quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Once you get your hands on one of the younger ladies, you will forget the old gal.

quote:

Originally posted by carpediem4570:
I disagree.

Like my hunting dogs of past; gone but never forgotten. And many fond memories.

Regards,

Carpediem

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:

quote:

Originally posted by carpediem4570:
I disagree.

Like my hunting dogs of past; gone but never forgotten. And many fond memories.

Regards,

Carpediem

My sentiments exactly, especially when it comes to doubles, fine shotguns, hunting dogs, and time spent with my sons.

Todd my friend, if you would just get yourself a 500/.416, you wouldn't need all the others...

quote:

Originally posted by mdstewart:
Congratulations on your new toys in the world of DR's. I hope your new guns have the same success as the old one.

I, for one, am in a new phase of my life where I want to get to know my personal guns more intimately than having the next best thing. This is really tough on me as I have always wanted to look to the next turn in the corner.

I want to see the history on my guns, stories I can pass on to my son and daughter. Now at 52 years, I realize, if I keep selling and buying my personal arsenal, there will be no history to share.

I am in the process of purchasing my last gun; a .470NE. This will fill by bill for my needs. I intend to spend the rest of my days making those guns speak for me and pass on a little of my character.

I just hope my children can appreciate what hunting means to me and what I have given to make these guns a part of my life.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by mdstewart:
Congratulations on your new toys in the world of DR's. I hope your new guns have the same success as the old one.

I, for one, am in a new phase of my life where I want to get to know my personal guns more intimately than having the next best thing. This is really tough on me as I have always wanted to look to the next turn in the corner.

I want to see the history on my guns, stories I can pass on to my son and daughter. Now at 52 years, I realize, if I keep selling and buying my personal arsenal, there will be no history to share.

I am in the process of purchasing my last gun; a .470NE. This will fill by bill for my needs. I intend to spend the rest of my days making those guns speak for me and pass on a little of my character.

I just hope my children can appreciate what hunting means to me and what I have given to make these guns a part of my life.

Mike

Mike,

Can't say I disagree with any of what you say here except one item that I'll come back to.

For me, I think the Bespoke 500NE that is being built by VC for me will be my final "personal" gun as you put it. I just wanted to upgrade a bit from the Merkel before finally settling on my battery, although I had some great memories with it. I hope the new 500 has many more.

As to the 577, that is coming soon. I haven't developed a firm plan on that one yet. I really wanted to play with the ultra bore rifle at least once. There is a strong possibility that I'll sell it off after this October's hunt. I don't know yet. I do tend to get attached to my weapons so that may not be an option.

But with the commitment I've made to the new 500NE, it may not be practical to keep the money tied up in the 577. To put it in simple terms, I expect to take the bespoke weapon on all my future hunts so having the 577 in the safe might mean that it doesn't ever get hunted again.

In the past, I wanted a large number of guns from which to choose from on a hunt. But as that goal became realized, I found that I had less connection to each rifle. It seemed as though the particular rifle played a smaller part in the overall satisfaction of the specific hunt. I see some guys here post that the rifle used doesn't matter at all to them on a hunt. The hunt is it 100% and the rifle is just a tool. Well ... That isn't me. For me, the rifle has always been an integral part of the overall experience.

So awhile back, I decided that I would do some sole searching and determine what rifles and calibers I really needed to cover the spectrum of hunting I plan to do, with an emphasis on downsizing the battery. The purpose being to put importance back into each rifle used for each hunt.

Anyway, it's interesting how our tastes and preferences change with age and experience.

Back to the item of disagreement! If you are looking to round out your battery with the 470, why not choose the 500NE. You get a significant step up in performance without a corresponding increase in rifle weight or recoil. It really is the best of all worlds. If you can effectively shoot a 470, you can certainly handle a 500. I don't know if you reload but even if you don't, the 500 is a popular round today that you will not have problems finding factory ammo for as may have been an issue 10 years ago. Have you shot a 500NE and compared it to a 470NE? IMO, there really is no recoil difference. Some folks say there is but I can't tell the difference any more than I can tell the difference from a 416 Rigby and 458WM.

