A customer of mine shot this magnificent bull last month in Tanzania, using his Hambrusch .500NE and an Aimpoint Micro. You can read about his safari at: http://www.fouramigos.net/ambrose/nf/tan2011.html

I cut a small dovetail into the rib and used Aimpoint's 11mm dovetail mount. Looks like it worked pretty well.

I guess it works, and to each his own.

One question, Why would he have you do that?

It's like putting recaps on a Rolls Royce ya just don't do it.

Why do it?

Because some people like to hunt dangerous game and they don't have 20/20 vision anymore and they want to make a good shot. Putting a good shot on the buffalo is a helluva lot more important than the 'traditional' look of the rifle. Function over form.

quote:

Originally posted by Rhys:
I guess it works, and to each his own.

One question, Why would he have you do that?

It's like putting recaps on a Rolls Royce ya just don't do it.

I suppose you are opposed to rifling and smokeless powder also??



SSR

Mr. Tool,

That rifle is a traditionalist's nightmare but to my way of thinking it only increases the advantage of the double. For older eyes the traditional shallow vee and bead are just tough to use. Also the Aimpoint's red dot is easy to see in low light. I like it.

BTW that is a FANTASTIC BUFFALO.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by PSmith:
Why do it?

Because some people like to hunt dangerous game and they don't have 20/20 vision anymore and they want to make a good shot. Putting a good shot on the buffalo is a helluva lot more important than the 'traditional' look of the rifle. Function over form.

Check for how many PHs are now using red dots on their DRs

Tradition is nice, but I can't see the sights, so my Merkel has a Leupold delta reflex sight on it. If I didn't have that, I would sell the double, as useless to me with open sights.

I have a Leupold mini red dot on my krieghoff

I use what ever works best...and as every troopie in A stan and every competition shooter will tell you, glass beats iron every time when speed counts.

Some enterprising soul needs to develop a lower profile sight system that would (more or less) satisfy the traditionalists in looks... but would enable those with less than perfect vision the use of red dot sights.

And, while they are at it... incorporate tritium night sights into the design as well.

This reminds me of all the arguments we used to have around the campfire when we first put flint spearheads on our sharpened sticks. There was a contingent then who refused to change, claiming flint would interfere with the flight parameters of the spear and detract from the aesthetics of the wood.

When one cannot see, or I should say focus properly with older eyes the Aimpoint is one of the best red dots out there. I have one on my BLR 308 for bear in Pa. One just picks up the rifle both eyes open and that red dot is out in front of you.

Mike

Ugly as hell, but it apparently works.

quote:

Originally posted by Rhys:
I guess it works, and to each his own.

One question, Why would he have you do that?

It's like putting recaps on a Rolls Royce ya just don't do it.

Lemme guess; you're under 50 years of age?

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:

quote:

Originally posted by Rhys:
I guess it works, and to each his own.

One question, Why would he have you do that?

It's like putting recaps on a Rolls Royce ya just don't do it.

Lemme guess; you're under 50 years of age?

LOL! Great responce, LionHunter! Yes, this sort of setup is for "experienced" eyes only.

I'm in that over 50 group with less than 20/20 vision. It's a Docter Optic Red Dot Reflex on my Chapuis 470. Shooting with the iron sights isn't really an option.

John, looks like Mike Ambrose's Hambrusch. He had me list it for sale for a while and was going to use his Blaser 416. He couldn't see the open sights any more. I'm glad to see you got him back out into the field with it.

I looked through the Aimpoint at DSC. It was, by far, my favorite reflex sight. Glad that it worked so well for your customer.

Yes I'm short of 50 for a bit shy of 2 more decades, and I'm deffinately a traditionalist. I still opt for open sights, apertures, or low power scopes on all but my target rifles. I folow the idea of never hunting with a caliber that is younger than you are.

Antlers, and Nitro 450 No2 both have double rifles with the fine little DOCTOR OPTICS reflection sight. The DOCTOR is a tiny sight, and works fine. The weight is almost nonexistent. Another one is the Trigicon of the same type but without being powered by batteries. Both are tiny, not much higher than the standing rear sight on most big bore doubles. Both sell in the $500 range.

Anyone know of any of the reflex sights that will fit a Searcy that has the talley mount installed on it?

Rhys: I had the same initial reaction as you did, as the "traditional" aspect of a double rifle is a large part of its appeal. There's not much romance about an electronic sight.
But view the double as the very best tool for sorting out problems with dangerous game and the electronic sight makes a lot of sense.
I've been using this pair eyes for 58 years, by the way, and they ain't what they used to be when new.

