Anyone else see something horrible here....



http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/community/gun_inv...le/447318_rhodda.jsp

I'll bet somebody went to a great deal of effort and expense to put that scope on there. I agree with you, that is wrong!!

quote:

Originally posted by JohnTheGreek:
Anyone else see something horrible here....

Agreed that a scope is out of place on a sidehammer rifle. But, such a contraption would make it a lot easier for ME to be able to hit something with it......

The person who did that should be shot.

Good maker and caliber. I know you realize they had 'scopes' when this thing was made, right? It was an empty metal tube!

If that's a Leupold... I'm a liberal!

I wonder what else they "guessed" on about this rifle?

Kyler

The fact that it has a scope isn't the sin! The sin is the way they polished all the origenal finish, and most of the small amount of engraving, off that rifle, and the way the bases were installed! This rifle has been restocked, and has a shoe-lump barrelset. The scope bases should have been mounted flush with the top of the quarter rib, not against the back side of the standing leaf of the rear sight. Many doubles of that era had scopes attached, but most were in claw mounts. These things were not carried with the scope attached all the time, but was simply installed when the sittuation called for it! I have a Westley Richards double rifle with a QD scope base fitted to the rib in between the barrels, but places the scope over the center of the left barrel. That rifle was sold out of the London store front in 1892! It is a hammerless, with selective ejectors, and barred safety, and full coverage with English scroll& rose engraving.

Gentlemen, when you get down to brass tacks, a double rifle is only as good as the man shooting it! If he needs a scope, then it is his rifle! After all, a double rifle is only wood, and steel, just like any other firearm, and what works for one, doesn't have to work for all! I have a couple of double rifles with scopes, and I enjoy hell out of that glass in dim light, and tight bush, or in a bait blind to make precise shots! I simply don't see the problem! I take far more offence at the way this rifle was refinished, than the scope!

I'm with you Mac, although a hammer gun does look a bit strange with a scope!

if it looks strange then take the scope off!

That gunsmith has managed to convert a fine antique into a junker for a man with no taste.

No, it isn't a Leupold. They didn't spell the name right either. Mac is right, the refinish is poor. Definitely the wrong kind of scope mount for a double - and a dumb idea to begin with on a hammer gun. Good thing it's a Rodda.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

The external wabbit ear design is a bit long in the tooth by now, so let us welcome 21st century, shall we? 10.jpg wee, wee!
Haute Design:

quote:

Originally posted by Paolo9,5x73:
The external wabbit ear design is a bit long in the tooth by now, so let us welcome 21st century, shall we? 10.jpg wee, wee!
Haute Design:

Paolo, your link is slick, and well designed for modern manufacture. This would be a usefull tool for an Alaskan trapper, or anyone who works in an extremely wet climate! I apprecieate the machineing, and design simplicity, and I would use this rifle in Alaska, myself, but I don't think it would be anything I'd find pride of ownership in! Since it is such a departure from the norm, why bother with wood, and not simply go to plastic for the stock,plastic, and this rifle are brothers under the skin!

However, like a contemperary ultra modern, space age home, this rifle/shotgun/combo, just doesn't fit into my life style. I, like most, who want double rifles to hunt with, are more prone to oil paintings, leather furniture, old wood, and rust blued steel in their rifles/shotguns/combos! The many innovations in the lock up in that action, could be incorparated inside a more traditional form, out of sight, and IMO, would be an improvement over many of the older designs, without looking like a stainless steel kitchen.

Paolo:

Sorry man, but....that's just awful!
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
The fact that it has a scope isn't the sin! The sin is the way they polished all the origenal finish, and most of the small amount of engraving, off that rifle, and the way the bases were installed! This rifle has been restocked, and has a shoe-lump barrelset. The scope bases should have been mounted flush with the top of the quarter rib, not against the back side of the standing leaf of the rear sight....
...I take far more offence at the way this rifle was refinished, than the scope!

The other problem is that they polished the receiver without annealing it first. The receiver is pitted through out. A good restoration would have been to anneal the receiver, hand polish the metal, recut the engraving and then redo the case coloring.

What has been done here is garbage. The butt plate looks to be bare polished metal as well. This should have been reblued when barrels where done.

Considering the rifle is probably over 100 years old it looks pretty good.

As to the scope... I have been using a scoped double in 9,3x74R for several years, I can say a scoped double is the best hunting rifle on the planet.

In fact my British 450/400 double is at Champlins right now being scoped by JJ Perodeau.
It will have a 1-4 S&B with illuminated reticle in claw mounts.
As much as I have enjoyed hunting in Texas, Montana, and Alaska, with this 450/400 with iron sights I feel it will be a MUCH SUPERIOR hunting rifle with a scope in QD mounts.

quote:

Considering the rifle is probably over 100 years old it looks pretty good.

As to the scope... I have been using a scoped double in 9,3x74R for several years, I can say a scoped double is the best hunting rifle on the planet.

In fact my British 450/400 double is at Champlins right now being scoped by JJ Perodeau.
It will have a 1-4 S&B with illuminated reticle in claw mounts.
As much as I have enjoyed hunting in Texas, Montana, and Alaska, with this 450/400 with iron sights I feel it will be a MUCH SUPERIOR hunting rifle with a scope in QD mounts.

Yeah, Tony, but this is a hammer gun!!!!!!

Nothing wrong with a scope on a "hammer gun".
People scope Marlin and Winchester "hammer guns" all the time.

All that matters, in the end, is that when you aim at an animal, and press the trigger, you get a hit in the right place.

Besides, with a scoped double maybe even YOU can tell the difference between a pig and a Texas tree.

Sorry could not resist.

Want to pull see pg.208 & pg.210 in Gun Digest 1975 Deluxe Ed. The article is entitled 'Smokeless Loads for Double Rifles' and it features pictures of scoped DRs from Maynard Buehler collection with 'Mickey Mouse' scopes mounted on some kind of "slab bases".

Now Tony, that wasn't nice. That tree was charging Clark, as you damned well know.

Paolo, yeah Buehler had quite a collection of double rifles that he had scoped with mounts of his own make. I had Buehler mounts on a couple rifles when I was a kid. They were actually very good. Rigid mounts are no way to scope a double though.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

quote:

Originally posted by Paolo9,5x73:
see pg.208 & pg.210 in Gun Digest 1975 Deluxe Ed.

Paolo,

I'm glad you went on to give a description because I doubt many of us could easily locate a Deluxe Edition 1975 Gun Digest.

Kyler

quote:

Now Tony, that wasn't nice. That tree was charging Clark, as you damned well know.

Aint that the truth! I was scarred s**tless there for a few moments! I was minding my own business and wham! That big, menacing tree just started charging! Thank GOD I had my .500 NE double in my hands! It only took one shot, but thankfully I had the second barrel ready to go.

just goes to show ya that money does not mean taste or class...