I’m most grateful to, I think it may have been Mac, who suggested a double SxS shotgun was a good way to practice for using a rifle double. I m very comfortable and love shooting both my 45-70 and 577 NE doubles but it gets expensive and sore. So I first looked for a Winchester 21 double but eventually bought a Connecticut Shotgun RBL SxS in 12 gauge with twin triggers and 3” chamber so I could also use it for duck hunting. Yesterday paired with a friend we took 5 ducks and 9 upland birds and did some sporting clays and today 17 ducks and 23 upland birds. What fun plus I improved my response time and fixed in my memory switching off the safety on shouldering and working with two triggers. I highly recommend it. When I start getting ready again for next years buffalo hunts with my rifle doubles I ll be able to get up to speed much quicker.

You may want to use 12 Ga slugs to simulate the double rifle. Very different recoil pressure curve from bird shot.

I did that pretending to be Bwana a few years ago



I got an old Webley and Scott ejector with opened up forcing cones and possibly even the chamber. The only problem was the lack of a rear V sight for accurate shooting.

I got some S&B ammo and also some round cast ball and reloaded standard bird shot.

You may want to put a simple peep sight on like the one below. A piece of alumionium with a hole and stuck on with double sided tape

quote:

Originally posted by LR3:
I’m most grateful to, I think it may have been Mac, who suggested a double SxS shotgun was a good way to practice for using a rifle double. I m very comfortable and love shooting both my 45-70 and 577 NE doubles but it gets expensive and sore. So I first looked for a Winchester 21 double but eventually bought a Connecticut Shotgun RBL SxS in 12 gauge with twin triggers and 3” chamber so I could also use it for duck hunting. Yesterday paired with a friend we took 5 ducks and 9 upland birds and did some sporting clays and today 17 ducks and 23 upland birds. What fun plus I improved my response time and fixed in my memory switching off the safety on shouldering and working with two triggers. I highly recommend it. When I start getting ready again for next years buffalo hunts with my rifle doubles I ll be able to get up to speed much quicker.

LR3, The practice with a shotgun to hone your response for a two shot rapid safety release, trigger, for the first shot, and a quick second shot with the other trigger and being on target is a perfect practice regimen if the shell you practice with are fairly comparable to the round the double rifle is chambered for.
However, this is for a two shot practice only but is perfect for that. The reason being that a re-load for shots three, and four is quite different for a shotgun and a double rifle.
The fact is many times when stopping a cape buffalo, or elephant may require a very quick re-loading of the rifle and getting back on target to produce a stop! the blunt end of a shot shell hinders this re-load and can cause a dropping of one or both shells.

The quick re-load should be practiced with your double rifle, to not only a quick re-load, but putting the next two shots on target every time.
Practice makes perfect muscle memory that are valuable to avoid mistakes at the most inopportune time!


……………………………………………….Good hunting! Mac

I'd strongly, very strongly, caution against using a SxS shot gun as double rifle practice. Use it as a SxS for your ducks and upland game etc.. But not practice for DR use.

For as you practice you'll do in reality. Ever hear the account of the dead police officer who's pockets were full of his empty cases?

The concern is you'll not let the gun eject your cases but "catch" them using your hand and you'll do that with your DR. Also you'll get used to expecting a different sight picture.

quote:

Use it as a SxS for your ducks and upland game etc.. But not practice for DR use.

Or shoot skeet or sporting clays which will address the handling of a double gun.
Those that have used double guns for years (as have I ) find the well fitted DR easy to shoot properly.

However, a bit of practice on the differences between the shot gun and rifle can be helpful, especially if going for DG. Feral hogs make for great practice targets.

All good points. I usually put 50-100 rounds through my double rifles before a trip to get back to shooting with the red dots and reloading from a belt. But for snap shooting and quick mounting the shotgun was good practice.

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:

However, a bit of practice on the differences between the shot gun and rifle can be helpful, especially if going for DG. Feral hogs make for great practice targets.

…………...My practice as well! I get a large number of double tapps on a pair of running wild boar as well. THey are not only good targets for practice but make fine table fair as well!
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Not a fan. Totally different animals.

Agree completely on sxs shotgun practice. Look, it’s as close as you can get. Had a friend with an o/u single trigger. I’ve been shooting doubles with 2 triggers for a long long time. I could not stop going for the second trigger while shooting clays. Vice versa, he was behind when shooting my 2 triggers. From the look, feel, opening mechanism, triggers you can’t do any better than a sxs shotgun...except the real thing.

Good for targets and birds, etc. From Midway for my cheap Turkish 12 ga O/U. Has built in ranging with the two rings once you work out the amounts.

Far be it from me to tell ANYONE HOW TO PRACTICE FOR HUNTING DG...WAY too much danger attached to doing so...and you have to practice YOUR OWN WAY AND not have extraneous thoughts of "Am I doing this right" entering your mind.

I agree somewhat with some of the things other posters advocate BUT I TOTALLY AGREE with dpcd...the ONLY way to deal with DG is practicing with the GUN AND LOAD you expect to use...all the rest has lots of dangerous garbage attached. Something non-dangerous that won't mess you about is OK.

My reasons...I shot a lot of wheel gun stuff way back in the day with a 4" S&W Combat Masterpiece and I can STILL hear the range master screaming to "police up your brass"..."Brass goes in the brass can"..."not that way, stupid"...and even today, EVERY time I pick up that revolver, those commands AND the muscle memory returns to **** me up. I learned HOW to shoot that wheel gun a certain way and no matter how I practice today that muscle memory gets in the way.

I shoot my autos one way, my single action pistols another way and that ONE wheel gun totally different and when I'm concentrating on one thing that muscle memory comes back to haunt me.

Another thing is the visual aspect. I'm not a doubles man and have held only a few double rifles, but I can still see the picture in my mind of what the muzzle and sight plain look like and NO SXS or O/U looks the same, feels the same, balances the same and the shooting controls are laid out differently.

It's your hunt, hide, etc...I shoot lots of different rifles, shotguns, and other shooters and I guarantee you that if I were hunting DG I would be practicing with only ONE GUN AND ONE LOAD for quite a while BEFORE the hunt...the one I will be using to do the killing.

Good Hunting

quote:

Originally posted by NONAGONAGIN:
PRACTICE FOR HUNTING DG...WAY too much danger attached to doing so...and you have to practice YOUR OWN WAY AND not have extraneous thoughts of "Am I doing this right" entering your mind.


It's your hunt, hide, etc...I shoot lots of different rifles, shotguns, and other shooters and I guarantee you that if I were hunting DG I would be practicing with only ONE GUN AND ONE LOAD for quite a while BEFORE the hunt...the one I will be using to do the killing.

Good Hunting

My sentiments exactly! One other thing that may do more harm than good for your safety when hunting dangerous game, and that is, even when shooting REAL double rifles, is the use of both single and double triggers on the double rifle.

If you have both then my advice is to use the same trigger arrangement for practice and actual hunting of dangerous game. My personal preference is double triggers, but others may do as it suits.

My reason for preferring double triggers is, the instant change of triggers in case of a missfire, from a mechanical break. The double trigger in a double rifle allows the the rifle to be used as a single shot in a pinch. The single trigger double rifle requires one to pull the trigger twice to get off one shot every time unless the trigger system is selective.

The main thing is developing muscle memory that come in a tight spot, is not possible when practicing with one and shooting at DG with the other!

………………..Only one mans opinion others may do as they like! Opinions vary the above is mine!

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Nothing will train you to shoot your DR except shooting your DR .