When do you REALLY need a double rifle..?

[Pondoro]

Many of us love to play with them...I guess nostalgia is playing a big part here..
But when do you really need it..? You could argue that a PH need/want one for back-up on DG, right..?

As a hunter (I dont like the client badge..) I favor a double on an elephant hunt...two fast large caliber shots at very close range....and on a driven hunt for lets say wild boars in Europe..they can be big, fast and plain downright nasty...a hunting buddy almost got killed by a big one..

But the difference is not very big….a bolt rifle will handle most situations splendidly….soooo that begs the question:

- Are we fooling ourselves a bit here.. ?

 

[Shootist43]

IMHO the best answer is just prior to being able to afford one.

 

[WAB]

Need is such a strong word...

 

[perttime]

I have never even handled a double... But what I have gathered is that a double has its advantages when whatever you are trying to kill ... is trying to kill you. Especially at close quarters.

- in essence, a double with two triggers is two rifles. You are likely to have at least one shot - and usually two pretty quickly.
- a double is shorter than a bolt action, so it is easier to handle in the bush.

 

[grand veneur]

IMHO , nobody needs a DR today , on the contrary , can be a handicap for success.

Who use one nowadays has fun at the , and is a aficionado of such rifles. I also have two DR in my gun safe , but I am not very convinced of their need for hunting nowadays.

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

When you really need one it is probably to late ether you have one in your hands or you wish you had.
I believe it come down more of the want and experience of hunting with one than a need in most cases. I feel it is more personal with a double than a scoped rifle a lot like bow hunting you must get in close and interact with the animals your hunting with a double or open sights. You may work harder but the reward feels that much greater.

 

[grand veneur]

... You may work harder but the reward feels that much greater.

...or you go at home without anything. That's the risk.

 

[chashardy]

When do you really need a double? Hunting dangerous game is the obvious answer.
However, I have used my double (Chapuis 375 H&H with Trijicon RMR sight) effectively hunting nyala in thick bush where you can't see for more than about 40 yards. First shot was good, but when the nyala turns to take off running, the second shot put him down immediately, so no need to track in thick cover. African animals are very tough and even when hit with a fatal shot they can run for hundreds of yards. The quick follow-up with a double is an advantage over a bolt rifle, though I take both with me to Africa.

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

...or you go at home without anything. That's the risk.

That is always the risk. And the reason I take a scoped rifle with me as a backup. Having done a lot of hunts already I would really enjoy going back and hunting some of the same animals with a double or bow just to experience that hunt again and maybe be a deeper more meaning full hunt to me after it was all done

 

[Opposite Pole]

A modern double is a fairly universal tool. Not all doubles are designed or restricted to shooting large nitro cartridges. A double can be had with large and small caliber barrels. It can be scoped or open sighted. You can even have a combination set of one large and one small caliber barrel, or a rifle and a shotgun combo. You can have multiple barrel sets for different scenarios. Also, a decent double is quite accurate and I do not mean “minute of buffalo” accurate. I’ve put a scope on my 9.3x74R barrel set, developed a load using 286 Norma Oryx and zeroed it to the right barrel at 100m, it is 3 shots 1 MOA accurate. Yes, the second barrel opens it up a bit but I’d be comfortable shooting a Roe deer sized animal at 150m using either barrel (obviously 9.3 is an overkill for Roe). I aim for quick, humane kills and strongly oppose just “having a go” against a living target. If I’m not confident the shot will hit where intended and work as expected I don’t take it.

So when do you really need a double? When do you really need a bolt action? Whenever you want to go hunting. Whatever action type you use you ought to be proficient with it be it turn bolt, straight pull, lever or break action. Lack of familiarity is not a shortcoming of the tool but rather of the user. If you feel repeating rifle is a better choice because it’s scoped and of a smaller caliber, say 375HH in DG situation, why not consider a scoped 375 double? What is the limitation of such rifle?

 

[Ed Lally]

Needs are simple: Food, Water, Shelter from the Elements. EVERYTHING else is a WANT. I WANT to Hunt DG. I WANT to have a functional rifle. I WANT it to be a certain caliber. I WANT it to be pleasant to look at. etc., until I WANT so badly that whatever it is that I am WANTing becomes a NEED, then there are no reasons against purchasing a DR because, after all, I NEED it. Accordingly, I really do NEED a DR as does everyone else who started with such a WANT.

