does the design of the double rifle action preclude its use in inclimate, cold and wet conditions?

Probably half a million of them go deer hunting in Pennsylvania every year and freezing rain is typical for our buck season. Most of my friends have them and I've never heard of a problem. Only complaint is the lousy triggers complete with creep.

Please disregard my earlier post as a senior moment. I was reading a post about pump rifles and then answered your post. Apples and oranges!

And i thought i was the only one with that problem. Rich

A 141 pump in .35 Remington is nice, though.

I have hunted with double rifles in African heat, pounding rain and sub zero temps in Alaska. So far so good. I have had bolt ation rifles freeze up on me and under the same conditions a double might have done the same but not yet.

I have used double rifles in Alaska, Montana, and Idaho in heavy dust, drivig rain, blowing snow and in freezing weather with no problems.

I've used double shotguns in freezing rain without trouble. They are more bother to dry out and clean up than other types though. They are also too expensive for me personally to take out in the slop.

I know a number of guys who hunt everything with their DRs, and so far no one has complained about damage done to the rifles.

However, it was recommended to me to have a full strip and clean done by a competent DR man if your rifle really was in the wet and nasty for an extended period of time.

quote:

Originally posted by 577NitroExpress:
I know a number of guys who hunt everything with their DRs, and so far no one has complained about damage done to the rifles.

However, it was recommended to me to have a full strip and clean done by a competent DR man if your rifle really was in the wet and nasty for an extended period of time.

Paul is spot on! Use your double rifle to hunt everything, but do the maintenance, before you go to bed when you get home!

there's an awful lot of double shotguns that are used on waterfowl in foul weather with no problems, why expect anything different from a rifle

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
there's an awful lot of double shotguns that are used on waterfowl in foul weather with no problems, why expect anything different from a rifle

X3

The first hunt I took my double 450/400 on was a Spring bear hunt in Montana, near Glacier National Park and the Canadien Border.

It not only snowed, but rained very hard on the rifle several times for several hours.

We were way back in the toolies and had to walk in the rain several hours at a time.

On the way home I stopped off at Champins to drop the doubkle of to have a leather pad fitted, and had JJ pull off the butt stock and check the lockwork as I did not want my new double to rust.

It did not look like any water had got inside the lockwork.

I havenot worried about hunting with a double in bad weather since.

My stocks have been pulled a time or two since, and there has not been any sign of water in the actions.

I reserve my doubles for Africa..If I am hunting in extreme cold conditions with lots of snow, I don't want my good double out there. I live in that kind of clime so I have a couple of old bolt guns that suit me fine, and they are set up so as not to freeze up. I also have a couple of old lever guns that have been de oiled and they work fine.