One final rodeo, bolt-action or double rifle for my last big bore thumper?

[Saul]

I know the answer. You know the answer. We all know the answer is a .500 NE double.

 

[matt85]

If you have a 458, I see no reason to get a 470. It just isn't much of a step up. A proper step up is 50 caliber rifle. A 500 NE, 505 Gibbs, or 500 Jeffery will do a fine job of filling that roll.

Deciding on a bolt action or a double will depend on preference. 20k CA will get you a nice custom bolt gun or a mid level double.

Also, don't forget to look into Verney Carron, they make very nice shooting doubles.

 

[uplander01]

Get a vintage English double rifle and buy it right. Can’t lose if prudent on price and English gun. IMO the modern doubles don’t really compare for the money…..the exception may be Heym……but you’ll spend 30-35k on a Heym to be able to compare to a 20-25k vintage English rifle. You can probably get a Heym 89b for 20-25, no engraving silver receiver, not really elegant at all.

 

[degoins]

Double. You've already got bolt rifles.

 

[Northern Shooter]

If you have a 458, I see no reason to get a 470. It just isn't much of a step up. A proper step up is 50 caliber rifle. A 500 NE, 505 Gibbs, or 500 Jeffery will do a fine job of filling that roll.

Deciding on a bolt action or a double will depend on preference. 20k CA will get you a nice custom bolt gun or a mid level double.

Also, don't forget to look into Verney Carron, they make very nice shooting doubles.

I'm intrigued by these VC rifles but I've literally never seen one in stock in Canada, don't even know who the importer would be. How do they compare pricewise compared to Merkel and Heym?

 

[matt85]

I'm intrigued by these VC rifles but I've literally never seen one in stock in Canada, don't even know who the importer would be. How do they compare pricewise compared to Merkel and Heym?

It's been ages since I've looked, but if memory serves, they are similar in price to Heym. I recommend sending them an email asking about getting one in Canada.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Go with the Double Rifle. Then when the itch for another comes, sell the 458 and get a 450 Rigby or build a 500J or 505.

 

[Houston Bill]

Given the information you have provided, I would get a 500 NE double. Of the the companies you mentioned I would go for a used Heym.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Get a vintage English double rifle and buy it right. Can’t lose if prudent on price and English gun. IMO the modern doubles don’t really compare for the money…..the exception may be Heym……but you’ll spend 30-35k on a Heym to be able to compare to a 20-25k vintage English rifle. You can probably get a Heym 89b for 20-25, no engraving silver receiver, not really elegant at all.

Having had the good fortune to lay eves on more new Heym 89's than most will, and handled most of those too, I was so taken by the form of these beautiful rifles without any adorning at all that I ordered a plain one. It is like a beautiful woman with no makeup. The factory offered me edge engraving at no extra cost and I accepted that, but I often wish I hadn't. Here is a plain 89.

 

[PCC600]

If you really want a double, go for it. However, @HunterHabib is, as always, correct in that you will have to do some work in finding the proper regulating load, for a particular double. I went down that route, and probably shot 200 rounds, to find the load my 450/400 liked. It was regulated with Hornady 400 grain, but Hornady changed their powders and bullets over 10 years, and it wouldn't shoot well.
I finally settled on Woodleigh 400 grain, .411 softs and Reloder 15. It became a bit frustrating to get to that perfect load, but with friends here, and reading a lot, I found it.

I eventually sold it, as I was just not that proficient with the double, better with my .458 Win Mag bolt rifle.

With that being said, my next big thumper was a .500 Jeffery, CZ 550. Definitely a step up.
Much easier reloading for accuracy than the double.

There is a very nice Joe Smithson built .500 Jeffery on Guns International now for right under $10K. That would be my next purchase, having determined that I am a better shot with a bolt gun.

