I am thinking about trading my Holland & Holland sxs shotgun for a Francotte sxs double in 475#2 at Champlin Arms. In searching through old posts on Francotte 475#2's I came across a thread on the Nitro Express Forum from 2004 which talked about a Francotte 475#2 at Champlin's that was supposed to be regulated for a light 400 grain load. What is posted on Champlin's site for the Francotte they now have listed says it is very accurate with a 480 grain handload. This is probably a different rifle but I wondered if anyone was familiar with the rifle from the 2004 post to be certain it's not the same rifle. The pictures from the old post are no longer available to compare with what is posted now.

Nice rifle!
Should you pick up the .475 no2, PM me as I have brass, dies, bullets.
Cal

Thanks Cal If I get it I'll message you. As hard as ammo is to find for it this would certainly be a reloading project.

quote:

Originally posted by Tpr.1919:
I am thinking about trading my Holland & Holland sxs shotgun for a Francotte sxs double in 475#2 at Champlin Arms. In searching through old posts on Francotte 475#2's I came across a thread on the Nitro Express Forum from 2004 which talked about a Francotte 475#2 at Champlin's that was supposed to be regulated for a light 400 grain load. What is posted on Champlin's site for the Francotte they now have listed says it is very accurate with a 480 grain handload. This is probably a different rifle but I wondered if anyone was familiar with the rifle from the 2004 post to be certain it's not the same rifle. The pictures from the old post are no longer available to compare with what is posted now.

Ask George Caswell. He will give you the straight answer on the rifle and the load it is regulated for.

Thanks drongo. I Imagine it is a different rifle I just didn't want to offend George by asking. There are a lot of posts out there and the 2004 post might have been incorrect.

At less than 10 lbs., the 475#2 that George has listed seems a little underweight. I have a Francotte in that chambering and it weighs a bit over 11 lbs.

I have a Belgian 470 built on a Francotte type action. It weighs 9.6lbs. I know some folks would think that it would be a joy to carry, and it is, but recoil velocity is pretty high. I can shoot about 6-8 shots from sticks before I have to rest and calm down or I will start jerking the triggers. I feel it is about a lb light and I hope to rectify that by adding a bit of weight to the stock. Maybe take that into consideration before your purchase.

RC

Thanks Wildcatter and rglenz, I think I can probably over time and with practice get used to the recoil. I will admit I have been away from real hard kicking guns for a while and hope I can get used to shooting them again. I'm now in my 60's and when I was young frequently shot up to and including the .460 Weatherby and 500 Nitro. I don't ever want to go back to the 460. Even when I was young I never got used to that level of recoil. I was more concerned about the 2003 Nitro Express Forum post on the Fancotte 475 #2 that was supposed to be regulated for a light load. After much research I think the post must have been crazy because I can't find any bullet company that ever made a bullet lighter that 480 grains for the 475 #2.

I’ll bet it was a typo somewhere along the line that got carried on.

RC

Yes, things on the internet have a tendency to take on a life of their own.