Which Double Rifle Caliber is worth the investment in 2023?

Tiger2001

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Hello fellow AH members!

I am back on the hunt for another Double Rifle (DR). I've owned a couple of Merkels and Chapuis in the past (2 from each maker in 9.3x74 and in 470NE). However all have been sold and I am down to one Heym 26b in 9.3x74 which is a terrific rifle. However, I am now looking at either 450/500 NE or a 470NE in a Heym, Chapuis, Krieghoff etc. However in 2023 what REALLY concerns me is the ammunition supply market. We all know the world ended so to speak with the pandemic, social/supply chain issues of the last couple of years. Manufacturers seem (understandably) focused using what few resources there are to manufacture and sell 9mm and 556 ammo which are in high demand. The aforementioned calibers are definitely niche and not reflective of what the general population wants.

That being said, would you all recommend one caliber over the other? Or perhaps one I have not mentioned? Again, I'm not asking from a hunting/ballistics/personal preference angle. Simply which one will have a steady flow of available ammo in the next few years and which calibers will go the way of what happened to the 450NE? For those who don't know, a few years ago Ruger had that caliber in its No.1 and Heym made doubles with Hornady and Kynoch (and maybe Norma) making ammo. People even rushed to rebore old 458 Win Mag doubles into 450NE. And now? A rifle in that caliber might as well be a nice wall decoration and I doubt it's coming back anytime soon. Ditto for the .375 flanged and the .505 Gibbs, 404 Jeffrery, 416 Rigby for bolt actions.

Before I drop 15-20k on a DR in either 470NE or 450/400NE, I want to know there will be an ammo supply.

Thank you in advance for any advice and thoughts anyone out there might have!
 
Go for a .470NE..so many rifles out there that ammo will be avaiable...Norma, Federal and Hornady supply.. I have a Krieghoff in .470 and all the aforementioned ammo regulate pretty much the same.
 
I would also go for a .470 N. E. If there would be a shortage, we'll that has already happened, the .470 would be the first cartridge being produced in numbers by Kynoch, Norma, Hornsey and Federal. I think its also possible to make .470 brass from .500 brass if one come in an emergency situation.
 
Thank you to everyone with their prompt and helpful responses. Am I correct though that Kynoch is once again-sadly-out of business? Or at least the ammo business. And aside from Hornady, has anyone seen a box of 450/400 NE ammo from ANY other maker in recent years? I'm very concerned that should Hornady decide on other priorities, then the 450/400NE goes the way of the 450NE, 375 Flanged etc.
 
Kynoch is still in business: http://www.kynochammunition.co.uk/

My personal take is that Kynoch is fine for the 'established' calibres, but to be wary of more out-of-the-way types, such as the Mannlicher rounds (which are special order anyway).

From own experience, .470 ammunition regulates pretty similarly across different brands - at least, 'old' Kynoch, 'new' Kynoch, and Norma. I don't have Pierre van der Walt's book to hand, but from memory there is only one bullet weight used in this calibre.
 
I think Federal and Hornady is the best bet on .470 ammo onwards..perhaps Norma but they where bought by Beretta (I think..) recently...so I have a bad feeling about their line of Safari rounds, hope I am wrong..

Forget about Kynoch..their supply is at best erratic..some of their ammo is good but not all (personal experience..) Sad really...the owner is 80 + and the future of the company seems uncertain..
 
As others have so wisely stated, the .470 Nitro Express is the one for which ammunition will be the easiest to find in this ammunition crisis (since it is the most likely to continue to be manufactured).

But there is one more- The .500 Nitro Express. It’s ammunition is currently manufactured by Barnes (loaded with Banded Solids & TSX), Federal (loaded with Swift A-Frames) & Hornady (loaded with DGS & DGX Bonded).
 
470 or 450/400....couldn't go wrong with either. You should get into hand-loading and buy a stock of components,...problem solved. My experience has been in a pinch most places in Africa will have something on hand you can use in those calibers. There are some really nice double rifles on the market right now, stuff sure is getting expensive though.
 
