Best make for Doubles

I have a Heym in 470NE. JMP - I would have mentioned it but other people got here first. I love my Heym, and prefer it over most of the other guns mentioned above. Not that I dislike the others, I am actually buying a Merkel for my wife right now, but I prefer the Heym. I have handled and shot a couple of K-guns, Merkels and Chapius guns before I bought the 470 NE and found the Heym to be the best built of the bunch. The intercepting sears that prevent the rifle from "doubling," where both barrels go of at once, is a very nice feature when standing in front of big dangerous game. Not that it happens often but I have seen it and, as Murphy's Law predicts, it tends to happen in teh worst possible circumstances.

I also think the Heym balances very well in the hands of most people. Even my wife, on her small frame, can handle my 470NE without problems. The recoil is not nearly as bad as you would think, in part because the gun is so perfectly balanced. It carries right up once fired and with minimal practice you can learn to rock and settle with the gun for 2 of the quickest shots imaginable. I can shoot 2 accurate shots considerably faster with my Heym than almost anyone can shoot a bolt action 2x. the guys with a bolt action can get 3 shots off faster than I can but I usually can beat them by the 4th shot. I am not sure how practicle that is in the field but its fun at the range.

The Heym "PH" retails for about $7,500 more than the K-gun, Merkel and Chapius but as others have said, you get what you pay for.

Like most guys I would stay away from the older English doubles. There are some fines old rifles from England out there but they usually go for a very heafty price. Be weary of any English made double that seems like its a really good deal - in my expereince - there are no "good deals" when it comes to English doubles. With those guns you better be willing to pay what the market bears an that is often way to much for me, and I am using an $18,000 gun as my starting point of reference.

I have heard only good things about Searcy's guns but having never handled one, I cannot add much to that discusion.

Best advice out there is go to were some doubles live together and handle some, the right gun will just "feel" like it belongs over your shoulder on the long trek behind a big tusker. Having been there, I can say that when you walk up to your Elephant and he turns, you will be very happy to be holding essentially 2 guns in your hands with very large bores. And you will still feel small and helpless - and are!

Amen to Heym!