to get it back home!

Hi, Gina--could I ask you what J.J. is doing to it? If it's a modification/improvement I can add from the factory, I'd be glad to do it. Please let me know

 

[Just Gina]

Hi, Gina--could I ask you what J.J. is doing to it? If it's a modification/improvement I can add from the factory, I'd be glad to do it. Please let me know

@Tom Leoni
Hi Tom!
I purchased an Elan 450/400 NE. The action was very tight. It also pitched the brass really far! JJ did an action job and trimmed the ejector springs, which also makes the action easier to close. He cut the stock to my LOP, added 1 mercury recoil reducer, and cut slits in the rib and installed his very nice quick detach RMR mount.

Planning to do the same things to the Iphisi plus add a scope. I am currently trying to decide which scope to mount and which mounts to use. JJ is recommending a pivot mount. I like the idea of some sort of QD scope mount.

What would your recommendation be? I actually wish I would have had 2 mercury tubes installed in the 450/400, which was George’s suggestion. I will probably hand load for this rifle and download a bit from the Hornady loads.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I do not get not having a provision for QD mounts from the factory on a medium bore double with express sights.

It’s not a sightless bolt gun. The sights are meant to be used. Having a fixed scope mount doesn’t make much sense.

I know it’s the cheaper route but when you’re spending $10k+ on a rifle pivot mounts are an after thought.

 

[Tom Leoni]

@Tom Leoni
Hi Tom!
I purchased an Elan 450/400 NE. The action was very tight. It also pitched the brass really far! JJ did an action job and trimmed the ejector springs, which also makes the action easier to close. He cut the stock to my LOP, added 1 mercury recoil reducer, and cut slits in the rib and installed his very nice quick detach RMR mount.

Planning to do the same things to the Iphisi plus add a scope. I am currently trying to decide which scope to mount and which mounts to use. JJ is recommending a pivot mount. I like the idea of some sort of QD scope mount.

What would your recommendation be? I actually wish I would have had 2 mercury tubes installed in the 450/400, which was George’s suggestion. I will probably hand load for this rifle and download a bit from the Hornady loads.

Thank you, Gina! As for a scope, I have a Zeiss Conquest V6 on mine. The rear is a bit bulky, but I really like the optics and the way it looks on a double rifle. Please let me know how it works out for you!

Best,

Tom

 

[Just Gina]

Thank you, Gina! As for a scope, I have a Zeiss Conquest V6 on mine. The rear is a bit bulky, but I really like the optics and the way it looks on a double rifle. Please let me know how it works out for you!

Best,

Tom

Hi Tom! Thank you much! I will definitely let you know and I appreciate your recommendation

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Hi Gina, sorry to butt in here, but since this is a fairly light double that will have been regulated, perhaps it would be worth considering a really light compact scope like the little Leupold AR, I think it weighs just 230 grams and has an illuminated dot.

 

[Esoteric Junkie]

@Tom Leoni
Hi Tom!
I purchased an Elan 450/400 NE. The action was very tight. It also pitched the brass really far! JJ did an action job and trimmed the ejector springs, which also makes the action easier to close. He cut the stock to my LOP, added 1 mercury recoil reducer, and cut slits in the rib and installed his very nice quick detach RMR mount.

Planning to do the same things to the Iphisi plus add a scope. I am currently trying to decide which scope to mount and which mounts to use. JJ is recommending a pivot mount. I like the idea of some sort of QD scope mount.

What would your recommendation be? I actually wish I would have had 2 mercury tubes installed in the 450/400, which was George’s suggestion. I will probably hand load for this rifle and download a bit from the Hornady loads.

You should seriously consider the Zeiss V8 1.1-8. The new version now sports a 30mm main tube diameter.

EJ

 

[Rare Breed]

Hi Kevin!
No Sir, it is still visiting JJ. Cannot wait to get it back home!

Lol…no wonder I can’t get my Westley Richards DR back from JJ!!! Ladies always first especially one as successful as you and your husband hunting Africa

 

[AZDAVE]

Gina congratz on 2 nice doubles. On the down loading for the 450/400, it will be tricky to get the bullets to shoot to where the barrels are regulated. You are about to step into the science and black magic of reloading for doubles. I would recommend getting a copy of Graeme Wright's Shooting British Double and read it several times before you embark on a rewarding and sometimes very frustrating world of loading for doubles.

 

[Just Gina]

Hi Gina, sorry to butt in here, but since this is a fairly light double that will have been regulated, perhaps it would be worth considering a really light compact scope like the little Leupold AR, I think it weighs just 230 grams and has an illuminated dot.
View attachment 506371

You are not butting in at all and I greatly appreciate the advice and feedback I get here. Very helpful!!

 

[Just Gina]

Lol…no wonder I can’t get my Westley Richards DR back from JJ!!! Ladies always first especially one as successful as you and your husband hunting Africa

Lol! JJ is not working on mine until after the holidays. The waiting always seems way longer when you are waiting on a gun I think! That is how it is for me anyway!