…………………………Lead sled and double rifles
Gentlemen there are two very good reasons not to use the lead sled when shooting a side-by-side double rifle! As far as Graeme Wright rights credibility being in question, I would bet that there isn’t a man alive today that has done 1/10th the research on double rifles as Mr. Wright. What he tells you can take to the bank, PERIOD!
First reason is that a double rifle depends on the recoil arch to regulate, and must be absolutely allowed to recoil as if held in the hands, with the body of the shooter controlling the recoil. This is because a side-by-side double rifle doesn’t recoil the same as a single barreled rifle. Each barrel recoils up, back, and away from the other barrel. For this reason the S/S double rifle must never touch anything other than the shooters hands, shoulder, and face to regulate properly.
This is because of a phenomenon called “barrel time” which is the time the bullet is traveling down the bore between ignition, and exiting the muzzle. Each barrel is not pointed to the same place as the sights are before firing.
. If you remove the barrels from a S/S double rifle and lock them by the lumps in a padded vice with the sights aligned on a six o’clock hold on an aiming point on the target at the distance engraved on the rear sight, then place an empty case with no primer in each chamber, and look through the primer holes in each case, what you will see is the RIGHT barrel will be pointing at a place on the target, that is LEFT, and LOW of the point of aim on the sights. The left barrel will be exactly the opposite that of the right barrel by the same amount. This is because when the rifle is fired with a load that will shoot to the regulation of the rifle, the right barrel must rise and move to the move to the right to be pointing a the POA of the sights when the bullet exits the muzzle, and vice versa for the left barrel. The Lead Sled doesn’t allow the rifle to do this properly, and because of the sidewise and up recoil arch, throws a strain on the wrist section of the double rifle, which is the weakest place on the stock.
A similar devise can be made to limit the felt recoil without damages to your double rifle, or interfering with the recoil arch. Take a canvas bag with a long shoulder strap, and put the lead bags inside the bag place the bag on the bench, with the strap between your shoulder and the butt stock of the double rifle, and move back till the strap is taunt. When you fire the rifle as you would when shooting off hand the weight in the bag will reduce the felt recoil by the shooter. This doesn’t interfere with the recoil arch allowing the rifle to regulate properly. It is OK to rest you forehand on a sand bag but hold on to the barrels and wood forward of the fore-end iron and wood, and do not rest the butt of the double.