I have shot Bill73's Heyms with the Dr. Optic and really like them. I think Mac says it right in that the Dr. is very small and almost not there. I will probably eventually go to one. I do not want to appear critical but I think the difference in this sight on a double rather than the Dr. Optic or simialr size is that this thing looks huge and certainly takes away from the rifle. If Bal is back he should post a pic of his Dr. It is really subdued with the overall effect of the rifle. Just my thoughts, each to his own.

Larry

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
Antlers, and Nitro 450 No2 both have double rifles with the fine little DOCTOR OPTICS reflection sight. The DOCTOR is a tiny sight, and works fine. The weight is almost nonexistent. Another one is the Trigicon of the same type but without being powered by batteries. Both are tiny, not much higher than the standing rear sight on most big bore doubles. Both sell in the $500 range.

Actually I just got the new CDNN catalog and they are blowing out the Trijicon (1/2oz, lifetime warranty) for $149 and the Doctor Site II (black or brown) for $239.
Great deal on either one!

quote:

Originally posted by Alan Bunn:
Some enterprising soul needs to develop a lower profile sight system that would (more or less) satisfy the traditionalists in looks... but would enable those with less than perfect vision the use of red dot sights.

And, while they are at it... incorporate tritium night sights into the design as well.

This reminds me of all the arguments we used to have around the campfire when we first put flint spearheads on our sharpened sticks. There was a contingent then who refused to change, claiming flint would interfere with the flight parameters of the spear and detract from the aesthetics of the wood.

Right on with the lower profile comment. I tried to get a trijicon and Dr optic sight installed on a Searcy 500NE. The dot is so high that one cannot see the dot with out raising ones head off of the stock.

This sight was suggested to me by my local gun shop guru, and he made a point that it is great bc it's adjustable in brightness, and the battery last forever...so you just turn it on and hunt.

Aimpoint on my .458

Absolutely brilliant little scope and mine is military spec and had a quick release mount.

I am chasing some bad guys here and the poached elephant is very fresh.

quote:

Originally posted by Oryxhunter1983:
This sight was suggested to me by my local gun shop guru, and he made a point that it is great bc it's adjustable in brightness, and the battery last forever...so you just turn it on and hunt.

Are you thinking of putting one on you .500 NE Merk?

Used an aimpoint micro in a blaser in Poland in driven hunts and worked great ,then tested some aimpoints here for a mag article and they are the best .We even used them in our m4s diving without any problem .I believe for DG are great .

Mr. Farner: Congrats to your customer on a fine buff. Where did he shoot the buffalo? Was it a heart/lung or what and from how far? By adding that information, one could perhaps really get a sense of how this AIMPOINT product benefitted him.

I am the Guilty party in this regard, and this Micro from Aimpoint put a safer bound double rifle back in my hands again and i am grateful to Aimpoint and John Farnmer for fitting it. I hunt Africa and the rest of the world 4-6 times a year and I love hunting dangerous game. Now I can and be secure in where the shot will be placed and not place others in harms way of a wounded dangerous animal. This works like a charm and I huntied with it in Lobo and Lolkisale, mark Young will be familiar with those camps.

Bwana,
The Bull was taken in the shoulder at 25 yards and the backup in the other shoulder as the first shot spun him, he went down at the 2nd shot. This was filmed by Safari Classics and you may see parts of this safari on Tracks Across Africa in the future. Thanks for asking

Hi Mike, Congrats on a nice bull, and making the gun work for you. The speed and precision of the Aimpoint puts open sights to shame.

quote:

Originally posted by bwanajcj:
Hi Mike, Congrats on a nice bull, and making the gun work for you. The speed and precision of the Aimpoint puts open sights to shame.

Agree.

Just had a quick look at your website and that is an outstanding Leopard you have there.

Hey Mike

Good too see you here, I was wondering how your hunt went?? Great write-up and photos - that buff looks awesome - congratulations mate!!

Cheers
Matt Graham

I have gone thru numerous sight combos on my Heym - trying to find a combo that I can see. In fact, it is on its way back from JJ right now with a complete new set with a new shaped rear blade moved closer to the breech.

Before I even held the rifle I had it set up with the Dr. unit in a quick detach mount for one reason - going into the alders after brown bears. However, after using the Dr. in the field, I have learned that there are a couple of other situations that make it indispensable for me. If hunting in low light (early or late), the unit allows me to shoot when my eyes could never pick up the open sights; if I know I will be shooting between 100 - 150yds, I put on the Dr. and I'm more confident in my shooting. My preference would always to shoot the open sights, but if you can't see the sights, the red-dot is a good option. And the Dr. unit is very small, light, and unobtrusive.

