The Double Rifle … anyone else like’em ?

S

Scott Evans

Staff Alumnus
You know … the more I look at them … the more I want one or two … or three. Of course I know little about them other then they have two barrels. I am assuming that for hunting there is not much that beats the combination of reliability and speed in a second shot. Aside from the situation where I may need 3 shots :) what are the drawbacks and why don’t we see more of these rifles? Also, why do they cost so much?
 
I would guess they cost so much because all of the ones that i have seen are beautiful with engravings and 24k gold they look so good i wouldnt ever want to shoot them. and wouldnt they be inaccurate because of the 2 barrels and 1 set of sights or does each barrel have its own sights.
 
They are expensive to make. Amongst other things, there is a lot of very skilled hand labor involved in regulating the barrels so that it will shoot to same point of impact (within reason) with the single sight setup. And the ironwork of two complete rifles built into one unit.

Years ago I put a goodly bit of meat in the pot with a .405 Winchester double that was built for one of the directors of Griffin & Howe. Looked like a fine .410 shotgun, weighed about 6lbs and was deadly on both ends. Accuracy was quite sufficient for hunting.....no cripples.

Reasons why we don't see more....never much demand for a two shooter rifle cept for BIG game. Therefore there was never the cost effectiveness of high production rates. Plus the hand work required.

I have recently seen some shotgun conversions in .45-70, 444 Marlin and .405W but have no idea how well they worked.

Then we have the drilings with two rifle over one shot and vice versa.....even more difficult to get right.

A real wake-up call is havin all three bbls go off at once.

Sam
 
SxS rifle

I'd love to own one.I wouldn't want a big thumper,just something to hunt deer out to 200 yards.I think a 444marlin would do,but unless I get real wealthy real soon I don't think I'll own any.
 
I have had the opportunity to shoot a double rifle. I think the two shots cost me around $100!! I'd love to own a Kreighoff, but I don't know that I could shoot it when I got it.

The speed to a second shot is important, but I don't know that I would want to have to remember to switch triggers and that could be doom on me if an old buff is en route. Also, the added weight is not something I'd want to lug around often.

Scott, I believe I saw an article on a company making double barrels with a magazine underneath, so I think you could potentially have six shots at your disposal. I'll have to go back through some of the magazines piled up around here and find out more details.

Snake
 
Ok, it didn't take me as long as I thought to find the article on the double barrel bolt action. The gun is made by Szecsei & Fuchs of Astria. The magazine holds 4 rounds with an additional two in the barrels. After you fire two shots, you cycle the bolt it extracts both rounds and loads two others. I did a search on the internet and found the following aritcle link.
http://www.gunsmagazine.com/Pages/0800dptHLGI.html

Snake
 
Of COURSE we all want doubles. Sure i'd love a Holland and Holand with deep chisel cut coin finished engraving in 470, but I'd also settle for an "army navy" plain jain. A douglas and sons or kreighoff double in 470 will run you around $10k.. not what i'd consider 'walking around" money. (custom fitted case and toos extra, ammo should fun $5 a round YIKES and that is NOT for monolithic Solids)

As someone else noted the BIG doubles get expensive to shoot and re-load and "factory kynoch" ammo for which many are 'regulated' is dangerously old and poorly stored ion many cases. However federal and others are loading back to kynoch specs for old doubles which tend to be low pressure cartridges (compared to today's 416 remington and 460 weatherby)

Cheapest double I've seen is a Pedersoli 45-70 double for sale via cabelas.. you could "look' the part however 45-70 is not 'dangerous game ' legal in most countries regardless of load. The asking price was under $2500 if I recall.

Until the winning lotto ticket appears I'll probably pick up a bolt action CZ in 375.
 
On my last vacation I saw a Heym SxS in 375 H&H in a gun shop. After considerable negotiations, the shop owner let me fondle it for a minute or so.

Base price, before adding any options, was around 13K CDN.

So I guess I'll keep on dreaming until an unknown uncle twice removed kicks the bucket and leaves me a zillion bucks in his secret will....... Yeah, right!

Veeeeery fine rifle, thought.

"Sigh"
 
The Merkel 140 in .470 seems to be the least expensive quality double. Price is about seven grand. It only comes with extractors however and has been discontinued. Federal makes good .470 ammo at prices less horrifying than Kynoch. I have hunted with a Manton(British) .470 in Africa enough to have formed a few opinions. For very close work in thick cover the double is hard to beat. For anything else I prefer my .416 Rigby bolt rifle on dangerous game.
 