But that Heym 88B in .500 NE is a temptress. As I understand (having never owned a Heym), they regulate well across a few different loads. If you go the Double Rifle route, definitely get o copy of Graeme Wrights' Shooting the British Double Rifle, 3rd edition.
This book will help you understand the involved dynamics of a double, regulation, shooting form and technique, and loading.

Let us know how else we can help you spend your money. The search for the next rifle is similar to hunting. The pursuit is important.

Absolutely get a copy of Graeme’s book. Then buy a Chronograph , a Pabst shoulder pad ( better still a standing rest ) and start working up your load . I mentioned in an earlier post shooting a lot of 577NE rounds in a couple of hours . H&H , WR , Jeffery and Army & Navy doubles . Barrel lengths from 26 - 22 inches . All rifles required different hand loads .

 

[PCC600]

Having had the good fortune to lay eves on more new Heym 89's than most will, and handled most of those too, I was so taken by the form of these beautiful rifles without any adorning at all that I ordered a plain one. It is like a beautiful woman with no makeup. The factory offered me edge engraving at no extra cost and I accepted that, but I often wish I hadn't. Here is a plain 89.
View attachment 605185View attachment 605186

That is a beautiful double. I eschew elaborate engraving . Specifically requested my Rigby Shikari 500NE have no engraving . Just case hardened . To my eyes the most beautiful doubles are the with the funeral ( plain black ) finish . Purdey were renowned for this before WW1 .

 

[uplander01]

If the rifle is built right and in good working order, “finding the load isn’t as difficult as it may seem”. The human data resource on this sight alone will have you dialed in with a handful of range session. The obscure double calibers is what’s starting to get troublesome, does, brass, and above all bullets.

 

[Rem700stw]

It seems like only yesterday when I too purchased my last rifle. For the last time. And this time I meant it.

By all means buy a double. In 470 if you do not handload, 500 if you do. But buy a vintage British double. Nothing looks, or feels, or shoulders like the pre-WW II British doubles.

My Manton and Co. 470 was my first. She shoots Norma PH ammo like they were made for each other. My next was a W.J. Jeffery 450-400. Barrels crossed with factory ammo. Upon return from a visit to J.J. Perodeau for rehab on a few minor issues the starting load he suggested for RL 15 was only one grain away from perfection.

I have a modern double in 9.3x74. It shoots fine but has no soul. My vintage doubles have seem times and places that I never will but they share them each time I bring them up to my eye.

It has been a few years since I purchased my 2 old Brits, both online, but your current budget would have covered both.

I am by the way still looking for a British, hammerless, top-lever double in 303. For my last rifle. And this time I mean it.

 

[AZDAVE]

I would get rid of the 416 and 458 and build a 500Jeff or 505 gibbs and get a 500 NE double.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Beware, AZDave is a bad influence

But he is right.

 

[Nhoro]

If you enjoy actually shooting different rifles then buy another. Some people enjoy the actual shooting, some the huntinh. I would say get something different, so 500 calibre and maybe a double. If you have a bunch of rifles and only shoot 1, then there is no point keeping safe queens. So you could sell a few. To me, a 416, 458 and 500 overlap too much, they have the same purpose- elephant. Bit if you shoot them all regularly and they put a smile on your face then keep them all and add some more smiles.

 

[Northern Shooter]

I would get rid of the 416 and 458 and build a 500Jeff or 505 gibbs and get a 500 NE double.

I don't sell my guns, only buy.

I also love my 416 Rigby and 458 WinMag.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I don't sell my guns, only buy.

I also love my 416 Rigby and 458 WinMag.

I was once one of these guys my dad has never sold a gun in his life and he always told me never sell a gun …. That went out the window a while ago.

 

[Saul]

Selling a gun is like selling one of your children, you should never even consider it…unless it will help cover the cost of a hunting trip.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Selling a gun is like selling one of your children, you should never even consider it…unless it will help cover the cost of a hunting trip.

No children so guess I’ll have to sell some guns here and there to cover the trips