Hey guys, curious about something. I have never shot a double, sadly. I thought I read something on here about an upcoming double shoot in CA and that Searcy would be bringing some and people could shoot for price of ammo. I don't know where the info. is though so might not get to do that.

My question is this. My stepfather told me once about a hunter that he'd read of that would fire one barrel immediately after the other on DG and would put one shot just a few inches above the other. Do you that have them in hairy situations fire one barrel right after the other or is it a "squeeze both" at the same time deal? How close of succession can they be fired and maintain a modicum of accuracy?

Thanks dudes.

Red
PS
if anybody knows anything about that double shoot please let me know. I could handle driving a few hours even with the gas prices if I knew I were going to get to shoot somebodies cool toys.

Check this site for info on the DR shoot.

http://www.searcyent.com/

You never shoot both barrels at the same time. Well almost never as I am sure someone on here will come up with a acenario that you might.

465H&H

Can't find the email Butch sent me, but here is something from his website:

This year, the Western Double Rifle Championship will be held at the Folsom Shooting Club’s Sacramento Valley Shooting Center in Sloughhouse, California. The principal sponsors of the match are B. Searcy & Co (http://www.searcyent.com) and the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (http://www.nra.org).

The competition is open to all side-by-side double rifles. There will be a single course-of-fire and a single champion. Lesser-recoiling rifles will be fired from a greater distance as a method of handicapping. How that distinction is made can be found in the course description. The course-of-fire will require a minimum of 14-rounds and that the competitors move and reload. It is designed to be difficult and realistic.

Registration will begin at 8:00am on October 8. The match will begin at 8:30am. Registration will end at 3:45pm. Prizes will be awarded to 5th place. The match champion will receive a beautiful (and very large) silver trophy which will be his or hers to keep.

The match fee is $25. A competitor may re-enter the match with a rifle of a different power rating for $20. A complete course description and rules can be downloaded in Word format or .pdf format.

For directions and information concerning the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center please go to http://www.sacvalley.org. If you have technical questions, please contact Match Director Steve Helsley at schmjh@pacbell.net

Email Butch directly if you want more info.

quote:

You never shoot both barrels at the same time. Well almost never as I am sure someone on here will come up with a acenario that you might.

You might want to talk with our resident expert about this, Rusty. He likes to "double" double rifles and I took the picture to prove it: DRSS Hunt

Sorry, Rusty, I just couldn't help myself!!!!!

I wonder if anyone has actually Doubled a rifle on purpose to see where it would print?

I have a .577 that I would let a volunter use.

I once had a 470 that doubled alot. Usually one would it the target and the second was off in the sky somewhere. It would sound and feel like both went off at the same time, but evidently it was sequencial. Not a lot of fun either

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
I once had a 470 that doubled alot. Usually one would it the target and the second was off in the sky somewhere. It would sound and feel like both went off at the same time, but evidently it was sequencial. Not a lot of fun either

That is what I was about to post! Most so-called doubleing is actually two shots fired, one very quickly after the other. They are not similtanious, because, the recoil from one sets off the other, or, the finger slips off the front trigger, and hits the back one. Even with a little 9.3X74R double rifle the recoil is enough that the second shot in a doubleing sittuation, will be way high compared to the first shot. This I can say from experience. I was shooting the little rifle at a range where they have baffels to guard against shooting over the target backstop. I fired the first one, which hit right where I aimed at fifty yds. The second barrel put a bullet right through a six inch steel I-beam three feet above my head, and ten feet in front of the bench. You can imigine where the second one would have gone if I had been shooting a 470NE, r a 500NE double.

I doubt any second bullet in a doubleing would hit the target even at ten feet in front of you! The idea is to have two "AIMED" shots in as little time as is possible, but you must recover from recoil, and get back on target before you fire the second barrel.

Yeah I have doubled rifles twice!

First was a Rigby 450/400 3 1/4 they printed 1 inch apart left a half inch higher than the right.

The second was a Merkel 470 this past April.
Although ther was no paper target the round hit just like the ones above together the left a bit higher! It got a great laugh!

I love ya, Rusty! Always a good sport!

Looking forward to our next get together.

It sounds to me like Rusty is the most accurate doubler. Perhaps it is just a speed-shooting technique he is pioneering.

Dago,

To answer your question with no uncertainty. NO you NEVER pull both triggers at the same time. despite Capstick's allusions to doing so on several occasions.

I've doubled my rifle on two occasions both times it was shooter error. I bounced my finger to the rear trigger in recoil both times. Once both bullets actually hit the target about 8 inches apart. The other time god only knows where number two went.

I can fire two rounds with great rapidity at close range with a .470 double. As can anyone who practices a bit.

W.D.M. Bell tried wireing his 450-400 triggers togeather so that when he pulled the rear trigger both went. Says that gave him a combined 800gr of lead and 120gr cordite.
On Elle there was no improvement, and when hit in the right place, his .275 worked better than a bad placement with the 400.
(Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter)
John L>

I have doubled several of them, but I assure you never on purpose, its a tingling experience and lots of blood involved as a rule....

