First Double Krieghoff vs Chapuis

[Rare Breed]

Don't get me wrong. They are both good entry level doubles.
However as someone who handled both and owner of a Merkel I think Merkel has the edge for having a sturdier mechanism and I believe in German engineering.

i’ve owned both and loved both with zero complaints. in the end i kept my Merkel given handling feel, short barrel and gun weight for caliber. also regulates now at 1.5 inches and i love it

 

[Hunter-Habib]

The Kreighoff gets my vote, although you can’t really fault the Chapuis.

.450/400 Nitro Express can safely & reliably take all of the African Big 5. However, since elephant is on your menu at some point in the future… you‘ll do well to select the .470 Nitro Express. There is also (comparative) ease in sourcing factory loaded ammunition/hand loading components for this caliber.

 

[Northern Shooter]

Are any of these Double Rifles less than $10,000 from factory? It's hard finding real world pricing. I've seen Heyms going for around $20,000 Canadian. How does that compare to the Merkel's and Krieghoffs?

Are the French makes (VC and Chapuis) more affordable than the Germans?

 

[Ruraldoc]

I did not buy the Krieghoff or the Chapuis but purchased a Merkel 470 and am very happy with it.

I don’t think you can go wrong with a good example of either of these.

 

[Opposite Pole]

Does Krieghoff still offer the IES system, rather a brilliant idea.....

They do. It works well, I’m quite happy with it.

 

[juan pablo pozzi]

I shot Krieghoffs of my clients great doubles very strong and you need to retrain with them .At the same price and model i would buy a #Chapuis. JJBPeredau loves them .I have one with over 1000 shells fired.

 

[Daniel Cary]

I shot Krieghoffs of my clients great doubles very strong and you need to retrain with them .At the same price and model i would buy a #Chapuis. JJBPeredau loves them .I have one with over 1000 shells fired.

I've heard "here", people speak highly of them.
Would you have any photos of Chapuis?

Thank you, wbr. Dan.

 

[PCC600]

Heck, look at my dog. It’s obvious I don’t go by looks alone :>))))View attachment 570440View attachment 570441View attachment 570442

That is one ugly dog . But I bet he is great company .

 

[Surgeon1]

A word of caution, Double Rifles are very addicting. I've owned several brands. Have 3 Heym's and a
Chapuis (and just purchased my 2nd). I really like V-C round bodies but have never found one that is
even close to fitting me and with the status of the company won't even try to order one.
The 450-400 is a dream to shoot, my Heym 470 is brutal and significantly more uncomfortable than
the 500NE I have (all in how the stock fits). I'm glad that there are some who like the S2, Altitude Sickness's dog is better looking than a S2.
I was very tempted to buy Marks 500-416 recently but after 40 years of Surgery, the cocking mechanism doesn't work with my arthritic right thumb. Its a splendid caliber. My current quest is
a 450 #2 which is one of the best DR calibers ever, too bad none of the manufactures have an
interest in building one. They also have no interest in the 450 3.25

 

[Altitude sickness]

Hey Sumo is insulated by that

 

[Surgeon1]

No insult intended to Sumo, he is a cool dog with a lot of pedigree history!

 

[Daniel Cary]

A word of caution, Double Rifles are very addicting. I've owned several brands. Have 3 Heym's and a
Chapuis (and just purchased my 2nd). I really like V-C round bodies but have never found one that is
even close to fitting me and with the status of the company won't even try to order one.
The 450-400 is a dream to shoot, my Heym 470 is brutal and significantly more uncomfortable than
the 500NE I have (all in how the stock fits). I'm glad that there are some who like the S2, Altitude Sickness's dog is better looking than a S2.
I was very tempted to buy Marks 500-416 recently but after 40 years of Surgery, the cocking mechanism doesn't work with my arthritic right thumb. Its a splendid caliber. My current quest is
a 450 #2 which is one of the best DR calibers ever, too bad none of the manufactures have an
interest in building one. They also have no interest in the 450 3.25

last RB unspoken for... 3yrs ago ish.

A word of caution, Double Rifles are very addicting. I've owned several brands. Have 3 Heym's and a
Chapuis (and just purchased my 2nd). I really like V-C round bodies but have never found one that is
even close to fitting me and with the status of the company won't even try to order one.
The 450-400 is a dream to shoot, my Heym 470 is brutal and significantly more uncomfortable than
the 500NE I have (all in how the stock fits). I'm glad that there are some who like the S2, Altitude Sickness's dog is better looking than a S2.
I was very tempted to buy Marks 500-416 recently but after 40 years of Surgery, the cocking mechanism doesn't work with my arthritic right thumb. Its a splendid caliber. My current quest is
a 450 #2 which is one of the best DR calibers ever, too bad none of the manufactures have an
interest in building one. They also have no interest in the 450 3.25

last RB unspoken for .. 3yrs ago .. 500 with 26's

 

[Daniel Cary]

Give Krieghoff a call, they'll let you know what's readily available, or used to. They are good, in the customer service department.

And Sumo, what a doll!

 

[Mike B.]

Here are few pictures of my Chapuis ELAN 450-400. I think they are a good looking gun. I’ve also got a Merkel in 450-400 that I used on my ele bull last year. I sent my Merkel to JJ to have him regulate it with Honrady ammo as it did not like anything that I put through it when I bought it and I tried lots of reloads at all sorts of different speeds. I knew that was an issue already though as the previous seller was very upfront on it and I got a pretty good deal on it. I know this thread isn’t about Merkel but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another if I found one in 470 or 500 that I thought was a good deal.

I didn’t have time to get the Chapuis cut down to my correct length of pull or I would probably have taken it instead because it shoots amazingly well. It’s still at the factory 15” LOP which is way too long for me. I had practiced so much with the Merkel that it would have been silly to take the Chapuis. Honestly though, I like the Chapuis a lot.

I had recently used a PH’s Krieghoff 470NE on a giraffe and I was not a fan of the safety. That was my only experience with one and I know I would not enjoy that safety on anything that I used regularly. It did fit me perfectly though so recoil was very manageable.

 

[Muskox]

I have owned a Blaser S-2 and a Krieghoff. The S-2 was a 9,3x74R with the European stock. It was accurate and I wasn't a fan of the stock.

The Krieghoff was a Big Game and it was a 500/416. I did not shoot it very much. It was also accurate.

I don't think I would want a 500 NE or 470 in a Kriethoff. In an S-2 it would be ok. I wanted to add, that I know another German hunter that has a 500 NE in a Krieghoff and both he and his wife have killed a mountain of animals with it. I think they would have had better luck with a smaller caliber..

The Krieghoff I had wasn't an evil kicker, but I felt like in a harder kicking caliber it would be more than I wanted to deal with.

The S-2 with the Bayerischerbache would have been a hard kicker in a bigger caliber. I have shot the Safari version in bigger calibers and it was perfection.

I liked the decocker, but I have also owned a K95, R93, R8 and I am looking for a D99 from Blaser. I have also used a Krieghoff Teck shotgun quite a bit. So it works for me.

It is honestly weird now to hunt without a decocker.

 

[BonUm16]

Hey Sumo is insulated by that

Full name, Sumo von Spuds?

Shame on whomever calls that fella “ugly”.