Making More out of Your Double Rifle by Tim Herald

Making More Out of Your Double Rifle

By Tim Herald

There is just something about holding and shooting a well-balanced custom-made double rifle. They feel classic in hand, are beautiful to look at, and still are a very practical weapon for dangerous game since you have two extremely fast shots coming from separate barrels.

The biggest negative of doubles are effective range. Most doubles used for dangerous game are in large calibers; .450-400, .470 NE, and .500 NE being all popular big bores. These are obviously not long-range calibers, and with traditional iron sights, most shooters have an effective range of 50 to maybe 75 yards.

About seven years ago, I ordered a double rifle fit to my exact measurements, and I have shot it A LOT! It’s an accurate rifle, and at 50 yards, it will often touch holes, but my eyes and iron sights are definitely limited to 50 yards, and that better be with a target in the wide open with good light.

After a substantial investment in a quality rifle like this, I wanted to hunt with it, not leave it in the safe. So I decided to install a Trijicon RMR “red dot” sight on my double. This unit is tiny, doesn’t get in the way while walking through thick bush, with my quick release mount, I can literally take off or reinstall in 2 seconds flat, and it is always on zero.

I can shoot with both eyes open, target acquisition on follow up shots is extremely fast, and my overall accuracy has gone through the roof.

I have been committed to learning to shoot this rifle, and when I first got it, I went on a dedicated plains game hunt and took only my double. I knew I would get a lot of shooting in, and I did some management hunting to gain experience culling wildebeest. I slowly stretched my range as I became more comfortable, and I have taken eland, gemsbok, wildebeest, and zebra at ranges between 110 and 165 yards. These were all clean kills, and obviously not dangerous game.

I have taken 3 buffalo, 3 elephants and a hippo with my .470, but all were at ranges from 14-50 yards. Recently I went with a group of friends to hunt the famous Selous Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania. This area is millions of acres of wild Africa and is a World Heritage Site. We would be hunting Cape buffalo, and I chose to take only my double rifle. Most of my companions brought scoped bolt actions and double rifles.

Interestingly, none of my friends ever grabbed their double rifle when it was time to go after a buffalo. They always chose the scoped gun, and I assume that is due to confidence in shooting with a scope over iron sights and not limiting distance.

On Day 6 after tracking buffalo in 105-degree temperatures for 5.8 miles, my PH, Ryan Shallom, and I finally spotted 3 bulls about 150 yards away in a miombo forested valley bottom. Two were bedded, but the best bull was standing guard. The wind was in our faces, but I was not shooting 150 yards at a buffalo no matter what rifle setup I had.

So for the next 15 minutes, I slowly moved from tree to tree whenever the standing bull looked away. It took what felt like forever to get to a large tree at 105 yards without being detected. The bull was broadside, and I felt I could make the shot, but I wanted to get closer if possible.

When the bull swung his head away to scratch his neck on a small tree trunk, Ryan whispered” Move now to that next tree!”

I quickly tiptoed up to a large tree that I could hide behind, but that was the last cover I had. This was it, period. I peeked around the tree and ranged the buffalo at 90 yards and began mentally preparing for the shot. I could see the bull was mostly broadside, but slightly quartering away a step or two. So I knew I needed to hit him just behind the onside shoulder to traverse the heart lung area.

I brought up my rifle, leaned on the tree, and settled the RMR’s red dot in the crease just behind the bull’s massive black shoulder. I remember that the red dot was just brilliant against that black hide. I squeezed the front trigger and my right barrel sent a 460-grain CEEB bullet to it’s mark. The bull lunged forward and took off. I rushed my second shot and missed.  I ran after the bull while reloading.

At about 150 yards, he wheeled around and faced me. In the dappled light and shadows, he was tough to see clearly, but I could see his bosses in the sun, and moved my dot down into his chest and fired. He reared up again and turned. I cut more distance and found him standing head down, so I put one more in his shoulder to drop him. The first shot was actually perfect, and he would have died quickly, but I am here to tell you, if you have a bullet in a buffalo and he is standing, you keep shooting until he isn’t.He was beautiful hard-bossed bull, and I felt very privileged to have taken a buffalo in one of the most hallowed hunting grounds in Africa. I am 100% sure that I would never have been able to get a shot at this particular buffalo, if my double wasn’t topped with the RMR. I had run out of cover and there was no way to get in iron site range.

I have so much confidence in my double rifle and Trijicon RMR that I hunt with it even in nontraditional ways like for wild hogs and even whitetail deer. This makes for great practice for dangerous game hunting, and hunting and shooting with a double is just plain fun. The RMR has been a real game changer for me.