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I am going through a tough choice. Choice A: Book a Plains Game Safari in RSA for 7 days for a couple of animals (Wildebeast, Warthog and maybe a Gemsbok) and two days of touring to Kruger. Choice B: Order a Searcy Double Rifle so I will have it for the 2008 Buff hunt to Zim. I have been to RSA for plains game before so I am leaning towards the Double Rifle. I don't own a double right now and have a huge itch for one. What would you do? Mink and Wall Tents don't go together. Especially when you are sleeping in the Wall Tent. DRSS .470 & .500 | ||
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Purchase a less expensive Merkel and still go on the hunt. | |||
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Go hunting! I purchased a Searcy a few years back (over Butch's objection that I should go hunting instead!) and have still not been to Africa! Good hunting, Andy ----------------------------- Thomas Jefferson: “To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” | |||
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Depends on which is more important--- a new rifle or hunting. How many times have you been plains game hunting? Twice or twenty? The more times you have been the more that double will appeal to you. I hunt, not to kill, but in order not to have played golf.... DRSS | |||
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Always scratch the itch that itches most. It sounds like you need a double. The great thing about a double is that if you sell it in a few years you will actually make money on it. | |||
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A difficult quandary indeed. Short-term gratification w/lifelong memories versus a tangible asset which you will own and enjoy for years. If it were non-trophy/tuskless elephant, I would - AND HAVE - opted for the hunt. Or buffalo. Butch also coached me to hunt instead. Of course, I still don't own a double! As it is for plainsgame, I'd opt for the double. | |||
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Hmmn... Are you a hunter or a shooter? Hunters go hunting. Shooters buy new guns. You must inhabit a very special tax bracket: Able to buy a fine hunt or a nice double, but not quite able to do both. Some of us can do neither, just now. | |||
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Isn't it worth taking out a 2nd Mortgage for a Double??  I have been to RSA once, and this was just a last minute opportunity that I can go for a discounted rate. Butch is 16 months out anyway, so I do want to get on the list. We shall see what happens in the next days. Mink and Wall Tents don't go together. Especially when you are sleeping in the Wall Tent. DRSS .470 & .500 | |||
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Go hunting, borrow a gun. Guns are "things", hunting is memories and fun. | |||
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Everyone will have different priorities and that's just fine. Depending on your Outfitter and PH, the PG hunt and trip to the Park could be wonderful but in my mind it does not compare to hunting Buffalo. I had my heart set on hunting Buffalo since I was a little kid...was advised by more than one Outfitter that I should do a PG hunt first. Thankfully, I did not listen to them and did the the Buff hunt.... You do not need a Double Rifle for Buffalo or anything else but a DR would definately add to the experience...and there is nothing like a DR, fun to shoot and use!!!!!!!!! This would be an easy choice for me but you need to set your own priorities. I would gladly wait for a Buff hunt over a PG hunt...the DR would be nice to have but not necessary... | |||
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I have a severe dependency on hunting, guns come second. I´ll probably never own a double but I manage to hunt quite a lot. I´d take the hunt. | |||
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If the waiting list is 16 months, could you put a deposit on the DR and pay a grand per month until paid off and still go hunting? | |||
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You have been to RSA, you will find the Buff hunt in Zim a whole different world, nothing like a double when the Buff bounces out of the thick stuff at 50 feet. I think you will be planning many more hunts for DG in the future. Get the Double. Jim "Bwana Umfundi" NRA | |||
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Get the double...I love Zim and don't care for plains game in RSA Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Ditto You have been in RSA, go for the double ! If we where talking about Zim/Tanz or other country my choose would have been the hunting trip. L | |||
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Do the hunt and buy a big CZ or Win. Safari Express for the Zim hunt. The object of the rifle is the hunt and if you short the hunt for the rifle, you've got the cart before the horse. Unless you're a PH, a double rifle is a luxury that is not really necessary to do a DG hunt. Rifles may appreciate, but not as fast as the price of a good hunt in Africa. | |||
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Isn't it worth taking out a 2nd Mortgage for a Double?? I got a home equity loan to fund my last trip. It was well worth it for the leopard I shot and would and will do it again to get a lion. I sold everything else to buy my double. If there is a will there is a way. | |||
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That is a tough question. I have wanted to hunt buffalo and elephant with a double rifle since I was a kid. My plan was to go to Namibia this year, and when I returned I would order a DR from Butch and go back to Africa with it in '08 or '09. I got lucky financially and was recruited away from my previous employer by a competitor a few months ago; I am still doing the Namibia hunt next month, I opted to buy a less expensive Merkel, and I am taking it for buffalo in '07. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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Buy a Valmet 412/512 in 9.3x74R with a set of 12 ga bbls for circa $2K and take it hunting with me this year. Get to know the rifle on PG this year so you are ready and confident for next yr's buffalo. Work in some bird hunting to round out your trip....inexpensive way to enjoy more of Africa. Russ Gould - Whitworth Arms LLC BigfiveHQ.com, Large Calibers and African Safaris Doublegunhq.com, Fine English, American and German Double Rifles and Shotguns VH2Q.com, Varmint Rifles and Gear | |||
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Tough question. For me the answer would depend on a couple of factors. If you see yourself being able to go on hunting trips to Africa every few years, and whacking a buff with a double really appeals to you....get the double now. If you think hunting in Africa is a "few times in a lifetime" trip for you, do the trip and make the memories when you can. Personally, I'd love to own a double rifle but I'd rather be hunting, so I always choose the latter. Its been a relatively easy decision for me. I like 500grains' comment....scratch the itch that itches most.  Cheers, Canuck | |||