I just recently acquired a Burris FireFly II and have mounted it on my .458Lott RSM for my upcoming tuskless safari. This unit is very small, the battery lasts forever and so far (19 rounds) it has no issues with recoil - and I don't expect any. I read a lot of reviews by users and found no negatives. It has a 3mm dot, and while I prefer the EOTech reticle of a circle around a 1mm dot, I had no problem zeroing at 25 yards. Will be shooting it at longer ranges as well as shorter ranges to determine POA at varying distances. Expect the tuskless to be up close and personal. And it comes at a great price of around $200!

quote:

Originally posted by Alan Bunn:
Some enterprising soul needs to develop a lower profile sight system that would (more or less) satisfy the traditionalists in looks... but would enable those with less than perfect vision the use of red dot sights.

And, while they are at it... incorporate tritium night sights into the design as well.

This reminds me of all the arguments we used to have around the campfire when we first put flint spearheads on our sharpened sticks. There was a contingent then who refused to change, claiming flint would interfere with the flight parameters of the spear and detract from the aesthetics of the wood.

I am of the younger generation and thinking of going traditional on my next hunt. I don't mean to hi-jack this thread but can you shed some light on the ballistic coefficient and grain weight recommended of the flint tip spearheads you were using.

quote:

Originally posted by twoseventy:

quote:

Originally posted by Alan Bunn:
Some enterprising soul needs to develop a lower profile sight system that would (more or less) satisfy the traditionalists in looks... but would enable those with less than perfect vision the use of red dot sights.

Right on with the lower profile comment. I tried to get a trijicon and Dr optic sight installed on a Searcy 500NE. The dot is so high that one cannot see the dot with out raising ones head off of the stock.

That's why it's called a Doctor. Lift head, break cheek weld, pull trigger, go to Doctor with recoil-face injury.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:

quote:

Originally posted by twoseventy:

quote:

Originally posted by Alan Bunn:
Some enterprising soul needs to develop a lower profile sight system that would (more or less) satisfy the traditionalists in looks... but would enable those with less than perfect vision the use of red dot sights.

Right on with the lower profile comment. I tried to get a trijicon and Dr optic sight installed on a Searcy 500NE. The dot is so high that one cannot see the dot with out raising ones head off of the stock.

That's why it's called a Doctor. Lift head, break cheek weld, pull trigger, go to Doctor with recoil-face injury.

After putting the Docter Optic on my Chapuis I had the same problem of having to lift my head of the stock. Problem solved with a leather cheek piece. Raised the comb just the right amount and the red dot lines up perfect. Some may question the look but it works great.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Ugly as hell, but it apparently works.

Would agree that the various reflex and red dot sights around are not the nicest to look but they do work. I used one of the first of these sort of sights years ago on my .404 and am not sure why they don't make them like they did to look more like a conventional scope. This is an example below of the one I used but now swapped for a 2x Leupold EER scope. In decent rings I think they looked the part better than the modern style of similar sight and were certainly rugged in use.

quote:

Originally posted by tim416:

I am of the younger generation and thinking of going traditional on my next hunt. I don't mean to hi-jack this thread but can you shed some light on the ballistic coefficient and grain weight recommended of the flint tip spearheads you were using.

Tim,

The more things have changed, the more they have stayed the same. There were some that said the standard 3000 grain spear tips on a standard wood shaft were all you would ever need.

Then, there were others who said that a 2700 grain tip would give you a flat enough trajectory that you could use it on plains game species, but was still enough spear for dangerous game... with proper flint tip placement.

However, there was another group that advocated the 'heavy for spear' 3500 grain flint tips as the only proper tips to use for maximum knock down power.

This was an endless argument that went on for hours every night around the fire, until one day a fellow from across the river showed up with a newfangled rig that featured this fluted tip that couldn't have weighed more than 2300 grains and was on a shorter, thinner shaft slung out of an atlatl.

Well, immediately there was a group that latched on to that claiming it to be the answer to all problems, and runners were dispatched up and down the river to find someone who had actually used it on a hunt.

We learned never to discuss ballistic coefficients, as these arguments became very heated and usually resulted in a 'club fest'. And, when we would all be too sore and bruised to go hunting the next day, all the moaning and bitching from the women convinced us that this was not in our best interests.

There was however further, spirited debate on whether it was ethical to stay back and use an atlatl on dangerous game, but that is a topic for another day.