recommendations for double rifle

B

Belve

New member
looking to purchase my first double rifle in either a 375 h&h or 45/70 government. I was hoping for some suggestions on brands and models and im trying to stay in the 600-1000 range for a used one. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Yup. The Russian is in 45/70 or 30-06 (AFAIK) and anything other than this will start at 8x your stated budget.

The Blaser SxS looks beautiful in pictures and I think they start around 8 grand or so (then go up depending on features). Doubles ain't cheap.
 
Cabelas sells double rifles made by Sabatti. I think they start at around 3K. I don't ever recall seeing a good used double for less.
 
The operative word is "good". There is no such thing as a good, cheap double rifle. You are most likely looking at a minimum of $8K for a beat up old double in an African caliber. A decent one like a Krieghoff would set you back double that. A good classic would be in the $30K range.
 
I've bought my 6th 45-70 just a month or two ago. Its a Baikal 45-70. Its got a Jackscrew for regulation that worked well in my case. Its light, has a chrome lined bore, and surprisingly accurate. It set me back 700 bucks. Purely for fun!







Very accurate, its been very fun with both slow and medium loads. You can load it to 32,000CUP according to the manufacturer. Marlin recommends 28,000 (SAMMI), so it may not really be as weak as it would seem. They load them in 30-06 as well.
 
Dr. A,

That double looks like a lot of fun and being in 45-70, you could get the ammo for a reasonable price.

Where did you get something like that? Who is the importer?
 
Cabelas sells double rifles made by Sabatti. I think they start at around 3K. I don't ever recall seeing a good used double for less.
Click to expand...

Sabatti production is pretty slow. As such, there aren't very many around, and even fewer showing up on the used market.


Even so....
I've fired 2 Sabattis chambered in .450 Nitro 3.25", and had my hands on several in .45-70 and .470 Nitro. Both of the .450s were a massive disappointment, and the others were not impressive. For $4,500 .... you deserve a lot more rifle, better fit and finish, better reliability, and better service. (Even the $3k "base model" .45-70 isn't what you expect for the price.)

The first .450 I dealt with broke BOTH firing pins in less than 200 rounds. After it was "repaired", it wouldn't lock up correctly. Sabatti (EAA) refused to deal with it; so the rifle had to be repaired locally. Then, it broke another firing pin. When shipped back for the repair, they said they found a safety issue with the rifle and had to send a (new) replacement. Getting that replacement imported into the US took nearly 9 months, though.

When it finally arrived, the second rifle was dragging its firing pins across primers when the action was closed. During its first outing for testing, the rear sight base broke loose. It was shipped back for repairs, and has been acceptable since; but the owner isn't what you would call "happy" with it. He feels like he got a $1,000 rifle for more than 4 times the price, and is just waiting for something else to go wrong. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, I've seen several other reports of similar problems from other owners, as well.


Get the Baikal. ;)
 
I also have a 45-70 Baikal... my was imported in the 1st Group than Remington imported... most all I'm seeing anymore are 30-06 ( which I still wouldn't mind one in that caliber as well ) & a lot of them are over / under... which I prefer my doubles in side by side...

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