Gentlemen

I just bought my first double

The BIG joke is that it is a .458 Win mag
My plan is to change it to .450 NE or 458 LOTT.

The price was right - secret

The Gun is only test fired and never used.
The first thing I will do is refinish the stock to a gloss finish with CCL oil.

Made by Franz Sodia.

What do you all think?

Cheers,

André

Jeffery

Nice double. I would get some loading info from JPK, and shoot it like it is, you may like it.

So when are you taking it to Africa? You need to hunt elephant with it!

I look forward to shooting it, will get it next.

I was in TZ last month where I hunted with a Heym 470 NE. I will use that Heym when I go there next time, good rifle.

This .458 is just for practice I think

Cheers,

André

Andre',

Welcome to the Double Gun Shooters Society...

You can rechamber to 450 or a 450#2maybe??? Much lower chamber pressure with the Nitros.

Anyway goodluck with that new addition to your rifles...

Mike

I would love to get a 450 #2, but do NOT know if that is possible.
I know that 450 3 1/4 is no problem.

Do anyone know a good european Master gunmaker that could pull this of?

Cheers,

André

Andre':

I had a Heym in 458 that was rechambered to 450 NE...simple chamber "clean-up" It shot very well with 480's at about 2150 fps...don't remember the load right now. If you plan on taking it for DG, I like a rimmed cartridge. If you put a finish on that stock like your 500 Heym......PROPER!
By the way...just got word that my Heym 500 Jeff is ready to come to me....can't wait.
Your rifle is very nice...please post pics when the stock is done...if I recall correctly, it will take you about a week to 10 days for all to be right.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI
DSC

Gary

Thanks for the information.
I will get the rifle next week.
It will take me about 30 days to refinish the stock, I will seal all the graines and work all the way with CCL oil until it has a gloss Purdey finish gloss

Pictures will be posted - trust me .

I look forward to practecing fast 4 shoot series with this double.

Cheers,

André

So where is your report from Tanzania???

If you do not want to keep it as a .458WM I am sure you can find someone in Europe to rechamber and reregulate if necessary. I know Champlin Arms over here has done several.

Report? You start to sound like my teacher

How is this for a report?

Cheers,

André

Jeffery,

Congratulations I like that rifle very much! A .450NE conversion would be the easiest if that is what you want to do with it.

Greg

quote:

Originally posted by JefferyDenmark:
Report? You start to sound like my teacher

How is this for a report?

Cheers,

André

It looks tasty but I had in mind something more along the lines of "What I Did on my Summer Vacation."

I think you would enjoy getting very close with a double hunting tuskless elephant cows in Zimbabwe.

But I am better at spending other people's money than my own!

[/QUOTE]

It looks tasty but I had in mind something more along the lines of "What I Did on my Summer Vacation."

I think you would enjoy getting very close with a double hunting tuskless elephant cows in Zimbabwe.

But I am better at spending other people's money than my own![/QUOTE]

Well it WAS that kind of trip - NO report will be made!
They kept telling me TIA TIA

Cheers,

André

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Nice double. I would get some loading info from JPK, and shoot it like it is, you may like it.

Ditto's NE 450 no.2,
Andre,
JPK has been down the same thought trail as you and decided to stay with the 458win mag. He is hunting ele at this very moment with his 458 double but you need to talk to him he's very much pleased with his and the decision to leave it alone.

Dirk

quote:

Originally posted by JefferyDenmark:

Well it WAS that kind of trip - NO report will be made!
They kept telling me TIA TIA

Cheers,

André

Top secret you say. Looks like it was a good hunt!

I'm with the others on shooting it first. I struggeld with the thought of rechambering my .458 untill I finally decided it was fine the way it was.
I think you'll find that your rifle will function fine with the .458 ammo. My Sodia .338 double rifle that looks very similar to yours shoots and ejects well and I've not yet had a single failure to do so.
I know how these things can eat on you when you have it in your head to make a change like this to achive perfection and if this is the case then I think you'll be able to rechamber without much trouble.I do have to say that in the end you will have those .45 cal bullets coming out of the barrels at about the same velocity but only after you've spent a good amount of money getting there. Just my .2 cents worth.

