Double Rifle close to West KY

[Backyardsniper]

I am looking at purchasing a Krieghoff double in 470. I have not had the opportunity to handle one and before investing a significant amount of money I would like to put my hands on one. If there is any members within a few hours drive on West KY that might have one of these and wouldn't mind letting me check it out I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[xausa]

I am looking at purchasing a Krieghoff double in 470. I have not had the opportunity to handle one and before investing a significant amount of money I would like to put my hands on one. If there is any members within a few hours drive on West KY that might have one of these and wouldn't mind letting me check it out I would greatly appreciate it.

I have several Krieghoff double rifles, including one I took on all three of my African hunts, but they are over and under Teck or Ulm rifles, not the side by side model I feel you are curious about. A friend of mine, whose judgement I trust, tried out one of the latter models and was put off by the separate cocking feature, which Krieghoff touts as a safety feature. He pointed out that the cocking mechanism required both barrels to be cocked at the same time using the thumb of the shooting hand, which in his opinion could lead to disaster in a tight situation, where quick reaction was required. I took his word for it and never seriously considered one, although I was obviously quite taken with the other, conventional models.
I live outside of Paris, Tennessee, just south of Murray, Kentucky, and would be glad to show you my conventional Krieghoffs.

 

[Backyardsniper]

I'm not far from you at all. I'm between Mayfield and Paducah. I would definitely like to meet up and check out those rifles.

 

[PerH]

A Teck in .450 NE with swap barrelset would been a fine set to have built from factory.

 

[Rubberhead]

It's almost blasphemy but I really think a big double in O/U makes more sense than a side-by-side. I get the handling in tight quarters argument. My best handling gun is a 20 gauge SxS. But, honestly compels me to admit that regardless of how hard I've tried and how many SxS guns I own, I still shoot a O/U better than a horizontal double. I'm not alone. Just look around any serious clays tournament. You won't see a SxS unless is a specific event.

The reduced muzzle jump and quicker retargeting after shooting the under barrel should be huge benefit in big bore rifles too, I would think.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I have an O/U double rifle, yes it shoots well, but it just isn't an SxS. Nothing exudes African Safari like an SxS double rifle. Except a pithy.

 

[mdwest]

I live outside of Paris, Tennessee, just south of Murray, Kentucky

Small world…

My son went to Murray State… he loved the area so much that when he graduated he decided he had no interest in returning to “city life”, and settled in on a place just outside of Paris…

Really nice part of the state…

 

[Rubberhead]

I have an O/U double rifle, yes it shoots well, but it just isn't an SxS. Nothing exudes African Safari like an SxS double rifle. Except a pithy.

I don't disagree. If I ever do a dangerous game hunt it will be with a big bore SxS.

 

[Rare Breed]

I have an O/U double rifle, yes it shoots well, but it just isn't an SxS. Nothing exudes African Safari like an SxS double rifle. Except a pithy.

Completely agree with Kevin which is why I am a member of the DR club with a SxS

 

[BeeMaa]

You don't have to ride a Harley-Davidson to saddle up for Rolling Thunder on Memorial Day weekend...although you may not look the part on a Honda.

Just like you can hunt Africa without a SxS double rifle, without a timber stock and without a pith helmet and still harvest game just the same...although you will not look the part.

As long as you are being safe, be who you are and proud of it. Riding in Rolling Thunder on a BMW was a lot of fun.

 

[Challer]

The Krieghoff cocking system has been discussed here many times, and its disappointing it continues to get maligned by those who don't own one. The cocking/decocking is designed to be as safe as possible. When the gun decocked, it cannot be fired and is carried safely fully loaded. This is key. It absolutely does not need to be manually cocked every time it is reloaded. See excerpt from the from the manual. It's no different the cocking system on say an R8 and other euro-guns (back to your lathes R8 haters). It's distinctly different than a safety.

There are some guns, like my Blaser BBFs and S2 that do require manually cocking every reload. You get used to it. But the Krieghoff does not require cocking every reload and I prefer it.

If it were me, I'd ask why I really want a double. I have R8 375s, could get a 416 or 458 barrel easily. In today's world, the double is about the experience, tactile feel, etc. Few of us will take more than 200 shots through one in a heavy. Your main experience will be toying with it in your study. In my case, I bought 375 and 06 barrels for the Classic to get as much use as possible here in the states.

