Double Rifle Purchase Advice

[Red Leg]

I bought the Sabatti.

Fit and finish is better than expected. It is nicely balanced, for me, and snaps to the shoulder nicely.

Hopefully it shoots well enough.

I was able to negotiate the price down to $5500 CAD (which is $4200USD shipped to my door).

Still enough room to the Rigby Highland Stalker in .275 Rigby if I want to really piss off my wife.

How is .275 Rigby as a plains game caliber?

With the 170 gr Oryx I would use my .275 Highland Stalker on anything - even an eland - though I would prefer my .338 or .375 for that large an animal. The Rigby is a lovely little rifle.

 

[John A Flaws]

The price you quoted for Rigby is for the Big Game PH. That would be a wonderful rifle but you have to remember there will be importation fees and I am guessing Canada has some sort of tax. I know there duties here in the US when importing a rifle plus fees to an import agent. Not sure how much this would add to your cost. The 416 is a classic cartridge and to have one built by Rigby essentially to a pre-war Rigby specifications would be awesome.

A nice double is also a classic DG rifle. I have a 450 NE No2 by Jeffery and Son. When it comes to buying a double I would stay with a gunmaker that has been making quality doubles for a long time. In my humble opinion I would recommend Verney Carron, Kreighoff, and Heym. You can purchase a Merkel or Chapius under 10k, but I prefer the later three. The 450/400 was mentioned as a caliber of consideration and I agree this is a great round.

The 450/400 is a much more pleasant cartridge to shoot, and this cartridge will kill anything that walks the face of the earth. The 450/400 has a more pleasant recoil than the larger calibers. I have a friend who has a Manton in the 450/400 and it weights a bit over ten pounds. Having fired this rifle it is a pleasant gun to shoot.

I wish you the best with your upcoming purchase. Please let us know what you decide.