This weekend me and my father when to Penn. for the drag race at maple grove, well it was rained out. So we decided to get to Cabelas. While there I went to the fine gun room. In there they had 2 Kreighoff doubles. One in .470 and the other in .500. I did not get the chance to hold them because I doubt they would let a 17 y/o teen with a Avenged Sevenfold shirt on handle a $15000 rifle. But while I was drooling over them, I noticed the barrels on the .470 looked thicker then the .500. I have never held a double rifle, so you can tell I have no experince with them, but shouldn't it be different? I mean, shouldn't the .500 have thicker/wider barrels? I'm not talking about the width from the bore to the out side of the barrel. Just the width from one side of the barrel to the other, out side to out side. Please answer this question for me.

Both the .470 and .500 are made on the same action, with the centerline of the bores being the same distance apart. But as the .470 has a smaller bore diameter, something must fill up the space in between...

C. Wathen, I think what you are refereing to is wall thickness, but I'm not sure whether you are talking about the reciever end, or the muzzles. The reason the barrels are the same outside diameter is, as 500 said, they are made on the same action, because both the 470NE, and the 500NE are made on the same case. The 470NE is simply a 500NE 3 1/4" case necked down to use a .475 bullet. This means the 500NE barrel is used for both chamberings, but the bore is smaller for the 470NE, by 0.035", leaving the wall thickness thicker in the 470NE rifle, with the outside measurement the same for both chamberings!

I am talking about the thickness at the muzzel. Sorry for not making that clear. This is what i'm talking about. Forgive my terrible skills in paint

quote:

Originally posted by C.Wathen:
I am talking about the thickness at the muzzel. Sorry for not making that clear. This is what i'm talking about. Forgive my terrible skills in paint

The picture you offer is fine except there is a regulating wedge between them, but I know what you mean! The over all width of both barrels at the muzzles is exactly the same in both the 470NE and the 500NE double rifle from Krieghoff, or Merkel, because as I said in my other post the only difference is in the dia of the bore hole in the barrels. This is because the 500NE barrel is used, with a smaller bore drilled through it for the 470NE. The outside dia is the same for both calibers! It may interest you to know the 500NE double rifle weighs less than the 470NE because of this, makeing the 500NE have considerably more recoil than the 470NE, than the difference would be if the 500NE rifle were heaver, or even the same weight as the 470NE.

Thank you Mac for clearing that up for me. Must have been one of those optical elusions or some thing. I just can't wait until I can afford a Searcy. Must spend too much time looking at doubles, my vision is getting messed up LOL

Cory,
They would have allowed you to handle one of those double rifles..they have no idea how much cash you or your dad has. I have already handled a $75,000 double at Bass Pro in Harrisburg and I told the gun shop manager I had no intention of purchasing it...but a 10 minute chat with one of those guys goes a long way. They love guns and like talking about this stuff as much as anyone. Next time just ask...whats the worst thing that can happen? BTW, I have handled them doubles already along with a lot of other guns in that Library. Yep, I purchased some of them too. Its quite nice living within 20-40 miles of Cabelas, Bass Pro and Gander Mountain. It can also get a guy in trouble with the BOSS.

Woody