THE MYSTIQUE OF THE DOUBLE RIFLE – PART TWO

In the early 1980’s I started looking for an affordable double rifle in a caliber that would be suitable for big game. Besides being able to deliver the correct amount of energy on target, it had to be such a caliber that loaded cartridges, cartridge cases, and projectiles would be readily available. To purchase a rifle in 40 caliber, for instance, would exacerbate the problem of obtaining ammunition and loading components.

I would have liked to have a rifle my favorite caliber, 30/06, but rifles chambered in this caliber are fairly scarce. Furthermore, extraction problems can be encountered in rimless calibers. It wasn´t long before I encountered a side-by-side double rifle in 9.3 x 74R caliber. I knew about this cartridge and it made my decision to purchase the rifle that much easier. It plenty of muzzle energy for big game and the components area readily available.

First of all, let me discuss the 9.3 x 74R caliber. In Europe they usually denote a caliber by the diameter of the projectile, the length of the cartridge case and then a suffix which denotes whether the case is rimmed or rimless. Thus this cartridge has a 9.3 mm (.366) diameter projectile and cartridge case is 74 mm (3 inches) long. The “R” means that the case has a rim on the cartridge case for in extraction. The case also has a slight taper which also aids extraction. Extraction is always a concern in a double rifle as the cartridge case is not turned by a bolt for primary extraction. The case is pulled straight back and out” This cartridge is widely used in Europe and today one hears more and more about it in the United States. In fact, some U.S. companies now make the projectiles for reloading and others carry the ammunition and cartridge cases.

The rifle was manufactured by the company Richard Fischer Jr. in Suhl Germany Suhl (Thuringia State) ins the ancient arms marking center of Germany and still produces fine firearms for those with a taste for quality and beauty. The rifle was proofed February 1931 and thus it was manufactured some time before that date.

When purchasing a double rifle, one must check the information available on the “flats” Remove the barrels and turn them over and look at the marks located on the flats directly under the chambers. The caliber will be stamped at this location, mine is stamped 9.3 mm/74.5 It is stamped with an N for nitro proofed or quite simply nitro cellulose, smokeless powder. The projectile weight used in regulating the barrets weighed 18 grams which is in the range of 285 grams. A box 9.3 x 74R cartridges that were manufactured by DWM in Germany shows a 19 gram projectile with3.85 grams of smokeless powder.

A U with a crown above it means that the firearm has had the final proof. The proof mark was used on German firearms prior to 1939 when new proof law was instituted. A stamp, st m G shows that the barrets were proofed for rifled barrels with a steel jacketed projectile. A G with a crown above it means that it was proofed for a firearm with rifled barrels. An E with a crown above is also stamped on the flats which shows that the rifle was proofed for express rifle barrels. Finatty a stylized eagle with spreading wings shows that a proof was carried out on the unfinished barrels. Evidently they did not wand to go thought the final finishing and regulating only out that the barrel(s) had a structural flaw in them.

To be able to ascertain what all of the different proofs mean for the different countries involved in the rifles manufacture, you must have a book on proof marks which is available and is listed at the end of this article.

The reasons that I appreciate this rifle, when I go hunting, are many and varied. First of all, if I am back packing into the mountains the rifle can be broken down into there separate components. The rifle is also light when compared with many of the bolt action rifles chambered for big magnum. U.S. calibers. When the rifle is assembled for use it is well balanced and easy to carry in rough terrain. Due to the fact that there is no long action, as found on bolt action rifles, the rifle can have a 26-inch barrel and still be shorter than a comparable bolt action rifle. I also have two barrels at my disposal that fire powerful cartridges. The first barrel should accomplish the task at hand, but if not, then the second barrel is readily available by merely putting your finger on the second trigger. You do not have to move a bolt or work the slide as on widely used American hunting rifles. Of course one can argue that semi-auto hunting rifles are available where you can send a number of rounds down range by merely squeezing the trigger. That is true, but I am not a proponent of “spray and pray” marksmanship. This is especially true when one considers the number of hunters who traverse hill and dale during the hunting season. People can get wounded or killed by senseless shot after a fleeing game animal. I feel that if you haven´t bagged the animal in one or two shots, it is time to quit firing and look for another opportunity to bag your deer or elk!

This particular double rifle does not have automatic ejectors as is the cases most doubles. Automatic ejectors will increase the price of the rifle for one thing. The other is that with dangerous game it is felt that the ping of cartridge cases catapulting out of the rifle will attract the attention of a wounded, dangerous animal. If you are reloading the ammunition, it also allows you to put fired cartridge cases in your pocket rather than digging through the snow looking for them.

