Australian Custom Double Rifle Makers?

Kharn

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G'day

Curious if anybody knows if there are any Australian Double Rifle Makers?
I'd be very interested in having a conversation with them.

Cheers
 
Interesting question. I’ve not heard of any.
 
Alex? Beer in Tasmania, although I believe he's now out of the game.

Rob Blomfield at Sunshine Coast may have built doubles I seem to recall?

Possibly Bob DeVries at Kudu Services?
 
I'd love to support a local ozzie gunsmith with quality work over a long time period.
(I'm a fellow CNC machinist).

The rifles having a "Game Range" are engraved & themed around it.

Got my heart set on a few customs and want them all to be either triple barrel or double barrel break actions (because I love break actions!) pending discussions(for the triple barrels), with stocks covered in stitched tight exotic game leathers/skins (no fur) made from the rifles intended games.

.22 Hornet | Triple Barrel | Engravings & Leather of Foxes, Cats, Rabbits, Hares.
.275 Rigby | Triple Barrel | Engravings & Leather of Dingoes, Goats, Pigs, Deer.
.375 H&H | Triple Barrel | Engravings & Leather of Rhino, Hippo, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Croc.*
.500 NE | Double Barrel | Engravings & Leather of Elephants.*

(*) - Elephant, Rhino, Lion, Leopard hides illegal in my country so either replicas or replaced with something else instead, I've seen a nice leather that looks like "T-rex skin" which sounds suitable for the .500NE

Anyone that has ever hunted feral cats in Australia and had one charge them knows the value of a triple barrel .22... :Hilarious:
 
G'day

Curious if anybody knows if there are any Australian Double Rifle Makers?
I'd be very interested in having a conversation with them.

Cheers

If the barrels were in the vertical configuration, would it be called an Over & Down Under? :whistle:
 
The most 2 common configurations would be 1 Above 2 Under or 2 Above and 1 Under (my profile image).
I've seen Triple Barrels up to .375 H&H a .500NE triple barrel would be a very heavy rifle.

I really hope I don't have to go overseas for these...
 
The most 2 common configurations would be 1 Above 2 Under or 2 Above and 1 Under (my profile image).
I've seen Triple Barrels up to .375 H&H a .500NE triple barrel would be a very heavy rifle.

I really hope I don't have to go overseas for these...

Germany is overseas so perhaps not what you’re after but Krieghoff makes a triple set up - double 470NE with a 20G down under. 5.3kg they say...

https://www.krieghoff.de/en/hunting-arms/weapon//optima-20-doppelbuechsdrilling-big-five
 

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Germany is overseas so perhaps not what you’re after but Krieghoff makes a triple set up - double 470NE with a 20G down under. 5.3kg they say...

https://www.krieghoff.de/en/hunting-arms/weapon//optima-20-doppelbuechsdrilling-big-five

Merkel makes triple barrel drilling rifles that are approx 3.2kg but only in 7x65R / .30R Blaser / 8x57IRS / 9,3x74R but I am still holding out hope for a local reputable Australian builder.

I've already been in contact with Merkel as well about custom calibers and they said they can't do it as expected.

https://www.merkel-die-jagd.de/en/products/guns/drillings/k-dr-961l/

 

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Further research has presented the following.

Blaser D99 Drilling + Keppeler Barrel Insert.

Result is.

Small Bore Triple Barrel Uniform Caliber rifle(s).
 
I’m pretty sure Krieghoff does custom calibre guns in just about whatever you can think of though they charge extra for it obviously. Their Optima is also the only drilling I’ve seen in nitro chambering. They also make other triples in smaller calibers and with normal gun weight. A triple gun I thought would be great for NSW public land hunting is Blaser BD14. For rifled barrels I’d go with 222 or 5.6x52R for small barrel and 30R Blaser or 9.3x74R for the large barrel.
 
I’m pretty sure Krieghoff does custom calibre guns in just about whatever you can think of though they charge extra for it obviously. Their Optima is also the only drilling I’ve seen in nitro chambering. They also make other triples in smaller calibers and with normal gun weight. A triple gun I thought would be great for NSW public land hunting is Blaser BD14. For rifled barrels I’d go with 222 or 5.6x52R for small barrel and 30R Blaser or 9.3x74R for the large barrel.