Not putting down your choice in the 470 but just curious as to why you would give up the extra performance.

Cheers.

quote:

Originally posted by mdstewart:

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by mdstewart:
Congratulations on your new toys in the world of DR's. I hope your new guns have the same success as the old one.

I, for one, am in a new phase of my life where I want to get to know my personal guns more intimately than having the next best thing. This is really tough on me as I have always wanted to look to the next turn in the corner.

I want to see the history on my guns, stories I can pass on to my son and daughter. Now at 52 years, I realize, if I keep selling and buying my personal arsenal, there will be no history to share.

I am in the process of purchasing my last gun; a .470NE. This will fill by bill for my needs. I intend to spend the rest of my days making those guns speak for me and pass on a little of my character.

I just hope my children can appreciate what hunting means to me and what I have given to make these guns a part of my life.

Mike

Mike,

Can't say I disagree with any of what you say here except one item that I'll come back to.

For me, I think the Bespoke 500NE that is being built by VC for me will be my final "personal" gun as you put it. I just wanted to upgrade a bit from the Merkel before finally settling on my battery, although I had some great memories with it. I hope the new 500 has many more.

As to the 577, that is coming soon. I haven't developed a firm plan on that one yet. I really wanted to play with the ultra bore rifle at least once. There is a strong possibility that I'll sell it off after this October's hunt. I don't know yet. I do tend to get attached to my weapons so that may not be an option.

But with the commitment I've made to the new 500NE, it may not be practical to keep the money tied up in the 577. To put it in simple terms, I expect to take the bespoke weapon on all my future hunts so having the 577 in the safe might mean that it doesn't ever get hunted again.

In the past, I wanted a large number of guns from which to choose from on a hunt. But as that goal became realized, I found that I had less connection to each rifle. It seemed as though the particular rifle played a smaller part in the overall satisfaction of the specific hunt. I see some guys here post that the rifle used doesn't matter at all to them on a hunt. The hunt is it 100% and the rifle is just a tool. Well ... That isn't me. For me, the rifle has always been an integral part of the overall experience.

So awhile back, I decided that I would do some sole searching and determine what rifles and calibers I really needed to cover the spectrum of hunting I plan to do, with an emphasis on downsizing the battery. The purpose being to put importance back into each rifle used for each hunt.

Anyway, it's interesting how our tastes and preferences change with age and experience.

Back to the item of disagreement! If you are looking to round out your battery with the 470, why not choose the 500NE. You get a significant step up in performance without a corresponding increase in rifle weight or recoil. It really is the best of all worlds. If you can effectively shoot a 470, you can certainly handle a 500. I don't know if you reload but even if you don't, the 500 is a popular round today that you will not have problems finding factory ammo for as may have been an issue 10 years ago. Have you shot a 500NE and compared it to a 470NE? IMO, there really is no recoil difference. Some folks say there is but I can't tell the difference any more than I can tell the difference from a 416 Rigby and 458WM.

Not putting down your choice in the 470 but just curious as to why you would give up the extra performance.

Cheers.

Great response on finding your personal arsenal. I know it's tough on all of us. It seems there is always somting greener on the other side. I would relegate to those more experienced like MacD37 and Rusty, on the choices in life. They certainly have alot more experience than me.

To the .470. It has nothing to do with performance. I just always wanted a .470. I grew up reading about it, alot like reading about the .375 H&H. I'm a sucker for nostalgia. I know the .500 makes more sense, but at my place in life, it's not always about sense.

Thanks for the great threads.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Todd, I think the 577 will quickly erase the memories of any double you've used to date. They are awesome!

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Once you get your hands on one of the younger ladies, you will forget the old gal.

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
Todd, I'm jealous. Good luck and that 577 will make a great pig stopper.

Mike