No worries soumya sarkar,
Yes, I agree that due to your physical characteristics, you likely will find the .470 recoil to be very manageable.
My observations of people who tolerate truly heavy recoil (approximately .458 Lott and upwards) and those who have less tolerance of it, has led me to conclude almost the opposite of the common belief on this subject.
In other words, I have noticed that rather tall men, with a reasonably healthy level of physical fitness, generally can take a punch much better than slight of build skinny little guys can.
Also there are generally wimpy fellows like me who, are neither short and skinny, nor particularly tall and fit but, who either are cursed with too many blood vessels near the surface or perhaps have suffered major shoulder surgery and so, cannot handle especially heavy recoil, without turning a very painful purple, after only a relatively few shots from the truly hard kickers, where the rifle butt rests in the normal firing position.
Well any way, I read that you have experience with a paradox gun ... I love those things and I hope I get the chance to own and hunt with a vintage one some day.
So far, I have owned only 4 double rifles and have only hunted with two of those but, I have had the great privilege to fire quite a few, belonging to the growing numbers of double rifle owners here where I live.
So, I have some ideas about double rifle makers but, I am admittedly not an expert, only a beginner who is working toward becoming more knowledgeable and experienced with them.
That being said, my first double rifle was a Merkel side by side ("SxS") in .375 H&H and it was not too bad, despite it's one annoying quirk.
It had one chamber or throat too tight, as the right side barrel always showed seriously flattened primers and occasionally pierced primers, with the factory ammunition it was regulated with, according to the paperwork that Merkel sent with the rifle, but it was accurate.
I had bought it brand new from the USA Importer/Distributer for Merkel products.
I wanted it scoped in the folly of my youth (I was about 49 or 50 years young back then) so, I sent it to Champlin Arms here in the USA, for claw mounts and re-regulation to my favorite .375 H&H load of 300 grain round nose bullet at 2400 feet per second.
All turned out very well after that and I shot 9 various African "plains game" animals with same, including one that I had only dreamed of for many years.
The taking of a warthog with a double rifle, doesn't sound like much but, for me it was important and I still cherish that memory (150 yards, quartering toward me, I shot standing from the sticks and put the 300 grainer round nose soft spot on his shoulder.
It broke the shoulder and crossed through, never swerving off course and exited his opposite side, at or near the last rib.
There was hardly any meat destruction, compared to high velocity calibers but, it literally knocked him over so fast that, when I recovered from what little recoil that rifle and load generated, all I could see were his hooves sticking up through the grass toward the sky.
I sold it and bought an Army & Navy .450 No2 NE with outside hammers.
With it, I shot my one and only buffalo so far (another extremely important "milestone" in my life), plus plains game.
That was a very fine rifle but a bit heavy to carry all day (a little over 12 pounds) but very tolerable recoil and it was shockingly accurate as well.
Eventually sold that one as well and now have a 1980's vintage Heym 88B with 25.5" ejector barrels, caliber .458 Winchester.
I would rather it was chambered in a proper "flanged" Nitro caliber but, I saved about $4,000.US on the price, compared to the same model in a flanged caliber (at the time there were more than one or two Heym 88B rifles on the Used Market (
www.gunsinternational.com) here in the States.
I have shot it quite a bit (unfortunately only at paper targets so far) and it has not failed to eject the empties, or malfunction in any other way either.
Finally getting to the point, for a double rifle under about $20,000. US dollars new, the best one in my opinion is the Heym "PH Model" (less fancy Model 88B).
If I were buying a new one, I would order it with 26" ejector barrels, in .450/400 Nitro 3" and ask for a slightly above average size white bead on my front sight.
That being said, both the Verney Carron and the Chapui are quite good double rifles, for under "$15,000.US (their basic models, not their "Bespoke" models, as those can get very expensive indeed, same for Heym or any maker's higher grade double rifles).
The other double rifle of the 4 I had owned was a Henry Adkin SxS with outside hammers, in ".275 Flanged NE" ("7x57R" or 7x57 Rimmed) and it was accurate but I had only shot paper targets with it when I decided to sell it to help pay for another Safari (priorities you know).
At the end of the day, even though I prefer Heym within my income restraints, otherwise, I would be ranting about Westley Richards Drop Lock double rifles instead (my personal favorite of the famous makers and models that I cannot afford), I would be happy enough with VC, Chapui or Merkel, especially if any of them would make a .450/400 with 26" ejector barrels and spare 26" ejector barrels in .303 British for a lowly working man's affordable price.
I wonder how many potential sales Merkel has missed because they do not offer longer than 23.6" barrels on any except their special order / much higher priced models (essentially custom made to the purchaser's specifications and priced accordingly - but what do I know?).
Cheers,
Velo Dog.
Mac