 

[Kawshik Rahman]

Eight years of personal experience as a professional Shikari in Darjeeling , taught me this :
A good bolt operation rifle can do , ALMOST every thing which a double barrel rifle can do .
However , there is ONE application where a double barrel rifle is irreplaceable . If a professional Shikari is pursuing a wounded leopard into thick vegetation, then a bolt operation rifle is no good. The speed of these beasts cannot be described with , by words . You simply do not have the time to operate a bolt in the rifle , to chamber a second cartridge .
Here , a double barrel rifle is requisite .
For this task , l would highly recommend a double barrel rifle , calibrated for the .375 Holland and Holland magnum cartridge with two triggers , no automatic safety mechanism and barrels no longer than 26 inches . It should be regulated for the 300 grain Winchester silver tip cartridge ( or any modern equivalent ) .
I have written an article on these forums titled " A magazine or a second barrel ? " a few weeks ago , with photographs . Perhaps , it may interest those of you gentlemen who have not already read it .

 

[MarkB]

Never fired a double, drooled the couple times I held one. Have spent time "pretending" I had a double rifle. Hunting deer in the real thick stuff with my SxS shotgun, this in shotgun only areas has always been fun. Think that "need" may be reserved for the PH's, rest of us is want, or have. Just read an article about some new light doubles? If funds ever allow I will be stalking the Jesse with a double for buff, ele, of course the hole in the barrel end must be big.

MB

 

[Ed Lally]

After firing 2 quickly aimed shots from my 11.6 pound Krieghoff Classic in 470NE at the range followed by a quick reload and 2 more quickly aimed shots, I would NEVER consider a LIGHT double. But to each his own.

 

[1dirthawker]

one has to watch this Ivan Carter video only once to decide if they find a double rifle worth the money, ammo, practice etc. I say... they are worth it. i hope this posts properly, watch it yourself and decide.

ALSO, when watching the video, pretend you are shooting a bolt action rifle instead of a double gun and then honestly access if you could have made the shot without being a pile of red goo.

i hope this link gets you there. it is a HEYM double rifle informational ad.

far as i am concerned, they are worth it. if you think you could reload and shoot again with a bolt gun, you are a much better man than I!!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Needs are simple: Food, Water, Shelter from the Elements. EVERYTHING else is a WANT. I WANT to Hunt DG. I WANT to have a functional rifle. I WANT it to be a certain caliber. I WANT it to be pleasant to look at. etc., until I WANT so badly that whatever it is that I am WANTing becomes a NEED, then there are no reasons against purchasing a DR because, after all, I NEED it. Accordingly, I really do NEED a DR as does everyone else who started with such a WANT.

I would LIKE to see a DR in person and maybe touch it?

 

[MarkB]

Some Cabelas have ones in their show rooms. With the white gloves we did hold. When I wrote light doubles I should have clarified, not in weight but in light calibers, 7x57, 9.3x? and 375, people were shooting deer, hogs and using as their main gun, replacing the common bolt gun.

MB

 

[Ed Lally]

Re: Light calibers are fine. Light doubles in classic DG calibers are an invitation to destroyed shoulders and the development of an incurable flinch. CoElkhunter, are you in CO as in Colorado? If ever in CT, you can get to try a Krieghoff Classic in .470 NE. Look me up. Ed

 

[CoElkHunter]

Re: Light calibers are fine. Light doubles in classic DG calibers are an invitation to destroyed shoulders and the development of an incurable flinch. CoElkhunter, are you in CO as in Colorado? If ever in CT, you can get to try a Krieghoff Classic in .470 NE. Look me up. Ed

Yes I live in Colorado. If I ever get to CT I will. Only been to PA where my wife is originally from. Thanks Ed!

 

[crs]

CEH,
same goes for me if you get down to the Dallas area.
In fact, it is only a 90 mile drive up to The Boars Nest in OK where you could kill a hog or two with either my .405 DR or my .45-70 DR. In fact, if you live near Fort Collins, CO, I can set up a meeting with a maker of double rifles. W. Ellis Brown. He is also a fine shot on running and flying game and has hunted boars at The Boars Nest with me.