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I would go on the hunt. As much as I would love to have double, I would rather be hunting instead. What I do is save money for all the things I want in different accounts. Example, save money for double , hunt, etc. When you have enough saved buy the double or other rifle, or go on the hunt you haved saved for. Thats what I do anyway since I do not have unlimited funds. | |||
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Don´t hunt plainsgame or buy a double. Book NOW, TODAY a buff hunt in ZIM or wherever and borrow or rent a 375 or 416... That´w what you want the double for, isn´t it? | |||
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SIMPLE ANSWER.....Over 60 go hunting - under 60 buy the rifle.  "When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all." Theodore Roosevelt | |||
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I know I sent you a p.m., but after reading Antonio's post, I realize that he is right. Zim might not even be there next year???? Book the buff hunt this year (if you can find one with a reputable PH) (Look at the one Mark has in Tanzania).... Heck, I'll lend you a .458 that just needs to kill a buffalo. JudgeG ... just counting time 'til I am again finding balm in Gilead chilled out somewhere in the Selous. | |||
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Unless you are going on the PG hunt with your son or father or someone else who will make the hunt more memorable than your previous PG hunt, I would go for the double now and take it with you on your Buff hunt. 577NitroExpress Double Rifle Shooters Society Francotte .470 Nitro Express  If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming... | |||
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This is probably the best advise. If funds are tight, go ahead and get a buffalo. Then you can start saving for the double. I think way too many people think they should start out on plains game. In Africa, things can change quickly, countries close, countries open. It has been my experience that dangerous game, buffalo, lion, leopard, etc. is where the real fun is. Skip the plains game hunt, get your double, then go shoot a few more buffalo and an elephant. | |||
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Antonio is SO right. Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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Have you considered that the wait for the double will be excruciatingly pleasant as you ponder it's heft and feel. It's not going to be cheaper in the future, and it will be worth something later on. The memories of the PG hunt will dim rather rapidly as you prepare for the DG hunt regardless of which rifle ends up being the choosen one!  Yes this is a vote for the double, because having hunted the Buff, I can only recomend that as being worthy. Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set. | |||
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...in 1992 I purchased a beautiful double rifle: Franz Sodia side lock with a gold inlay lion on the bottom, and scroll work which was awesome. One look, and I was mesmorized, I had to have it. I just couldn't pass it up! It cost me five rifles: Four pre '64 M-70's. One Super Grade .243 Featherweight, one .338 WM; one .257Roberts, one .270 Fwt and a custom pre '64 in .416Taylor. All were 98% overall condition. Five rifles, and I had to dig deep for another $5000.00 But, I bought it! Hot dog, now I was set! I could hardly wait for Sept, and another trip to Zim. I shot the DR a bunch between May, and Sept, and had it dialed in at 50yds. Off I went to Zim with my new double. I shot one PAC ele bull, and then the rifle was used to follow-up a wounded lion, which was summarily dispatched. Great stuff, eh? All other game on the hunt was whacked with a .270 (no dangerous game, all plains game) Using the DG was a grand experience, however...I couldn't wait to fly it away. I'm not a PH in dangerous game land, I truly had no need for a double rifle. I had been using .416 Taylor in previous hunts, and had, at that time, shot three ele with my trusty Taylor with no problem. I guess what I'm attempting to get across: Most of us only buy DG for the romance, nostalgia, or whatever. Bottom line IMHO, is use a reliable bolt gun in an adequate calibre, and save the dollars you'd spend to purchase a DG, and make a plan to return to Africa for another hunt. As an aside: I saw the same rifle I had previously owned, which was for sale, again. The asking price was twice what I got for it. So, if you buy a quality double rifle, very likely it will escalate in price as the years go by. Do I wish I had the rifle today? Only if I had a buyer who was ready, willing and able to hand over a large wad of "Old Dead Presidents" If your dream is to own a double, then by all means, go for it. | |||
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I like Billinthewild's comment. If you are over 60 you probably wont use it enough to justify it. If younger, it will be a great investment and certainly worth the sacrafice of some plains game animals. ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS Into my heart on air that kills From yon far country blows: What are those blue remembered hills, What spires, what farms are those? That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot come again. A. E. Housman | |||
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If the PG hunt is similar in nature to your last hunt or for the same animals you've already hunted, then go for the double. If the PG hunt is something totally different than your past experience, go for it instead and use a good bolt gun on your DG hunt. I've hunted plains game twice (once in Namibia, once in RSA). If I were faced with returning for a "carbon copy" trip, I'd buy the double for the new experience of DG (and many other trips in the future). If I had a chance for a different PG hunt for animals I haven't hunted yet (eland, nyala, waterbuck, bushbuck, etc.), I'd have to take the hunt... _____________________ A successful man is one who earns more money than his wife can spend. | |||
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I guess I am a hunter and not a shooter. My gun collection is very average and composed mostly of cheaper guns, but I have been on a whole bunch of hunting trips. Personally, if faced with such a choice, I would go hunting and use the guns I have now. If a double rifle is a necessity, buy a used one or a cheaper one and go on the hunting trip too. THE LUCKIEST HUNTER ALIVE! | |||
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