I'm on another forum where a member recently acquired a BD14 and says he loves it! The basic options from Krieghoff are as follows...(they have a very useful publicly available full price list .pdf)

Krieghoffs drilling rifle barrel(s):
6x70R, 6.5x57R, 6.5x65R, 7x57R, 7x65R, .308 Win, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8.5x63R, 8x57JRS, 9.3x74R & (.30-06, .270, .243 Win., .222 Rem at additional costs)

Krieghoff can factory fit their own rifle barrel inserts into shotgun barrels in newly purchased Drillings:
.22 lr, .22 mag .22 Hornet, .222 Rem., 5.6x50R Mag., 5.6x52R Savage, 6x70R, 7x57R, 7x65R, .30R Blaser, 8x57JRS, 8x75RS, .308 Win., .30-06, 9.3x74R.

So with the above choices in mind & some chatting with mates to reconsider things I've changed to... .222 Rem, 6.5x57R, .30-06, since I'm capable of getting my desires from those calibers in both hunting & rifle designs.
 
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Anyone that has ever hunted feral cats in Australia and had one charge them knows the value of a triple barrel .22... :Hilarious:

Anyone who has ever shot feral cats in Australia knows the satisfaction grown men get from dispatching these environmental pests.
They are often sighted while spotlighting rabbits and foxes and become the main attraction for the hunter who puts priority on taking the cat first. Even professional Kangaroo harvesters will defer what they are doing to get the cat first. It’s almost like they are worth bonus points or something. It is satisfying.
 
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Kharn, curious what rifles you currently run?
 
Kharn, curious what rifles you currently run?
Currently none all sold for this OP reason (Custom Upgrade - Doubles & Triples).

I do not want lots of guns and I no longer want to purchase "just any gun" I view what I had as good "trainers" whilst I used & had them. But now I only want "special gun(s)" and have sold all my gear in order to get a slight financial head start, make room & remove the taint of the old for the freshness of the new & nicer. (I ain't keeping a beaten .22lr beside some nice asf Krieghoff triple!)

My love for Double Rifles happened when a mate of mine let me use his .450/.400NE and he had to jokingly(...) fight me to get it back cause I developed an emotional connection with it that he just didn't understand...
 
Anyone who has ever shot feral cats in Australia knows the satisfaction grown men get from dispatching these environmental pests.
They are often sighted while spotlighting rabbits and foxes and become the main attraction for the hunter who puts priority on taking the cat first. Even professional Kangaroo harvesters will defer what they are doing to get the cat first. It’s almost like they are worth bonus points or something. It is satisfying.

Yep no mercy for the feral cats, its funny how individuals I know overseas struggle to understand why we do it & how we can do it, but we do not have Apex predators like Bears, Lions, Wolves etc. because we killed them back in the day, but there is a bloke whom is responsible for already bringing back an extinct creature that really wants to bring back the Tassie Tiger which could help with the feral cat plague but I don't know if Tassie Tigers range as far North to the warm places as the Feral Cats do, the name implies colder climates for the tigers...
 
Tassie Tigers were once present throughout the mainland as well as in New Guinea. There’s a theory linking their disappearance with arrival of Dingoes.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-03/dingo-bloodlust-behind-tassie-tiger-extinction/3989932

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science...-tasmanian-tigers-devils-on-mainland/10009938
That's a fact not a theory, last year researchers also concluded that aboriginals were highly likely the cause of the megafaunal extinctions. Given that we've done it all over the world since becoming big game hunting societies (i.e. after leaving africa), it shouldn't be a surprise. Damned shame, marsupial lions, short faced kangaroos, land crocodiles and diprotodon were our big game.

On a more realistic note we do still have tassie devils which evidence also alludes to being on the mainland until the dingoes. I believe at a state level tasmania has control over them and won't allow for them to be released back to mainland. Don't quote me I've never looked too much into it.
 
All very interesting and educational. Ive worked in pest control with training and access to some researchers so there is always something to learn.
I know from experience of a place where Dingoes keep fox numbers down but they don't seem to have as much effect on cats. I think Dingoes dislike the cats but cats can climb and the property manager suggests cats put up a decent fight. I don't know much of Thylacines. ive seen the footage but they were declared extinct long before I was born.
 

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