I have never posted before because I am a neophyte when it comes to all things regarding African hunting and rifles, but for the past 2-1/2
years or so I have been able to learn about it from the wealth of knowledge available from the individuals on this forum, I figured that one should not post until one had some knowledge of the subject matter, which brings me to my topic.
I read the posts below about Butch Searcys customer service issues. Now Mr Searcy does not need anybody to defend him on his business practices,least of all myself ,However I have a small amount of experience in dealing with Butch.
Both myself and a friend purchased rifles from Butch which will be completed shortly.(thanks to Ray,Mac,500grains & others for your advice)and
We both went to boron to be fitted. I must say that my experience with Butch Searcy has been a very pleasant one. However He will tell you one thing from the start, 500grains refered to it in his post, that the the rifle (or any of Butch's products)are sort of a joint venture deal. Sure I paid and own the rifle but it's still butch's and should ANYTHING happen It MUST be RETURNED to him asap. Should someone tamper or change the product, (remove the barrel before Butch inspects it) you will void ALL warranty issues that an individual may have. This seems fair to me. I would without reservation do business with Butch again.
I know this information probably will carry
no weight whatsoever but I wanted to counter the nastiness of the poster called corbin. Follow the rules and you will not have a problem, the same as with most things in life.

Sincerely
John Paul Petroni

John Paul,
A fitting testimony! Exactly what this forum is all about!

I have not purchased on of Butch's doubles yet and they may not be "the perfect double rifle", however Butch Searcy is about as fine a fella as I've met!

Rusty
We band of brothers!

I purchased a double rifle from Mr. Searcy and had the following experience.

1. Stock fitting. Unlike most double makers, Mr. Searcy offers to custom fit the stock to the customer's dimensions. For those of us who are used to fitting our body to standard stock dimensions, this is a real treat, and Mr. Searcy does not charge anything additional for the service. I had expected the stock fitting to include Mr. Searcy to measure every feature of my body with embarassing precision, but it did not. Instead he had me close my eyes and aim several rifles by instinct. Then I would open my eyes and adjust the gun so that the sights were on target. Mr. Searcy stood there and eyeballed the process, eventually deciding what kind of cast, drop and LOP I needed. When I got the rifle, it was just right. The sights come up very nicely, and I had no idea that someone could perform a complex measurement so closely with just their eyeball.

2. Delivery time. Mr. Searcy estimated delivery time for the rifle to be 9 months, and that is exactly what it was. Promise kept.

3. Metal fit and metal work. The action is nice and tight (but does not bind like some doubles I have seen), and all of the metal work is very nicely done.

3. Metal to wood fit. The metal to wood fit is excellent.

4. Wood. I paid a measly $300 for a wood upgrade and the wood is beautiful. I am absolutely delighted with it.

5. Checkering. Perfect in every way.

6. Shooting. Since I received the rifle I have had only one chance to go to the range since I have been working like a madman. That one time I shot all my rounds offhand because I am trying to break myself in to the recoil so I cannot report accuracy results. When I have some accuracy results to report, I will do so. I can report, however, that the gun recoils straight back with some muzzle rise. This means that the stock fits me. If the gun pulled right or left during recoil that would mean that there is a stock dimension problem, which there is not.

7. Reloading. Butch has spent a considerable amount of time answering all of my questions about reloading for the caliber and the rifle, including providing me with data, discussing the details of various brass, etc. That's uncommonly good service and keen interest in the customer's use of the gun.

Overall I am delighted with my choice to purchase a Searcy rifle and with the outstanding service that I have received. Mr. Searcy explained to me that the rifle is a lifetime partnership between us and I should contact him at any time with any questions or for any assistance whatsoever. Even for minor things such as a sight adjustment or re-bluing, I would not think of touching anything with Mr. Searcy ready, willing and able to take care of it.

I cannot imagine any gunmaker being more diligent about working with his customers or standing by his rifles than Mr. Searcy. (However, I have heard that H&H offers a post-season cleaning and test firing service for their premium doubles that costs just a couple thousand bucks. )

For anyone interested in a double rifle, a fine custom big bore bolt gun, or a premium single shot I would recomment B. Searcy & Co. in the strongest terms.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the above rifle was the field grade. I cannot even imagine what kind of luxury the customer of a Presidential Grade rifle would be treated to!

hey dan hows it going i have been tring to contact you and talk to you about your searcy

butch is going to send me a press,dies,and shell holder for my 700 nitro

i changed my order from 577 to 700

its going to be a box lock under lever presidental grade firearm.

there is a guy called don that bought 1 from butch he shot a elephant with the 1000 grn bullet and got 8 feet of penetration.

I too, will post a full report on both Searcy's as
soon as Butch calls us down to Boron for a test
shooting and pick-up when they are completed.

John Paul Petroni

oops sorry i thought the guys name was don i have that vidio.. also i must note the guy in the vidio is 50+ years old im half his age and 2 times his size.

the recoil in the 700 isnt really that bad butch said his 577 has more of a sharp snap than his 700

and im not exactly shy or recoil.

the 2 bore i had makes this thing look like a pop gun.

[ 02-12-2003, 01:34: Message edited by: black-powder-big-bore ]