I have shot AKshooters 338 Win Mag double and it functioned 100%.

Also, for info, I know a fella that has several British doubles in "proper" NE calibres.

His favorite double to take to Africa to hunt, is a Heym double in 458 Win Mag, with a scope, shooting Barnes X bullets.

And He has some GREAT British Guns.

I agree with some of the above posters, "why fix what ain't broke?" Nice looking rifle,congrats.

Great looking rifle! And I would not mind eating that lunch pictured above...

Jeffery you are one lucky...saw the rifle on "Feine Jagdwaffen" - price - damn right price - also shoots good - congrats

P.S. I'd leave it in .458 win - smells of those days when there was nothing but .375 H&H and .458 Win to get even in Ferlach .

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
I'm with the others on shooting it first. I struggeld with the thought of rechambering my .458 untill I finally decided it was fine the way it was.
I think you'll find that your rifle will function fine with the .458 ammo. My Sodia .338 double rifle that looks very similar to yours shoots and ejects well and I've not yet had a single failure to do so.
I know how these things can eat on you when you have it in your head to make a change like this to achive perfection and if this is the case then I think you'll be able to rechamber without much trouble.I do have to say that in the end you will have those .45 cal bullets coming out of the barrels at about the same velocity but only after you've spent a good amount of money getting there. Just my .2 cents worth.

Very true.
Dam the spirit of those old British cartridges

I think I will play with it as is for now, already got a .458 win dieset.
Does anyone have any experience with a 458 LOTT chambering in a double, I like the longer cartridge, have anyone ever done this. I would not need work on the ejectors.

Cheers,

André

quote:

Originally posted by mouse93:
Jeffery you are one lucky...saw the rifle on "Feine Jagdwaffen" - price - damn right price - also shoots good - congrats

P.S. I'd leave it in .458 win - smells of those days when there was nothing but .375 H&H and .458 Win to get even in Ferlach .

Yes and I even got the price down some and free shipping

I will see how fast those .458 500 grn bullets can fly in this rifle, if they can do 2150 fps that I might be happy.

Cheers,

André

quote:

Originally posted by JefferyDenmark:
I think I will play with it as is for now, already got a .458 win dieset.
Does anyone have any experience with a 458 LOTT chambering in a double, I like the longer cartridge, have anyone ever done this. I would not need work on the ejectors.

Cheers,

André

Robgunbuilder has done it with a .458 O/U. I believe he was quite pleased.

quote:

Originally posted by JefferyDenmark:

quote:

Originally posted by mouse93:
Jeffery you are one lucky...saw the rifle on "Feine Jagdwaffen" - price - damn right price - also shoots good - congrats

P.S. I'd leave it in .458 win - smells of those days when there was nothing but .375 H&H and .458 Win to get even in Ferlach .

Yes and I even got the price down some and free shipping

I will see how fast those .458 500 grn bullets can fly in this rifle, if they can do 2150 fps that I might be happy.

Cheers,

André

Congratulation from here Andre`....

You have bought a fellowship with me now...hahaha

See ya nextweek..

Thanks Jens, your mighty 10 bore double will dwarf my .458 bolt action cartridge double
We will see how it performs at the range.

Cheers,

André

If the rifle shoots, I would leave it in 458 win mag even it it just breaks 2000 fps. There is no reason to mess with a good thing!

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
If the rifle shoots, I would leave it in 458 win mag even it it just breaks 2000 fps. There is no reason to mess with a good thing!

I agree, I would also check it out with 450gr Northfork Solids and 450gr Swift A frames.

And with Hornady and Speer 350gr bullets.

Andre that's indeed a nice weapon, congrats !!!

Hope to see you soon with it in Argentina, my friend !!

Martin

Congrats.

See my post on Nitro Express.

