After over two years, my falling block 470 arrived yesterday. It was worth the wait. It is gorgeous. The man is, indeed, an artist. I will post pictures, but since I am leaving for Zim in the morning, I have a bit too much on my plate today. I had, of course, wanted to use it on this hunt, but big picture wise, that's OK. Pictures next month, with a range report!
Posts: 1981 | Location: South Dakota | Registered: 22 August 2004
Marty - Good luck on your hunt. Congrats on the new rifle. Just think you will now have a good reason to go back and take the new one. Like we all need "good reason" to go back to Africa, right?
Larry Sellers SCI(International)Life Member Sabatti 'trash' Double Shooter R8 Blaser DRSS
Posts: 3460 | Location: Jemez Mountains, New Mexico | Registered: 09 February 2006
Have a great hunt and congratulations on your new rifle. Bill
Member DSC,DRSS,NRA,TSRA A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. -Mark Twain There ought to be one day - just one – when there is open season on Congressmen. ~Will Rogers~
Posts: 1132 | Location: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: 09 May 2006
Marty Is hereby given an extension on posting pictures of his new rifle as long as he post pictures of his El at the same time. Bill
Member DSC,DRSS,NRA,TSRA A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. -Mark Twain There ought to be one day - just one – when there is open season on Congressmen. ~Will Rogers~
Posts: 1132 | Location: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: 09 May 2006
I hope to get rifle pics up this weekend, but my desktop is down and I am having trouble managing the huge volume of photos on my iPad for a hunt report. Glad to have met you, Hook, in Joberg. The silver pieces we got from you were added to the tip for our trackers, who were nothing short of amazing. That bit of bling seemed pretty appropriate for them.
Posts: 1981 | Location: South Dakota | Registered: 22 August 2004
Marty, Yes i enjoyed meeting you again and the beautiful lady you where with. ( hope your wife does not find out about her) I bet the trackers are proud of the pendents. there are 6 silver ones and 2 gold ones in texas ready to ship if anyone needs them. I ran into retriever at JoBerg this round tooo he is always fun and so is his lovely wife.
Posts: 3818 | Location: kenya, tanzania,RSA,Uganda or Ethophia depending on day of the week | Registered: 27 May 2009
Well, my desktop is still down, butI managed to get these up from my iPad, with some difficulty. I had to post each photo in a separate post, I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. I shot it today. I need to shoot it a bit to evaluate regulation, but the targets Bailey shot with my loads were great. My first impression is waaay cool, we'll leave it at that. Rapid reloads are going to take some practice.
Posts: 1981 | Location: South Dakota | Registered: 22 August 2004
Rusty We Band of Brothers! DRSS, NRA & SCI Life Member "I am rejoiced at my fate. Do not be uneasy about me, for I am with my friends." ----- David Crockett in his last letter (to his children), January 9th, 1836 "I will never forsake Texas and her cause. I am her son." ----- Jose Antonio Navarro, from Mexican Prison in 1841 "for I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Arbroath April 6, 1320-“. . .It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”
Posts: 9797 | Location: Missouri City, Texas | Registered: 21 June 2000
The rifle is chambered in 470 NE. The barrels are 26 inches. I just put it on my luggage scale, and it comes in right at 12 pounds.
I had Bailey color case harden the receiver, and asked him for a simple motif of crossed tusks, which he inlaid in pure silver. I wanted silver, because it will develop a patina, which I think will look good on the case colors. He designed the images, and added a pair of tusks on the safety button, which I thought was a nice artistic touch. I should add that he is doing his own color case hardening now.
Since I think a double gun should be a takedown, he incorporated his takedown design as an option. I bought a wood upgrade, and added a leather covered recoil pad.
Twelve pounds is a little on the heavy side for a 470, but the weight rests solidly between my hands, where it should.
The long tangs, sling studs and steel grip pad are standard, as is the folding peep sight.
It feels different from my Searcy, which isn't surprising. Since I can only handle 8 or 10 full tilt loads in a session, I'm really just getting started with it. I did put a right and left about an inch apart at 25 yards, but my other groups weren't as good, blame my shooting.
All in all, I'm thrilled with it, but need to do a lot more shooting. Glad you all like it!
Posts: 1981 | Location: South Dakota | Registered: 22 August 2004
Marty, very nice. Mine will be in 500NE with a 2nd barrel set in 450-400. He must have added the pop-up ghost ring recently...I don't remember that. You should shot the rifle full length, to show the proportions of the short forend to the 26" barrels. I love that look :-)
Posts: 20171 | Location: Very NW NJ up in the Mountains | Registered: 14 June 2009
Very nice! Excellent case colors and engraving. I really like the tusk motif. Congrats.
Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas"
"A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck
Posts: 2545 | Location: The 'Ham | Registered: 25 May 2007
