Ok, I just bought a Pedersoli .45-70 double rifle (one of the older ones brought in by Trail Gun Armory) and have some questions. First how close are doubles usually regulated? This one seems to be regulated at 15 yards! By 20 yards the barrels are cross firing. I am not too displeased as there is only 2 inches of spread at 50 yards, the farthest I have fired so far, at that rate it should be fine out to 100 yards. I have read that you should hold the barrels ahead of the forestock and always fire the right and then the left barrel, can someone tell me the reasons behind this? Thanks in advance,
Jason

Sharps54

Theoretically the barrels should never cross, only run parallel to infinity. Realistically, they should not cross before 100 yards in my opinion.

Why would you hold the barrels ahead of the forend? I have no clue, wrap your hands around the forend and the barrels.

The right barrel is the front trigger and it is easier to pull your finger back to the rear trigger than push it forward to the front. I have heard it said that the left barrel is regulated warm. That is with the heat from the right barrel. I don't know if this is true and I have never seen a rifle regulated in Belgium or Ferlach to take this into account but who knows.

I think I have read both Elmer Keith and COL Boddington mention to hold ahead of the forestock but will have to look it up to verify that. I started at 10 yards and fired a shot from each barrel every 10 yards out to 50 yards, ammuniton was factory 300 gr Winchester. When I say the barrels crossing at 20 yards I was gritting my teeth thinking about the BATF fees to convert the rifle to a Howdah pistol! I will hopefully get back out and shoot some more later this week or early next. If they stay within five inches at 100 yards then I can live with it as that will be fine in the woods here in North Carolina.
Jason

Well I guess my memory is worse then I thought. I tried to look for the references to holding in front of the forestock and can't find them. COL Boddington mentions to hold the barrels but doesn't say not to hold the forestock and I think my memory of Keith is from photos of him shooting double with his hand way out there, but I couldn't find any reference to it in the books of his that I own.
Jason