Hello norfolk shooter,
In a perfect world, I definitely would prefer any double rifle, single shot, drilling, etc. of mine to be chambered for relatively low pressure, rimmed / flanged cartridges.
However, I have owned a Merkel in .375 H&H belted-rimless, (side by side, with 23.+ inch extractor barrels).
It only had one rather tiny pawl per side.
Even though this particular rifle was clumsily made with the right side chamber or throat (or both?) too tight, nonetheless it never failed to extract.
With the factory loaded ammunition it was supposedly made for (I ordered it from the US Distributer for Merkel products, brand new with all the attendant paperwork), the right side cartridge always badly flattened the primer every time and occasionally, it would pierce a primer, causing a tiny piece of primer metal to protrude backward, into the striker hole.
When this happened from time to time, I had to hold the lever in the open position while enthusiastically bouncing my rifle on my knee.
This strange ritual would shear off the primer metal and the rifle would open.
Even with that nonsense, it never failed to extract.
Today, I have a Heym 88B, chambered in .458 Winchester, with 25.5 inch ejector barrels (made in the 1980s but, obviously very well cared for).
Even though it is also made for a belted, rimless cartridge (not what I would call an especially low pressure one either), so far it has not failed to eject.
IMO, the Heym double is everything that the Merkel might wish to be but, definitely is not.
The Heym has, among other robust features, two pawls per cartridge.
In regards to rimless chamberings for the Krieghoff double, I do not know if they enjoy double pawls for each cartridge or not.
Krieghoff firearms in general do have a good reputation for reliability, durability, accuracy, etc.
Unfortunately, I have never fired one.
However, for my taste, I do not like the modernistic looks of Krieghoff doubles these days, neither do I appreciate their short barrels (just shy of 24 inches, like that sticky Merkel was).
Heym is closer to the traditional Pre-war British appearance - much to my preference, including slightly longer barrels as standard.
This coupled with the aforementioned double pawls per cartridge, intercepting sears, articulated front trigger, proper regulation before it leaves the factory, means that I prefer the Heym over any other brand of currently made double rifle selling new for under about $20,000.US dollars.
If that's not enough, there is icing on the cake ... at least here in Alaska - a well cared for Heym double in excellent condition, will usually sell second hand, for about what it cost new.
In regards to scopes on double rifles, I am not interested in that any more.
When I had that defective Merkel, I sent it to JJ Perodeau here in The States with full run-down on the problem, plus my request to claw mount it with a Leupold 2.5 power scope and re-regulate it with my favorite "bushveld load" of 300 grain round nose bullet at 2400 fps.
As such it never showed excess pressure again and scoped it would keep both barrels hitting a playing card at 100 yards from sand bags.
The left barrel in fact would keep all shots in a golf ball size group (when the planets lined up just right - occasionally smaller) but evidently the right side barrel was doomed from the factory and JJ did the best he could with that defective pipe.
With that rifle, I took 9 African animals, some through the scope and some via the open sights.
(That little claw mounted scope fit nicely into my pocket for stalking in extremely heavy riverine bush, as the situation sometimes arose).
However, at the end of the day, I decided that I did not like the ever so slight top-heaviness that my scope, claw bases and rings added to this otherwise handy little rifle.
So today, I definitely would not scope any double of mine.
This is not to say that I would not buy one that is already scoped but, I would not do that to my double rifle if it did not have a scope to begin with.
Cheers,
Velo Dog.
....and as for having a double in .375.......
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