Look what AH made me buy...

He paid less for the gun than the cost of the full coverage engraving by Andrea Scholz would cost. Hell, the engraving cost alone easily exceeds the cost of an un-engraved heym 88b.

Buy smart. I told @VertigoBE its not that he couldn't afford this gun, its that he couldn't afford to buy a bad gun. Buy once, cry once. It's easier to suffer the pain to the pocketbook when you know you paid $30,000 less than it cost to make 15 years ago. Buying used and vintage is the way to go.

Congrats again, @VertigoBE

Thanks again @rookhawk. I believe you have made me see the light on (lightly) used guns. There are deals to be had on the used market, but one needs to know what to look for.

By the way, the gun is actually from 2015, it has not even had its 7th birthday!
 
That is a very beautiful rifle. Just curious about the scope. With this being a dangerous game rifle, is the scope really needed?
 
Wow...just Wow! Congrats on a beautiful double.
 
Congratulations. Can't wait to see pics with you holding it and showing us some holes in paper!
 
That is a very beautiful rifle. Just curious about the scope. With this being a dangerous game rifle, is the scope really needed?
Well, .375 H&H is hardly a dangerous game only caliber. It can be used on a variety of the larger plains game as well. In any case both scopes are on quick detacheable mounts, so I could go irons only if I really wanted to. But both have as their lowest magnification 1.5x, so they are close to a red dot, and should not hinder me too much. Or alternatively I could mount the (ugly) AimPoint that was in the package, as well.
 
Congratulations. Can't wait to see pics with you holding it and showing us some holes in paper!
Neither can I, but I'd rather picture myself with the rifle in hand, next to a fine European wild boar or a good old African buffalo! :)
 
That is a very beautiful rifle. Just curious about the scope. With this being a dangerous game rifle, is the scope really needed?

As a 375HH, a scope is needed more than ever. That is how you brain an elephant, hippo, or croc with pinpoint accuracy. Also for light gathering when shooting cats from a blind. If you want to walk in the bush after buffalo a click of a button and the scope comes off for iron sight work.

A scoped dangerous game rifle gets far more use than an unscoped dangerous game rifle. All those photos out there of the success shot have claw mount bases on their doubles. I wager half the guys shown have a reflex sight or optic hidden in their pocket when it comes time for photo opportunities.

Heck, even half the PHs are using reflex sights these days. Nobody's eyes are the way they used to be.
 
Just as an aside and in response to Rookhawk, may I point out a truly excellent gun engraver, whom I have used myself, Andy Miles.

The idea that you should spend up to £36,000 engraving a double rifle is absurd. £6,000 goes to the engraver, and £30,000 goes to Mr. Newton. No wonder these rifles are collector's pieces and never properly used (at least until the original purchaser goes to the happy hunting grounds and Mr. VertigoBE picks up their rifles for a song)!
 
What an exquisite rifle! Barrels uitable for anything you can hunt.
 
Beautiful rifle! Gorgeous wood!
 
Just as an aside and in response to Rookhawk, may I point out a truly excellent gun engraver, whom I have used myself, Andy Miles.

The idea that you should spend up to £36,000 engraving a double rifle is absurd. £6,000 goes to the engraver, and £30,000 goes to Mr. Newton. No wonder these rifles are collector's pieces and never properly used (at least until the original purchaser goes to the happy hunting grounds and Mr. VertigoBE picks up their rifles for a song)!


Yeah, and the engraver in @VertigoBE case was Andrea Scholz so he made out like a bandit. I think my Heym's top lever alone cost about $2400 because it was done by Scholz, save nothing for the deep relief engraving on my gun which is partial coverage vignettes versus Vertigo's full 100% coverage deep relief engraving.

Andrea Scholz is an outworker that does mostly guns for European market. Hartmann & Weiss and some Blaser and Krieghoff work for their exhibition guns. This gun would be one of the more "mid-grade to higher grade" examples of guns for which he has engraved. Some of his stuff has sold for near half a million.

The only engraving I've ever purchased myself was restoration work to retrace thinned engraving. I cannot fathom spending car money for engraving when you can just get tremendous bargains on a used gun where the engraving is free.
 
Congrats mate, this will make a fine rifle for Europe too.
 
So here is some of the hard sell I told Vertigo regarding this gun.

1.) It is listed as a 7x65r AND a 375HH. The psychology of people is dumb but useful. Many people will not bid because its in a euro metric caliber, rather than saying "I don't care, just focus on the 375hh if you don't like two barrel sets, it's still a deal".

2.) Pay attention to the parts. 3 optics. 2 claw mounts. Ostrich case. There is $10,000 in extras in that case that you will pay zero dollars for at auction.