When this double is turned over, there is a trap door at the toe of the butt stock which houses four cartridges. This you always have spare ammunition with you if need be I am not one that goes into the forest with a box or two or ammunition as I am hunting and going on seek and destroy mission. If you can´t bag your animal with a half dozen rounds or less, it is time to spend more time on the range or gbe more selective when choosing your shots.

As I got older, I added a 23/4X scope to the rail built in between the barrels. This aids me in sighting in the rifle as well as scanning the brush or trees to see if an animal is legal… before pulling the trigger(s). There is no reason to have a 3 x  9 variable scope installed on the rifle as a double rifle a 100 to 150 yard rifle. Furthermore I am hunting and stalking the animal to get within a decent range which is part of the hunting.

Experience if I just wanted to put meat on the table, I wound use a heavy caliber sniper rifle and shoot at targets at 500 to 1000 yards. That is not my idea of hunting and I will stick to the 100 to 150 yard shots. Remember the thrill of hunting is summed up in the first four letters of the word hunting… HUNT!!

Finally we come to regulation of the rifle. It had been regulated at the firearms factory, but with modern components, that make up newly manufactured cartridges, it is required that you find which lot of ammunition or manufacturer gives you the best results in your particular rifle. I have fired factory loads, reloads with the cast bullets first. It is safe to say that my experience with cast bullets left groups at 50 looked like the path of a swarm of killer bees. In short my experience with these has been dismal at the best. Accuracy such as this was not seen since the Napoleonic Wars!!

Jacketed bullets have brought excellent to mediocre results. One needs to vary the powder charge, the powder type and of course the projectile weight and type. The number of permutations and combinations can be extreme to say the least. After many rounds fired, I came onto a winning combination. I use 286 grain loadings of RWS and Norma ammunition with an RWS loading in one barrel and a Norma factory loading in the other. This gives fine results; so easy yet so long to find this perfect combination.

 

When it comes to reloading I have found that you do not repeatedly reload the cases as many times as you would with a bolt action rifle. I use my case 3 times and then move on to new cases. Repeated use can result in head separations which is not advisable.

When I hunt with reloaded ammunition, I use virgin brass so that I do not have a problem in the field. I might add that when a head separation results, I do not need any toll other than a cleaning rod wit a brass bristle brush of 38 caliber. The tapered case, which aids extraction, also lends itself to removing a headless case!!

If you have not tried a double rifle for hunting, I recommend that you look it. This is not a rifle for the average “meat hunter” who goes into the forest to put meat on the table. It is comparable to fly fishing which is also for certain type of fisherman. If you want fish, just grab a cheap casting rod and reel and a can of worms. However there are some of us who appreciate the finest in fly rods and rifles to create the finest experience in field and stream. In the case of hunting, a double rifle can be a love affair of wood and metal for the hunter and gun enthusiasts.

For information on proof marks, consult the following publication.

Wirnsberger, Gerhard. The Standard Directory of Proof Marks. Published by Jolex, Inc.

THE MYSTIQUE OF THE DOUBLE RIFLE – PART ONE

For those who know anything about firearms, the double rifle has always elicited awe and respect. It reminds of the early days of hunting dangerous game in India and Africa; when men pitted their hunting prowess against the most dangerous game on the “dark continent. It elicits respect due to the fine workmanship bestowed on double rifles as well as the technology involved to make the rifle into a highly efficient firearm.

Prior to the invention of smokeless powder, semi-automatic rifles or even bolt action rifles, it was the hunter armed with a single shot rifle and cartridges loaded with black powder. What was needed was a large and thus powerful cartridge in order to bring down an elephant or charging lion with the one shot at the hunter´s disposal. If this shot failed, then there would be one less hunter on the planet!! Enter the double rifle. If still fired a large diameter projectile with black powder, but it had two barrels if the first shot should fail. These rifles were made in large calibers such as the 12 bore (12 gauge) so that the black powder propellant could deliver maximum shock to the target. Some of the these double rifles were designed into what is called a paradox double rifle. The first part of the barrel was smooth bore and toward the end of the barrel it was rifled to give the projectile a spin and thus give stabilization through its flight.

As the gun smithing art progressed, calibers such as the 577, 577/450, 450, 470 and eventually the 600 nitro express were placed on the market with the double rifles chambered for these cartridges. At first some of the these cartridges use black powder as the propellant but later the cartridges were loaded with smokeless powder and were dubbed nitro express rounds. The smokeless cartridges had several advantages: first when the cartridge was fired there was no large cloud of smoke to give away the hunters position and second they had a much higher chamber pressure and thus more foot pounds of deliverable energy when an animal was hit. I might add that collects in the bore of a rifle fired with black powder can produce a caustic mix that can pit the barrels. Remember, black powder has a key ingredient, sulfur which can form sulfuric acid when mixed with water.