The Chapuis is reported to be an excellent double. I do not know if you can get multiple calibers in the same gun. I have friends that speak highly of the Sabatti. Just know that while it must function in the field, its main purpose, unless you're a PH or very prolific hunter, is to amuse you at home. At least I never felt different standing over a trophy with a double over a bolt. But I still take great pleasure it in. Same as the 8 shotguns which I don't need.

 

[xausa]

The Krieghoff cocking system has been discussed here many times, and its disappointing it continues to get maligned by those who don't own one. The cocking/decocking is designed to be as safe as possible. When the gun decocked, it cannot be fired and is carried safely fully loaded. This is key. It absolutely does not need to be manually cocked every time it is reloaded. See excerpt from the from the manual. It's no different the cocking system on say an R8 and other euro-guns (back to your lathes R8 haters). It's distinctly different than a safety.

My objection (and my friend's objection) to the Krieghoff cocking system has nothing to do with its safety or other characteristics. I am concerned that it requires the shooter to cock both barrels at the same time using a slide with little or no mechanical advantage, where a conventional system uses the barrel as a lever, giving it a decided mechanical advantage. The Krieghoff arrangement is one which is likely to cause fumbling on the part of the shooter in a situation where a fumble can make a great deal of difference.

This would not be a problem, if the shooter was well practiced in handling his weapon, but on an African hunt that is the exception, rather than the rule. Everything about handling a rifle intended for use on dangerous game needs to be instinctive, not the product of a thought process. There are situations where there is no time for a shooter to think about what he needs to do, just as a trap or skeet shooter has no time to go over the steps he must take when the target is in the air. If the Krieghoff system were available in a shotgun, shooting skeet, particularly using International rules, could be seen as an inexpensive way of accustoming the prospective dangerous game hunter to the motions he must go through in order to fire an effective shot.

I have no way of verifying this supposition, put I suspect that the average Krieghoff S/S double rifle user simply cocks his weapon when the possibility of a hurried shot exists, creating a situation more dangerous than that of an ordinary double rifle shooter, who waits to the last second to disengage his safety. You may think that the Krieghoff shooter would create a situation no more dangerous than that of a hammer gun shooter, who cocks both hammers when the possibility of a sudden, unexpected shot presents itself and you would be correct. However, would you feel that way if you knew that the hammer gun shooter had fired only a few boxes of shells through his weapon to accustom himself to its operation? I wouldn't.

 

[BeeMaa]

This would not be a problem, if the shooter was well practiced in handling his weapon, but on an African hunt that is the exception, rather than the rule. Everything about handling a rifle intended for use on dangerous game needs to be instinctive, not the product of a thought process. There are situations where there is no time for a shooter to think about what he needs to do, just as a trap or skeet shooter has no time to go over the steps he must take when the target is in the air. If the Krieghoff system were available in a shotgun, shooting skeet, particularly using International rules, could be seen as an inexpensive way of accustoming the prospective dangerous game hunter to the motions he must go through in order to fire an effective shot.

You have place blame exactly where it belongs, at the feet of the shooter. It's not Krieghoff's fault the shooter didn't prepare properly, it's on the shooter.

And in doing so, shown how absolutely brilliant the Krieghoff system is. I own a Blaser R8 and the cocking systems are quite similar. Both companies place the cocking lever in the proper location so that as the rifle is brought up, the thumb of the trigger hand can cock the striker. Took me about 10 minutes of dry fire practice to work this out.

 

[Challer]

I would feel uncomfortable (and do) around any hunter with a weapon on hunt, DG or otherwise, if the shooter is not well practiced. I've bowed out of hunts or taken a different path those days if the PH/guide didn't flag the guy first.

 

[Rubberhead]

@xausa,
I do now and have always understood your argument and objections. I agree with you.

I see the Krieghoff as a client gun not a PH's gun. A PH is usually walking with his client both behind him and out of his immediate sight. I am sure that that PH appreciates the deliberate cocking system and has probably told his client to never cock the gun until explicitly instructed to do so.

That same PH standing between a client and the dangerous game that his client has just wounded and enraged probably doesn't want the Krieghoff cocking system on this own gun and neither does his client.