I had one double so close that the bullets holes in the target at 25 yards were one center and the other 8" high...but most doublings are like 3 to 5 feet apart...

I can shoot both barrels pretty quick but you still have to come down from recoil so although quick you can still get a 6 to 10" horizontal dispersion on a buffalo...

It's a poor practice at best...and I am talking about the big bores from .470 and up and I will even include the 450-400 in that scenario.

Here's a video clip of one of our AR members, double firing a 500-416 Kreighoff (iirc)... Double firing a double rifle

Cheers,
Canuck

You see how the muzzles rise, in Canuck's film, with a 500/416 K you can imagine what a 470NE, would do! Rusty can tell you! I double fired a 577NE in a 13.5 lb rifle, and I ended up on my butt in the sand. Even the little 9.3 hurts with a solid butt plate! None of mine have been from a faulty rifle, rather shooter error.

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
None of mine have been from a faulty rifle, rather shooter error.

So would using the rear trigger first solve that problem?
I know there was a thread on this but I think I got confused on the outcome.
John L.

Doubling in a properly set up rifle is caused by folks that do not grip the rifle in the grip and forend...in other words hang on to it, it ain't no .270....

Pulling the rear trigger firs will work of course, but normally you have a solid in the rear trigger and a soft in the front trigger...so the option is which bullet you want to shoot, not which trigger to pull first.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
None of mine have been from a faulty rifle, rather shooter error.

So would using the rear trigger first solve that problem?
I know there was a thread on this but I think I got confused on the outcome.
John L.

Having done this on more than one occasion, I now ALWAYS shoot the left barrel / rear trigger first. Never had a double discharge on the range just when I get excited with a black thing a few metres in front of me. Using the rear trigger first works well enough.

In the heat of the moment the double discharges never bothered me much at all. The weight behind the butt must have some benefit .

quote:

Pulling the rear trigger firs will work of course, but normally you have a solid in the rear trigger and a soft in the front trigger...so the option is which bullet you want to shoot, not which trigger to pull first.

This might be a really dumb question, but couldn't you fix that by putting the solid in front trigger and the soft in the rear?

Cheers,
Canuck

quote:

Originally posted by Canuck:

quote:

Pulling the rear trigger firs will work of course, but normally you have a solid in the rear trigger and a soft in the front trigger...so the option is which bullet you want to shoot, not which trigger to pull first.

This might be a really dumb question, but couldn't you fix that by putting the solid in front trigger and the soft in the rear?

Cheers,
Canuck

Absolutely it would make sense to load it that way if you are prone to slip finger doubleing. IMO, there are two reasons I load mine with the soft in the right barrel, and a solid in the left. #1 I learned to shoot doubles that way, and #2, some double rifles will not regulate when you fire the left barrel first. At very close range all of them will shoot acceptably either way, so for close in you can do it any way you want. At longer range, which is usually the deal with the first shot. With that in mind, I load the soft in the right barrel, and the solid in the left, so when I fire that first shot, it goes where I want it, and then the solid does too, and I don't have to remember which rifleor if I've loaded backwards, when the crap hits the fan!

I had an H&H 465 Dominion grade that would double every time you fired the left barrel first. I could not wait to unload that beast!

Cannuck and Mac,
Now tell me how that would make any differnce at all in a hunting situation wherein you have not clue if you are going to shoot a solid or a soft....Do you think that in every case your going to give old nyati the soft first??? if so then you hunt different than I...I have shot a solid first on many ocassion, if faceing I always give him a solid, if looking away I give him one up the keyster, and follow with a soft mostly because its there and will add some harm to him....If standing broadside picture perfect then a soft solid punch...but few give you such a perfect shot, and waiting them out is not for me as then tend to toss their head and go for parts unknown when your too slow....

Anyway thats my reply to your questions and Macs answer...from my point of view..

quote:

Originally posted by luvrecoletta:
I had an H&H 465 Dominion grade that would double every time you fired the left barrel first. I could not wait to unload that beast!

Why didn't you simply have it fixed? The tumbler spring was weak,and did not hold enough pressure on the sear engagement, or the sear engagement was not properly cut, or both. A simple fix for a decent gun smith.

Which gunsmith would you recommend? I am having a problem with a Heym 500 Nitro Express 3 1/4". It doubles frequently, and nearly dislocated a friends shoulder.

Khan!

J.J. Perodeau is a bout the best in the business. Give him a call to see if he thinks he can help you. http://www.champlinarms.com/

But first I would try to find out if it is a problem with the gun or is it a problem with your shooting technique? If when it doubles the bullets land 6" to 10" apart it is probably the gun. If they land feet apart then it is probably your technique as you are dragging your finger across the rear trigger.

465H&H