Which Double Rifle Caliber is worth the investment in 2023?

[BeeMaa]

That would most always be the case if your luggage is lost... and why you always take 2 rifles, otherwise.

True. As long as both of your rifles are rated for DG and at least one of them is in a common cartridge, like the 470NE. Because if your luggage is lost, ammo for both your rifles is missing.

If you look at why I posted about loosing your luggage, it was because @Esoteric Junkie suggested a Holland & Holland Royal Double in 500/465NE as the only rifle he would take. Then saying this...

Ammunition availability is irrelevant when you handload........

Which is true...until you are traveling.

My dream rifle would be a Krieghoff BF or Blaser S2 500/416NE, but I would never do it based solely on ammo availability in far away lands. I'd be much more likely to choose a 450/400NE 3", 375F or 9.3x74R.

In reality if one can afford a Holland & Holland Royal Double, they could have the option of not flying commercial as well.

 

[HWL]

In reality if one can afford a Holland & Holland Royal Double, they could have the option of not flying commercial as well.

This is the point.....



HWL

 

[Red Leg]

That would most always be the case if your luggage is lost... and why you always take 2 rifles, otherwise.

Your rifles travel in one case and your ammunition in another. Lose the luggage with the ammunition and you simply will have two empty rifles rather than one.

 

[AES]

Your rifles travel in one case and your ammunition in another. Lose the luggage with the ammunition and you simply will have two empty rifles rather than one.

I was implying that either (1) all luggage is lost, so you’re hosed anyways, (2) the piece of luggage that is lost contains your rifles, same boat, or, (3) your ammo is the only thing lost and your back-up in 338, 375, 416 etc is in a readily available caliber. The truth is, its just as likely that you are given another rifle to shoot versus sourcing more ammo of any caliber, in my experience.

 

[Rare Breed]

Right up to the point that your luggage is lost. Now go have fun taking the elephant of a lifetime with a camp rifle instead of yours.

My first choice for a new build would be Krieghoff Big Five 470NE, second is Heym 88B 470NE. For a used rifle the Blaser S2 in 470NE would be a great buy.

@Tiger2001 - Best of luck with your decision.

Completely agree…470 almost always will be found which is one of the reasons after 5 DRs I have settled on that caliber

 

[AES]

Completely agree…470 almost always will be found which is one of the reasons after 5 DRs I have settled on that caliber

Do you think it’s more available among PHs (where the friendly call is made to get ammo), than is 500? Seems about even to me, but I hear ya. 416 is oddly not as common over there.

 

[Rare Breed]

Do you think it’s more available among PHs (where the friendly call is made to get ammo), than is 500? Seems about even to me, but I hear ya. 416 is oddly not as common over there

You are right…470-500 50-50

 

[rookhawk]

This is a good thread. Surprised I didn't jump in on it awhile ago.

If the question is, all things being equal (price, quality, brand), what is the most in-demand double rifle calibers today, it would be the 450-400 3" Nitro Express and the .577 Nitro express.

The 450-400 3" because they are mild recoiling, storied, and because with the bans and struggles to hunt dangerous game, buffalo is the most popular and easiest to import of the Big-5.

The .577 NE because there just aren't that many of them around. It's a speciality Elephant gun. They didn't and don't make many. Thus, if you have one and you're trying to sell it, there is usually someone trying to buy one that doesn't want to wait years to have one made. It's also the biggest practical caliber that exists for double rifles so you get to say yours is biggest.

On the other hand, if the question is "what is the most suitable double rifle caliber that can be purchased for reasonable money compared to its kin in other calibers", the different answers would form:

The cheapest calibers on the pocketbook, all things being equal: 450-400 3-1/4" due to struggles finding components and lack of factory ammo, 450 NE because its just out of fashion, the 475NE because it is an obscure fad gun, the 500/465 HH because it doesn't have the cache of others which allows you to pay less for a best grade HH, the 500/416 because its new and nobody wants them, and of course the undesirable rimless calibers always take a huge value deduction.

On the other, other hand if the question is where price meets utility, what are the go-to calibers? 470NE and 500NE are the meat and potatoes of dangerous game calibers and due to their popularity, they are more common and thus holding less value than the first set of examples and more value than the second set of examples.

 

[flying sailor]

Buy the rifles you will enjoy and use. I purchased a used Chapuis 9.3x74R and a used Kreighoff .450-.400 3" They had been safe queens and the price was right. Both are almost like new. people say buy a Harley-Davidson because of resale value. Why are you thinking of selling it when you havent bought it anyway. Buy it because you want to use and enjoy it! Surely if it is a well built quality rifle you will do well IF and when you want to sell. Get the one that pleases you. My grandmother used to tell me" You've no one to please but yourself." Doubles are not just for Africa, plenty of big things in North America to hunt also. Enjoy !

 

[rookhawk]

Buy the rifles you will enjoy and use. I purchased a used Chapuis 9.3x74R and a used Kreighoff .450-.400 3" They had been safe queens and the price was right. Both are almost like new. people say buy a Harley-Davidson because of resale value. Why are you thinking of selling it when you havent bought it anyway. Buy it because you want to use and enjoy it! Surely if it is a well built quality rifle you will do well IF and when you want to sell. Get the one that pleases you. My grandmother used to tell me" You've no one to please but yourself." Doubles are not just for Africa, plenty of big things in North America to hunt also. Enjoy !

Certainly a fair perspective, always please yourself first.