I wouldn’t rule out .500/.416. It has great performance, and ammo is readily available. It’s just a littler hotter than the .450/.400 without adding much in recoil. Plenty of Krieghoff rifles out there in that caliber.
 
It’s a real quandary - it’s not just whether ammo is available, but ammo for which the rifle is regulated. I prefer the 450/400 to the 470 amongst those two, but the 450/400 seems less standardized in terms of loading and even bore size, at least amongst vintage rifles.

I would be reluctant to get into these things (doubles) with the intention to really use them, if I didn’t reload, but I know that decision entails many more implications. Of course, some people just buy a thousand rounds, and pass on whatever is left when they sell the rifle. That too is easier to do in some places than others.
 
Thanks again for all who responded to my original query. I am an American working/living in Germany for a few years. One of the perks is that I am able to take the three month Jaeger course and obtain a German jagdschein and firearms permit. As such I am looking at either going to Krieghoff in nearby Ulm or over to Heym about 4 hours away to place an order for a double. The problem with Heym is two-fold; an unGodly long wait time AND being told that as a US citizen I can only order a DR via Heym USA in TX by some odd agreement between Heym. Doesn't matter that I am a US citizen who may not return to the US for many years. So that likely limits me to ordering from Krieghoff which fortunately has no such absurd restriction between Krieghoff Germany and its US office in PA. I was just trying to select between the two calibers and it seems the .470 NE is the likely more sensible purchase in terms of being able to feed it with ammo without supply issue concerns. Thank you again for all your advice!
 
I UNDERSTAND THE LOGISTICS AND ARGUMENTS AGAINST .458 WIN MAGS BUT WE JUST BOUGHT A BERETTA EXPRESS RIFLE IN .458 PARTIALLY CAUSE YOU CAN GET AMMO.
 
I UNDERSTAND THE LOGISTICS AND ARGUMENTS AGAINST .458 WIN MAGS BUT WE JUST BOUGHT A BERETTA EXPRESS RIFLE IN .458 PARTIALLY CAUSE YOU CAN GET AMMO.
Hi Seth. You got my attention. What is exactly a Beretta Express Rifle and where does one find one? I have no issues with the 458 Win Mag personally and own a Win M70 in one. But I didn't think anyone was manufacturing them in DR's since CZ/BRNO came out with their "BRNO Stopper" some years ago.
 
A rifle in that caliber might as well be a nice wall decoration and I doubt it's coming back anytime soon. Ditto for the .375 flanged and the .505 Gibbs, 404 Jeffrery, 416 Rigby for bolt actions.
Just wondering why you mention those bolt calibres ?...don't think issues with ammo for them...505 might be harder but it's being made ...the gunshop I use here has had delivery..500ne..505..470ne..500j..416 rigby..404...plus other ones ...450/400 there as well...
 
As others have so wisely stated, the .470 Nitro Express is the one for which ammunition will be the easiest to find in this ammunition crisis (since it is the most likely to continue to be manufactured).

But there is one more- The .500 Nitro Express. It’s ammunition is currently manufactured by Barnes (loaded with Banded Solids & TSX), Federal (loaded with Swift A-Frames) & Hornady (loaded with DGS & DGX Bonded).
Norma also make the .500 Nitro Express.
 
The 450/400 has gained hugely in popularity and even here in Africa I am not finding it too hard to source cases and bullets. It is a Hornady regular.
As to double maker Heym is excellent.
Great recommendations. The key also could be finding someone such as myself and several others on here who have three lifetimes of reloading supplies for our doubles. I am selling my Westley Richards in 500 NE and I laughed when I realized it will take two people to carry the hard plastic container of brass, powder, bullets and dies. I know I am not the only one on here that has done that. Of course it means you have to be a reloader. Just my two cents
 

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