09 June 2014, 03:56
cal pappasOld Double Rifle Articles (about 40) For You
To The Fine Gents on AR's Double Rifles:
The transfer of data from my website to my blog is done (almost). There are a few more things to do but the URL code is now on the blog so <calpappas.com> is now the name of the blog. It took months and, not being the most literate in all maters computer, I still don't understand why my mentor wanted a blog but here it is. Some info that may interest you are a bunch of double rifle articles cut from magazines mostly in the 1950s-'60s-'70s. I hope I don't infringe on copyrights but I'm not selling anything. Before you see the list below I would like to offer an apology to all of you fine double rifle men: when I began my website in 2008 and added these articles, the designer of the site thought I should add a "calpappas.com" signature to each page so readers would refer to the site. This I did and now have regrets as it looks tacky. However the signature is set and I don't have a clue how to remove it. So, again, forgive me. If I could do it over, I would not do so now. Anyway, enjoy the articles in four categories of double rifles: nitro, black powder, bore, and Elmer Keith on doubles.
Search <calpappas.com>
click <magazine articles from the past> on the navigation bar
click <double rifle articles>
pick the category of your choice and you're there.
Good reading and your feedback is appreciated.
Bore Rifles
I Hope you enjoy these nine articles on the biggest shoulder rifles ever made! They are:
Big Bores of the British Empire by Jack Lott. Big-Bore Rifles
Dinosaur Stopper by Jack Weller. Shooting Times, March 1964
8-bore Double Rifle by Jack Lott. Guns and Ammo Annual, 1975
Elephant Stopper Deluxe by Howard French. Guns and Ammo, July 1963
Great Guns by Giles Whittome. Guns and Ammo Annual, 1973
It's a Paradox by Howard French. Guns, February, 1965
Mighty Rifles of the Past by George A. Hoyem. American Rifleman, January 1972
To Down a Mammoth by Harold L. Peterson. Guns and Hunting, July 1965
World's Largest Big Bores by Bob Wallack. Guns and Hunting, October 1966
Of these articles, Jack Lott was the best writer of the bore rifles in the 70s. (Today Ross Seyfried holds that title). George Hoyem has educated all of us with his excellent writings on the rifles, cartridges, and historical data. Howard French was an encyclopedia of big bore knowledge before it was stylish to do so. Again, enjoy!

Elmer Keith on Double Rifles
No doubt about it, Elmer Keith was the greatest advocate of big bore rifles in the last century. Askins, O'Connor, Page, and others wrote a few articles on double rifles but it was Elmer who wrote of large caliber double rifles at length and detail. Here are a few of them.
Big Game Rifles and Cartridges, Ch 4 on double rifles. Samworth, 1936
British Double and Single Rifles. Source and date unknown
Rifles With Stopping Power. Guns and Ammo. January, 1965
The Deadly Dependable Double. Gun Digest, 1967
Put Your Double Rifle Into Action. Guns and Ammo. November, 1964
Keith on Big Bullets. Source and date unknown
Rifles For Africa. Guns and Ammo. February, 1962
Elmer Keith's Favorite Guns. Guns and Ammo. December, 1961
The African Battery. Guns and Ammo. May-June, 1959
Rifles for Dangerous Game. Sports Afield. September, 1956
Keith's Choice of Game Loads. November, 1950. Source unknown
Black Powder Express
I only have three articles on the black powder express rifles to share with you at present. They are all good and informative. They are:
Regulating a Double Rifle by John Stransky.Sept-Oct 1975. Source unknown
Try a Black Powder Double Rifle by Howard French. Guns and Ammo. July, 1962
Double Trouble by Al Miller. The Rifle Magazine. July-August, 1969
Nitro Express Rifle Articles
Below is a good selection of older magazine articles for the nitro express rifles. To give proper credit, they are as follows:
A Double For Danger by Hal Hennseey. Source and date unknown
Big Bullets are Best by Jack Lott. Guns and Ammo, January, 1967
Building a Double Rifle by Louis C. Kleber. Guns, May, 1967
Double Barrel Rifles (from 1945) by Major N.H. Roberts. Hunting and Fishing, January, 1945
Double Barrel Rifles (from 1955) by George Courtney. American Rifleman, January, 1955
The Double Rifle by Malcolm Lyell. Guns and Ammo, December, 1963
The Double Rifle: Its Care and Feeding by Jack Lott. Gun Digest, 1979
Double Rifles by Jack O,Connor. Outdoor Life, January, 1956
Don't Label Doubles by James Williams, Guns, June, 1961
Loads For Dangerous Game by Jack O'Connor. Outdoor Life, April, 1954
Loads For Double Rifles by Brian J. King, MD. Shooting Times, February, 1968
The Rifle That Won Africa by Gil Paust. Source and date unknown
Smokeless Loads For Double Rifles by Ray Marriage and Dick Vogt. Gun Digest date unknown
(Page 204 and 210 is my 4-bore Hughes)
Who's Afraid of Kick by Mary B. Williams. Guns, December, 1960
The article by Lott, (Care and Feeding) has been the bible of double rifle shooters until Graeme Wright's book was published, Shooting the British Double Rifle. Most of your reloading questions on shooting the nitro express rifles can be answered within the pages of these fine articles. Good shooting!