...what are the drawbacks and why don’t we see more of these rifles?

1. They're generally expensive.
2. They're not as accurate as a good bolt gun, so there's no incentive to make them in small or medium cartridges.
3. They cost too much for most people.
4. They don't handle high-pressure cartridges very well.
5. They cost a lot.
6. They generally shoot both barrels together with only one load.
7. You can buy several QUALITY bolt actions for the price of the cheapest double.
8. Ammunition is not readily available for many of them.
9. Did I mention that they're expensive?

I had the opportunity to handle a .700 Nitro Express a few years ago at H&H's booth at the Safari Club convention. Weighed about 20 pounds and cost about $5000 per pound.

Still, if I had the money, I'd like a nice .475 No. 2 to play with . . . I've handled a few well-made doubles, IMHO, IF it fits you, a quality double would be a grand rifle to take into the bush after BIG game.
 
I own one and I adore it.

In my foolish college years, I made the decision that if I saved on food, gas, tire-wear and wooing women for circa 12 months, I may be able to buy a double.

The piece in question was a lovely little Cogswell & Harrison manufactured in 1910 for a Capt. R. D. McLeod of His Majesty's Armed Forces (as I later found out); the chambering was the obsolete but effective 1899-vintage .375 Nitro Express.

The temptation being too great, I settled on a low-maintenance girlfriend, a diet of popcorn and lollypops and proceeded to make payments on the coveted double. A local gun dealer had agreed to purchase the rifle for me from Cape Outfitters of Cape Girardeau, MO, and allow me to put it on layaway... And, yes, I got to fondle it every time I made a payment.

Seven thousand dollars and several months later, I finally bailed the rifle out. I proudly took it to my abode, where it made the acquaintance of a set of RCBS dies, 60 rounds of Bertram brass, a box of Hornady 270-grain round-nose bullets and a can of IMR 3031 powder. The magic ingredients were all there.

On my first outing to the range (Bass Pro, Dallas), I was moved to tears when I realized that the old masterpiece shot like... well... a masterpiece. At 60 yards, I put all shots in a golfball-sized group, before an impromptu audience that, unbeknownst to me, had gathered behind the glass of the indoor range. Thanks to this awesome double, even this dog was having its day.

The rifle sports 23" barrels, a wonderfully-figured wood, scroll engraving on the boxlock action and the traditional and nostalgic 3-leaf sights. Just ahead of the rear sights, the maker's legendary London address is stamped on the fading blue metal.
This double comes up like a pet shotgun and it is very cheap to shoot, thanks to the Hornady bullets and the highly-reusable straight-wall brass. The 270-grainers exit the barrels at exactly 2,000fps (like the original .375NE load) and I am looking forward to this rifle accompanying me on a nice elk hunt this fall in Utah.

Incidentally, I have taken this rifle to the range and the field a number of times, and each time I thanked myself for my lollypop-&-no-dating sacrifice. From popping cans at 100 yards to killing some nice wild pigs, this little "Coggie" has proven a real joy to own.

:D
 
416Rigby,
Great story! Nothing like sacrificing and saving for an item that is genuinely worth it. If not too much trouble could you post a picture of your double?
 
Ah doubles!

I had the experience of handling three of the Krieghoff double rifles two years ago at the Vintagers double gun shoot.. They are incredibly well made and balance and handle beautifully.

Krieghoff makes their double rifle in many different calibers and you can have barrels in different calibers made for the same gun. Also you can have a set of 20ga barrels made for the gun. Just think about a double gun with 30-06 barrels, 416-500 Nitro Express and 20 ga. One gun to do everything!

www.krieghoff.de/

When I pay off my current K gun I will seriously consider a double rifle. There is a certain sense of satisfaction in owning and shooting a high grade firearm regardless whether it is a shotgun, handgun or rifle.

416 Rigby I can understand your love of fine guns, I did much the same thing when I decided to purchase my K80 (O/U shotgun). Paid it off over time same as I would have done for an automobile. Now I am paying off on my second K gun. They hold their value better than cars and second only to real estate as an investment. These guns are made to be shot and can be upgraded and repaired easily.

Geoff Ross
 
CZ now has their "stopper" coming out. It is a .458 Mag o/u that you can expect to see for about $3500. Not chump change, but considerably cheaper than most doubles.
 
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