Recent content by Rick Hill

Ok - so a while later after regulating and cleaning a Joh. Kalesky (Austrian double rifle), I brought it out to show a friend and it was stuck shut. The lever would go all the way over but it would only open a crack. Could not do the rod down the barrel trick to push out a stuck or broken firing...

OW. Shooting from a bench rest. Tried that once, now I have a shooting stick made from a carbon fiber camera monopod. Check the tactical guys - some one makes a rest that clips on. I hang on to the rifle and let the stick fall or you could use a carbon fiber or other material tripod. You could...

Apologies for the late post. For a heavy recoiling rifle, stock fit should have been a major consideration after wood selection. If the top half of your rifle butt is touching air even your 30-06 is going to hurt. Pressure is force over area; I had an old Spanish double that didn't fit well...

Looks like I misspoke it is the Evans thin rim. So at least 5 types; Evans and Fraser are the thin rim and Purdey and Westley Richards are the thick Rim. The Germans made a 9x70R as well. Some times a lot of hassle is still worth the pleasure of shooting these old rifles. I included the...

Hello, Anyone out there with brass or forming dies for 400/360 Rigby? I have some Bertram brass and will anneal it as their cases are brittle and will probably order case forming dies and form brass from 9.3x74R. If sure would be nice if some one out there had a pile or brass or dies they...

Yes and the 404 J is loaded up from historical levels. Also look at the rifle in terms of quality and how well you shoot it. This morning I took apart a "classic" Model 70 to float the barrel and I am a bit disappointed with worksmanship and the blob of epoxy material that acts as pillar...

Craftsman and craftmanship (Generic meaning M/F) are generally not respected today. The thinking with the more expensive doubles that have side plates is that the side plate is a canvas for the engraver. If you look, Dumoulin uses the same engravers as H&H! (Veronique Grojean). The ones I...

Come to a major gun show. You may not need to spend 30k. One of my most accurate doubles is a 458 win mag made by Ludwig Borovnik from Rock Island auctions (6k)! One pound of Tungsten in the buttstock made for perfect balance and decreased recoil and I made a leather covered recoil pad for a...

Another option if the engraving is done well is to leave it as part of the history of the gun. I have done this in the past and asked a jeweler to engrave my initials in a silver or gold alloy oval (they have these) that I have adapted to the stock and in-layed. If you don't wish to spend a...

O. Lots more double rifle makers in the EU that the US! Make sure you get one that fits!

Cody is absolutely right. I know that rifle and if it was a lefty is wouldn't be for sale. Look under the trigger guard. The engraver is Veronique Grojean she also does work for H&H. James doesn't travel to the gunshows so you have to go have a look. It has been for sale for a while just...

Interesting point on throat erosion. I may swage the first 20 rounds to .316 and then reslug the bore. When you look at the rifling and condition of the gun I am not sure it was shot much after proof. The .316 is the tightest portion of the bore most is slightly larger as you can "feel" this...

Rare but a pristine double rifle that fits perfectly - so worth the effort

The first and most important thing about a double rifle is how does it fit you - same as a shotgun. When it goes to your shoulder do you have have to squirm or adjust your head? Bespoke. Think about what that means. When you touch off something with that level of recoil and only the bottom...

The German/Austrian 8 mm's were made in two bore sizes: the older I bore - the German letter I looks like a J (.318) and S (.323). There was a concern raised about an incomplete seal and gas blow by causing a cutting/erosion effect with a bullet same as the bore diameter. Next time you shoot...