FYI, because there are a good handfull of powders for 500 grainers for the 458wm, there is a very good chance that you can find several loads that will shoot well in your rifle. I have found several in mine from 2050fps up to 2145fps with the 500's. 2145fps is plenty sufficient for bull elephants.

450gr North Forks have performed remarkably well, providng fantastic accuracy and penetrationin buff and elephants at 2190-2200fps.

Dirk,

I'm back after one day of elephant hunting. My father passed away the day I arrived in camp in Chewore. Managed to hunt one day and arrived home this morning.

I'm trying to reschedule and may have to split the trip in two and do one half this year and half next year because I'm not sure I have a block of time long enough left. I'll know more Monday. It looks like I'll head our again on the 24th or so.

JPK

John:

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

You are now the second person I know who had to leave hunting camp early THIS YEAR due to a death of a parent.

JPK -- my condolences on the loss of your father.

Paul, Charles,

Thank you for your condolences. My dad lived 82 excellent years and only a month or so of rough time, so his passing, though difficult for his family and friends, was a blessing for him.

My most distressing thought when I was facing the decision to go or not last week was actually that he might continue a slow decline and that he might linger for some extended time. Thankfully he went quickly ans peacefully in his sleep after only a short but steep decline.

Thanks again,

JPK

JPK

im sorry for your loss, my deepest sympaty.

andre

congrats on the new toy, if you deside to change it give me a call, i got the guy for you.
jens got my number.

best regards

peter

JPK

Very sorry to hear about your Father.

JPK

My sincere condilances.
Thanks for all the great information.
I will leave the double in cal. .458 and see how she works. Nice to hear something positive about the .458 in these magnum times, where only a +.500 cal is a true big bore

Cheers,

André

quote:

My Sodia .338 double rifle that looks very similar to yours shoots and ejects well and I've not yet had a single failure to do so.

quote:

I have shot AKshooters 338 Win Mag double and it functioned 100%.

Now this is a rifle I'd like to have for North American hunting. I've only been reading this forum a little over a year and this is the first I've heard of a side by side double in .338 WM. Does anyone still make a double in this caliber? Can one be had in the same price range of an entry level double like the the Chapuis UGEX?

I'm planning to order a Chapuis 9.3 soon and had thought of eventually getting a takedown turnbolt .338WM like prehaps a Dakota Traveler also. But I would rather get a second double in .338WM if I could find one in the price range of a UGEX.

Brazos Jack

Dyrring the time that Nitro Express ammo was hard toget several double rifles were made in 458 and 375 H&H.

Also some of the European made rifles in other American calibres.

If I found a double rifle that I liked in a rimles calibre I would probably get it, but if buying a new double I would ger it in a rimmed calibre, especially if was my first double.

I have used a Chapuis 9,3 double rifle [with scope in QD mounts] quite a bit, and I would suggest once you get yours, if you like it then you will not even think about the 338.

JPK,
I am sorry to hear of your loss,my condolences on the loss of your father.

quote:

Originally posted by JefferyDenmark:
I would love to get a 450 #2, but do NOT know if that is possible.
I know that 450 3 1/4 is no problem.

Do anyone know a good european Master gunmaker that could pull this of?

Cheers,

André

Hi André!
Congratulations to the double rifle!

Why not pay Hans Englund at 'Bössmakaren i Klippan' a call? not far from Denmar! In fact in Denmark some hundred years ago

http://www.bossmakaren.com/

He is definentely able to rechamber your rifle, if he consider it to be a good idea

You might know that he makes sidelock double rifles?

Here is a a Vierling that he made a new barrel set for, 2x9,3x74R and 2x7x57R, he had to shoot 120 cartridges before the barrel set was regulated, one shot from each barrel at 2" at 80 yards. The weight of the Vierling is 4,9kg, and the owner use it every day during the hunting season!

Husky

Thanks for the link, I did NOT know that gunsmith.
I will consider a re-chambering if the 458 does not make me smile.

Cheers,

André