I just had to work pretty hard for my money, and I cannot stand to lose or depreciate anything in my life. Everything I buy with very, very few exceptions are stable or appreciating assets. I've been in a very unpleasant position in my life where I needed $250k and two years off work to care for a sick kid. It worked out in the end as I was able to be with my child, not working, and the outcome was a full recovery. That was possible because as a middle class person that bought stable and appreciating assets, I could point at a stack of cased guns, swiss watches, first edition books, and convert them into cash with little effort.

When I want to buy a new something, I usually can parlay something I own into the downpayment on the next thing. This is particularly important with double rifles because a lot of people buy a small or medium bore double to "try them out" only to find they love them, but now need to sell their starter gun for a downpayment on a larger or better gun because the costs of double rifles by almost anyone's standard would be costly.

 

[Sideshow]

Anyone here looked into buying a double O/U rifle?
Ok I know its not SbS but have seen a few here in the UK that have come up that are in a price range that wont have the wife Linch me with her eyes for just mentioning it

 

[rookhawk]

Anyone here looked into buying a double O/U rifle?

I'm never looking into buying an O/U double rifle because they don't hold their value very well at all and are often rimless calibers.

On the other hand, I've owned a few of them over the years when the price was just too darned good to be true. I don't want one for dangerous game, but a smallbore can be a wonderful gun, particularly if bought for the right price.

I saw an O/U Beretta sidelock best grade 458 WM years ago. The Beretta Gallery store wanted $90,000 for it. I then saw it at 3 different auctions unsold with no bids. I then saw it at two dealers over the past few years as well. It was last offered for $40k and the highest auction bid it received was $14k. I'd be a player on such a gun, but not for $14k. That's what rimless + Over/Under double rifle demand looks like.

 

[BeeMaa]

Anyone here looked into buying a double O/U rifle?
Ok I know its not SbS but have seen a few here in the UK that have come up that are in a price range that wont have the wife Linch me with her eyes for just mentioning it

As @rookhawk said O/U's in DG calibers and a rimmless/belted magnum cartridge are a killer of resale for double rifles. SxS is more ergonomic to load and the barrels don't have to tip down as far to completely open vs O/U making the exercise (arguably) faster. The extractor or ejector can more easily grab a rimmed cartridge for removal vs a rimless/belted magnum.

Another thing that will kill resale is a single trigger. The double rifle was originally intended to be two completely separate rifles molded into one, giving the user two complete independent firing systems in the event of a misfire in one of them. Two triggers...good, one trigger...bad.

If you are looking at a non-DG O/U rifle (like a .30 caliber) it would be much easier to tolerate any of the above faux pas, with the possible exception of the 9.3x74 which is common in O/U configuration and legal for use on DG in some countries. However it's the exception, not the rule.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

The O/U platform means that the top barrel exerts a lot more of an opening force upon the lock up mechanism than the bottom barrel. The one you buy must be built more sturdily than the equivalent side by side, or have a third lockup. Run a mile from a petite O/U built upon a shotgun frame.

 

[Sideshow]

Brilliant thanks guys. Guess I’ll keep looking.

 

[BeeMaa]

Brilliant thanks guys. Guess I’ll keep looking.

If you are serious about an O/U double, this one is a great deal with two barrel sets. 9.3x74R/9.3x74R and 12 bore/7x65R. Notice all the chamberings are rimmed cartridges.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...ser-rifles/blaser-bbf-97.cfm?gun_id=102373057

EDIT - Apologies. I just realized you are in the UK and this rifle is in the US. Probably more choices over there anyway.

 

[Challer]

As @rookhawk said O/U's in DG calibers and a rimmless/belted magnum cartridge are a killer of resale for double rifles. SxS is more ergonomic to load and the barrels don't have to tip down as far to completely open vs O/U making the exercise (arguably) faster. The extractor or ejector can more easily grab a rimmed cartridge for removal vs a rimless/belted magnum.

Another thing that will kill resale is a single trigger. The double rifle was originally intended to be two completely separate rifles molded into one, giving the user two complete independent firing systems in the event of a misfire in one of them. Two triggers...good, one trigger...bad.

If you are looking at a non-DG O/U rifle (like a .30 caliber) it would be much easier to tolerate any of the above faux pas, with the possible exception of the 9.3x74 which is common in O/U configuration and legal for use on DG in some countries. However it's the exception, not the rule.

I bought both my BBF Lexus used and took advantage of the depreciation. One was $3k one $4k. Have said before have barrels in 20/Hornet, 06/06, 12/06, and 9.3/9.3. They seem to have dried up here in the US built still built by Blaser and a big used market in Germany.

 

[Sideshow]

If you are serious about an O/U double, this one is a great deal with two barrel sets. 9.3x74R/9.3x74R and 12 bore/7x65R. Notice all the chamberings are rimmed cartridges.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...ser-rifles/blaser-bbf-97.cfm?gun_id=102373057

EDIT - Apologies. I just realized you are in the UK and this rifle is in the US. Probably more choices over there anyway.

No your insight is still on the money..

 

[Sideshow]

Just had another look at that rifle @BeeMaa its left hand no?
Been looking on eGun…….bad mistake lol

eGun

 

[BeeMaa]

Just had another look at that rifle @BeeMaa its left hand no?
Been looking on eGun…….bad mistake lol

eGun

The stock is certainly left-handed, however you should inquire about the action release and which way it operates. Many companies will change the stock with LOP, drop, cast...etc but changing the internal mechanics is a different story. Or you may find yourself with a left-handed stock on a right-handed action.