Quote: He is sending in his qualifying order to Blaser next week and will be ordering two double rifles as part of the package. He has four calibers from which to choose. He doesn't really have much experience in the high end gun business but he does a tremendous volume.
If he doesn't do much business in the HIGH END market, even the BLAZER will seem high end to the Rem/chester market he caters to! The Blazer doubles, have not been well recieved in the double rifle market. Even in a store that sells very high end rifles, a Blazer double will be hard to sell to anyone knowledgeable on double rifles, and the rem/chester crowd is far more likely to buy a Marlin 1895 45-70, instead! I think if he wants to get into the double rifle market, the Merkel 140 9.3X74R, and a Safari 470NE, and a 500NE, will be far more sellable, and are in the reasonable price range,that he needs, to break into the double rifle field. He should never buy a double rifle chambered for anything but a rimmed cartridge.
Posts: 14634 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: 08 June 2000
I would stay far from the blaser, they are a manufacturing genius thing, but just not what a double gun enthusiast will buy. Merkel 470 would be my 1st choice
Skip the 375 H&H for a double rifle, too easy for a non rimmed case to jump the extractor/ejectors and tie up the gun......
The .470 is the no.1 seller, but the 500/416 (it is rimmed) is a neat cartridge and I think it would be my choice of an excellent double rifle caliber...
Posts: 42320 | Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Registered: 04 June 2000
Ray - I've got a 500 416 on the way to me via a trade, as I write this. Seemed to be a great round with the little research & information I could find.
Any ideas for reloading data? I've got what the Barnes manual lists and what the factory publishes (410 gr Woodleigh).
Any advice or related experience would be appreciated.
Mike
Posts: 681 | Location: Spring Branch, TX (Summers in Northern MN) | Registered: 18 September 2004
Thanks for the replies so far...like many of you I was a little surprised by the choice. His primary motivation is he does a big volume of police and military type stuff and apparantly Blaser has some kind of hot tactical bolt gun that can change calibers in a flash and has all kinds of gee gaws. He does sell quite a few Sako TRGs and Barret .50s etc...so its not like he's dealing with your average bumpkin. I told him the .470 NE would be the fastest to sell. I think the doubles are the same as offered by the old JP Sauer firm...which I believe Blaser acquired. I could be wrong but when I looked at the catalogue I definitely thought they looked like Sauer doubles...
Please keep the comments coming...fwiw, for the $$$ I'll be sending my order to Butch (unless he gets a huge reputation and a big head and moves out of my price range) Don't let money change you Butch!
Posts: 457 | Location: Kentucky | Registered: 25 February 2002
Quote: Ray - I've got a 500 416 on the way to me via a trade, as I write this. Seemed to be a great round with the little research & information I could find.
Any ideas for reloading data? I've got what the Barnes manual lists and what the factory publishes (410 gr Woodleigh).
Any advice or related experience would be appreciated.
Mike
Mike, shoot me an email, and I can run you some quickloads (computer simulations) for you. and give you a good starting point... i assume hornady bullets?
To the dealer placing the order, i would suggest he not order spec high end rifles... that's money that will NOT turnover anytime soon jeffe
Quote: fwiw, for the $$$ I'll be sending my order to Butch (unless he gets a huge reputation and a big head and moves out of my price range) Don't let money change you Butch!
Butch? Change? Maybe in the next ice age. Definitely my kinda guy!
Posts: 2690 | Location: Lakewood, CA. USA | Registered: 07 January 2001
Chopperguy, Most of my DG shooting with a double rifle has been with the 450-400s and the 500/416 is just an extension of that..The 500/416 actually equals the 416 Rem and 416 Rigby, need I say more, both proven DG rounds in anyones books....
I have not owned a 500/416 as yet, but with a 400 gr. bullet at 2350 to 2400 FPS, it just doesn't get any better than that...Very shootable from a recoil standpoint, and a sure killer of DG....
I have no load information on that caliber as its a relatively new round and not many of them around...My latest double rifle is a Searcy .470 and I considered the 500/416 at that time but then decided a .470 loaded down a bit would be just as good or better...I still wonder about that analagy and I think if I had it all to do over I would go with the 500/416....however my .470 is the most accurate double rifle I have ever shot and Butch won the double rifle nationals with it, so all ends well.....
Posts: 42320 | Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Registered: 04 June 2000
What does your friend call a "quick turnaround" Several years? Seriously. DR's don't move quickly in general, and these in particular. If he is dead set to get a couple, then .470 is the way to go. But it would not surprise me if he sold them below cost after a couple of years of sitting on his shelf and tying up his money. Will have to sell a hell of a lot of tactical bolt action rifle to make up for the 2 DR dent in the cash flow. I assume this guy can at least spell EBITA?
Posts: 2509 | Location: Kisatchie National Forest, LA | Registered: 20 October 2004
He knows his business far better than I do. He sells 2-3 TRG's a month (that's about $10K a month gross sales just for one item). He's dealer direct with more manufacturers than just about any gun shop I've ever been in. S&W's largest account in a 5 state area! Beretta's largest account in a three state area... etc etc He does a pretty good volume off the internet as well so his market for guns isn't limited to what walks off the street. He quite literally spends half of every weekday placing orders. Has about 4-5 salesmen on the floor during an average day... We were talking the other day about his inventory turnover and he said the gun he's had longest in his inventory was a Sako stainless synthetic he pulled off the shelf becuase it was within the recall range for Sako's recent fiasco. I asked him how long (thinking a few years...) nope...11 months! The guy has built a tremendous business. Its not MY business and I've never seen any comparable financials (Robert Morris & Associates etc) for this type of business...so I'll decline to open my mouth about something like financial ratios as they can vary significantly between various types of business venture...sometimes surprisingly so.
Posts: 457 | Location: Kentucky | Registered: 25 February 2002
the guy may be a business geniuess for all I know. I do know one thing for a fact: the first time I read your post I thought it looked pretty silly for an established business man who knows a lot to have to do his market research by sending his friend to post a question on an anonymous bullitin board on the world wide web. Made me go "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm". Just an observation. I hope he makes a killing on the DR's. I'm a Republican and want every one to have more money
Posts: 2509 | Location: Kisatchie National Forest, LA | Registered: 20 October 2004
It looks to me like those rifles are made in calibers from .223 all the way up to .500 Nitro.... Personally, I'd choose the 8X75R! But not for dangerous game. For dangerous game, I want a rifle that cocks both barrels when you OPEN it to replace the empties!
He's got a real paradox on his hands. A serious double guy will want a traditional caliber but not a Blaser. On the other hand, an impulse buyer who decides the Blaser is cool but doesn't know doubles (or care what is normal, for that matter) might be more inclined to a cartridge he recognizes like the 375.
Posts: 11143 | Location: Texas, USA | Registered: 22 September 2003
