o/u doubles

[sss1895]

Hi guys.
Does anybody know why big bore double rifles (above 375) are only side by side? Is there any 458 Lott/470NE over and under double on the market?
Unfortunately it's just for info.
Thanks 

[Del]

A friend of mine bought a Ruger bolt action .458 Win. Mag. from an Alaskan Big Game Guide who was going to Africa to be a Professional Hunter.  The guide told my friend that he was going to have a Ruger Red Label O/U shotgun converted to a big bore double!  Sounds like a cool gun, but I never heard the rest of the story.  Don't know who was doing the conversion, if the guide ever actually got the project done, and if he ever made it as a PH??!!

[dave hall]

I saw a Ruger O/U shotgun coverted to a 375 or a 458 on Gunbrokers once.I think the barrels were done by Searcy.Thought about buying it,but I didn't.Would be a lot of fun.Dave.

[JJHACK]

There are so many issues with that post about the Guide going to Africa. First a custom prototype like that has no place in Africa. Trust your life to that kind of non-sense? The guide probably learned about the several languages he needed to speak to work there and had no way of learning them, probably found out about the zero pay for the 2 year apprenticeship and the high level of fail and drop out at the various acadmies for PH's.

I'm no gun expert but the problem would seem to me to be the pressure and the recoild stress. The other issue is the regulation. Doubles shoot bullets that cross paths somewhere down range. Usually 100-150 yards. The two bullets will begin to go right and left from the respective barrels. This would be an "up and down" problem for an over and under rather then a right and left problem for a side by side. Speaking for myself I would much prefer the right left error and have a known trajectory then a up and down error to need to guess the trajectory for two different barrels.

[Smokin Joe]

sss1895,

In addition, the side by side double with ejectors is much faster to load, as the angle of the barrel to the action when open is less than a similar over and under.

[dave375hh]

Detrick Apel used to convert RRL's to 375 & 458 Back in the late 80 and early 90's. I've heard of several pf them being used with no problems of any type. I don't know if he still does these converstions or not. I don't know if he's still alive. If he is he should be listed in the Custon Gunmakers Guild.

[drdougrx]

I thought Renato Gamba made some o/u's as well.

[jro45]

I've seen a double barrel converted to a double 45/70. He had to shoot low loads in it because of the pressure
but it was accurate.

[sss1895]

Thanks a lot everybody!
I was just wandering why here in Europe you can find several o/u doubles chambered in medium calibers such as 30-06, 9.3X62/74R and none intended for DG.

[Coppertop]

FYI

In petersons HUNTING mag for Jan (i think) is a story of a PH with a O/U double rifle. I will get the mag out tonight and get a few more details from it.  The article wasn't written about the gun but it was mentioned ( caliber and maybe make)

[Coppertop]

 

It was reportedly a Browning custom .470 Nitro over and under.  That was all that was said about it. -- Just more info to digest.