Witch these large powerful cartridges, there was a great deal of recoil and which was transmitted to the hunter´s shoulder. These double rifles were made heavy to decrease this heavy recoil generated by the powerful cartridge and could weight in the 15 to 25 pound range. This rifle would be a heavy load for a hunter of middle age or order to carry through the tropical heat of Africa or India so gun bears were used to carry these heavy rifles. When game was spotted, the loaded rifle was handed to the hunter for the shot. After the shot was fired, the rifle was handed back to the bearer.

Normally the double rifle cartridges had a tapered case with a rim at the base to facilitate extraction. In modern times some double rifles were manufactured with rimless cartridges, but the extraction of these rimless cases can fail with the inherent problems associated with a cartridge case stuck in the chamber.

Double rifles are made with both box locks (the least expensive) and side locks (the most expensive). The side locks cab be hand detachable and thus can be removed in the field if a spring breaks, for instance. Of course, an extra ser of side locks would have to be carried in the field and this raised the price of the rifle with hand detachable side locks.

Besides the inherent labor required to produce a fine double rifle, most of the well to do hunters of the era had the stocks and metal embellished with engraving, carving, inlays, and checkering. This could drive the price skyward, depending on the owners taste for the very best that money could buy.

Regulating a double rifle, to have both barrels hit within a specified area at 100 or 150 meters, was a gun maker´s nightmare. After the barrels were made and fitted as best that could be done, the rifle was taken to the range and fired with the specified load for which the new rifle was to be regulated. After firing, the barrels would have to be readjusted and re-soldered and fire again, and again…. and again. the process was only stopped when the proper regulation of the barrels was achieved. Firing expensive, high intensity cartridges was a tedious and expensive part of the final manufacturing process.

The double rifle is a rifle of close to moderate range and is not for varmint shooting at ranges of three to five hundred meters. Once the range is extended beyond the distance in which the rifle was regulated, the point of impact for the two projectiles will deviate greatly. Not only are we talking about the normal bullet drop as the range increases but the lateral dispersion of the projectiles.

The point of impact for the two projectiles can also be altered depending on the powder charge used, the type of powder used, the weight of the projectiles, the type of jacket material used on the projectiles, etc. When a double rifle is regulated, then this act of using a standard load in the rifle prevents one from going to the gun shop and saying, “Give me a box of ammo of this caliber”! Stick to the regulated load for the double rifle.

To fire a double rifle, fire the right barrel first and then the left barrel. For best results fire left barrel within five seconds of the right barrel. If not the heat generated in the right barrel can cause the barrel to move with a resultant loss in accuracy. Do not hold the barrel with you free hand! Lightly grasp the fore end, without any undue pressure and then fire the rifle. Do not let the barrel rest on a fence rail, branches or the side of a tree trunk.

Why would want a double rifle after reading the few points outlined in the paragraphs above. Well first of all, a double rifle is not for everyone. In fact it is only for the chosen few. You must follow the rules carefully if you are going to have any luck firing the rifle accurately. If you can find factory loads that work well in your rifle then you can stick to these loads. If not, you may want to reload. Reloading is also a requisite if you have a rifle in an absolute caliber or it the factory ammunition is very expensive. Cartridges for the fairly new (in double rifle years). 7000 Nitro Express can cost in the neighborhood of $ 70 per ROUND! Of course, anyone who awns a. 700 Nitro Express doesn´t have to worry about the cost of ammunition as he loads his double rifle into his Rolls Royce.

What do double rifles cost? The textbook answer to this questions is … whatever your want to pay for them. The double rifles of continental Europe are the least expensive. The British double rifles are the most expensive as they are virtually hand made and hand fitted with the finest finish, engraving and stock wood. As a ball park figure, the best British double rifle will cost some $ 60,000 on the low end. Used European doubles can be had for $ 5,000 on up. I might say, for clarification, that some good buys can be has in Britain for used double rifles which are not of the Royal grade.

If you are interested in a double rifle, check the many firearms auctions that are held around the country. Get a copy of the Double Gun Journal at Barnes and Noble and get some books on double rifles. One that comes to mind is Shooting the British Doubke Rifle by Graeme Wright.

I hope I have piqued your interest on the world of double rifles. In the second part of this discussion I will go over a German double rifle that I have had for many years and is still my favorite rifle.