3.) It's a 375HH, common as dirt. 375HH is one of the best, but commonality reduces interest. It was ripe to be stolen at auction as most people are ready to be very stupid overbidding on 450-400s that are in fashion this week while ignoring 375s.

4.) Look at the Heym build sheet prices. A base model Heym is about $18,000. The average bidder is thinking about an $18,000 heym. They are not looking at $20,000 in engraving and $9000 in extra barrels and $10,000 in additional features added to what was a base gun.

5.) Get an expert to lay hands on the gun first hand. Expertise in guns is cheap. He hired one of the best gun men in the world to check it out in person. Costs less than an hour with an accountant. Great way to validate your emotions and hunches.

6.) It's off season. Safari season is about done for the year and most buyers stupidly buy safari rifles at auction during the season. You pay less when minds are not on safaris but instead on wingshooting and vice versa.

7.) Americans and Brits know very little about fine guns. The average person doesn't know what a Hartmann & Weiss is so they do not know who Andrea Scholz is as an engraver. People just bid "because its pretty" without appreciation for engraver skill or worldwide reputation. In America we only know who Winston Churchill, Angelo Bee, and Fugger are as engravers. Everybody else is a no-name and thus the engraving isn't going to be priced properly in the hammer price if the Brits and Americans are who shows up at the auction.

And sure enough, he stole it. He fricken stole it. I cannot believe it, he stole it.
 
So here is some of the hard sell I told Vertigo regarding this gun.

1.) It is listed as a 7x65r AND a 375HH. The psychology of people is dumb but useful. Many people will not bid because its in a euro metric caliber, rather than saying "I don't care, just focus on the 375hh if you don't like two barrel sets, it's still a deal".

2.) Pay attention to the parts. 3 optics. 2 claw mounts. Ostrich case. There is $10,000 in extras in that case that you will pay zero dollars for at auction.

3.) It's a 375HH, common as dirt. 375HH is one of the best, but commonality reduces interest. It was ripe to be stolen at auction as most people are ready to be very stupid overbidding on 450-400s that are in fashion this week while ignoring 375s.

4.) Look at the Heym build sheet prices. A base model Heym is about $18,000. The average bidder is thinking about an $18,000 heym. They are not looking at $20,000 in engraving and $9000 in extra barrels and $10,000 in additional features added to what was a base gun.

5.) Get an expert to lay hands on the gun first hand. Expertise in guns is cheap. He hired one of the best gun men in the world to check it out in person. Costs less than an hour with an accountant. Great way to validate your emotions and hunches.

6.) It's off season. Safari season is about done for the year and most buyers stupidly buy safari rifles at auction during the season. You pay less when minds are not on safaris but instead on wingshooting and vice versa.

7.) Americans and Brits know very little about fine guns. The average person doesn't know what a Hartmann & Weiss is so they do not know who Andrea Scholz is as an engraver. People just bid "because its pretty" without appreciation for engraver skill or worldwide reputation. In America we only know who Winston Churchill, Angelo Bee, and Fugger are as engravers. Everybody else is a no-name and thus the engraving isn't going to be priced properly in the hammer price if the Brits and Americans are who shows up at the auction.

And sure enough, he stole it. He fricken stole it. I cannot believe it, he stole it.

Indeed, once @rookhawk presented me with these facts, I quickly made up my mind. And had the hope that I could actually pull this off.

A few lots before, there was a John Rigby in .470NE for sale. Rebored from a .450 if I’m not mistaken. It was estimated at 5-7k£, but went at 12k£… mostly the name and caliber was sold. But a Heym, in .375H&H with second less known cartridge set? Why not try for it, I thought.

The biggest fear I had is that between VAT and exchange rate I would have more difficulty to compete with UK buyers, but in the end it all worked out. Even stayed nicely within the budget I had set forth.

I think @rookhawk ‘s last comment is most descriptive of my current state, with only one minor change: “WE stole it” and I cannot believe it :) this is as much your win as it is mine!

Off to bed now, tomorrow early rise for wild boar hunting. Too much damage in the fields.

Cheers!
 
You have a stunning looking double with two very useful calibers.
Enjoy taking that fine double into the game fields.
 
Congrats on the new addition and thanks for sharing!
 
I think you did great! Just to make a point towards the title of this thread, AH is THE most expensive "free" site I've ever seen lol! The site is rampant with enablers that twist your arm to make you spend money. Of course not that I would ever do such a thing :Angelic::Angelic::Angelic::Angelic::E Laugh::E Laugh:
Congrats on your purchase
 

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