Double Rifles and Hunting Trophies

Ron Klier hunted Quebec with his Winkler double in .348 and took this nice black bear. The more I think on this, the .348 is one of the best mid-sized cartridges for a double rifle. I must get one!

Mick Goold just returned from Zimbabwe and took this 57-pounder with a fine English double rifle. I'll be seeing Mick in a few weeks in Darwin.

It is great when a woman hunter becomes known and even greater when she uses vintage doubles rather than a light weight scoped bolt rifle with a fluted barrel and muzzle brake. Kehau Chrisman is an experienced hunter who has taken all kinds of game with various weaponry including bow, crossbow, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloading shotgun and rifle, and BPE double rifle.
1) Kehau Chrisman of Arizona with large warthog taken at 42 yards with ca. 1870 Calderwood & Son .500 X 3" BPE double rifle. South Africa, 2005, with PH Bertus Gerhardt - owner of Dumukwa Safaris.
2) Kehau with free-range red stag taken in the roar on South Island of N.Z. in 2011 using ca. 1880 Bonehill .450 X 3 1/4" BPE double rifle, with guide Gerald Telford - owner of Hunt Fish New Zealand.
Kehau and her husband, Ka'imiloa, will be heading to Zim for cape buffalo later this year with a .500 bpe (of course!).

Thanks for the pics!

Below is a gent whom I'm proud to call a friend. Mark Sullivan with an 82+ pound bull taken a few days ago. If you don't know of Mark, check out Nitroexpresssafaris.com to see some excellent animals and some fine double rifles. Thanks for the photo, mate.

Tomas Lahi and his son went a-huntin' for elephant and came up with a 90-pounder!!! The story is best told in Tomas' own words:

Hello Mr Cal,
I have recently returned after a serious ele hunt 11 jan-4 feb 2013 to my beloved ("Happy Hunting Grounds") Niavasha Hunting Concession near the Ghonorazhou in Zimbabwe.

I had been more than successful there in 2012...with trophy ele shot both in Feb as well as in March. This year opens as the best yet. A 90-pounder!!! with well matched rose-coloured ivory tusks....check it out. It does not come any better.

I have been trying to get my #2 son, Kristoffer, (keen on hunting/fishing) to accompany me on one of these great adventures. Kristoffer finally agreed.

I aquired a second double-rifle: V. Sarasqueta sidelock built 1954 designed in the confidence inspiring caliber .475#2 3 1/2" NE. This was to be Kristoffers " El Conquistador de Eibar".

I was using my tried and trusted vintage Gibbs 450 3 1/2" NE from 1905.

Instead of losing track and starting adventures with snakes, scorpions and manhunt efter poachers, I will get straight to the central issue: Elehunt

This year the rains were late, in fact almost 2 months. We had been checking likely looking foot-prints since breakfast....there appeared to be 3 smaller bulls in the area. They appeared to have medium size... almost small feet for mature single bulls.

At last light, sitting at a vantage point we saw 2 bulls with some cows ways off in the distance....they would be difficult to reach before all daylight vanished. We sat waiting and "glassing"some more. Planning tomorrows early assault.

To our west, a single cow with calf passed through undergrowth....shortly to be followed by the "Madala" bull....in the distance you could see it was magnificent. We started to advance, the wind was nill. We ran to cut the distance. Out of breath after a run of 500 meters, my heart was pounding. I could feel my heart hurt....it was like a large pounding drum. Calming down for the final assault....we sneaked the last distance to get sight of the feeding tusker. The rains arrived at this moment.....by bucket fulls.

Upon sighting the magnificent animal, I told Kristoffer to take the first shots....he would never get such an opportunity in his life. I would be and was immediately behind for follow-ups.

We spied the aminal quartered away from us and feeding unaware of our presense. The down pouring rain covered all sounds of our movement and advance.

At 40 meters distance Kristoffer aimed for Heart/Lung...upon receiving the double-tap the bull lost a heart-beat and flinched heavily....I followed suite and put 2 rounds through the same H/L area but aimed to break the off shoulder. The elephant was bowled over to its side....a short run behind the bull to finish off by a 2-shot in the back of the neck. Brain shot..out of the question not to damage ivory.

The following morning shots reveal how magnificent an animal it was....the pictures speak for themselves......Kristoffer is still on "Cloud 9".....he has the hunting luck! Well done.

Happy Hunting, Tomas Lahi (Pappa)
ps. Kristoffer was well rehearsed in advance about how to take the shot after studying Kevin "Doctari" Robertson excellent book, "The Perfect Shot".

pss. last photo taken by me immediately after shots...rain everwhere, I was trying to protect camera from rain...to no avail...rain bloches everywhere.

The daytime photos taken early the morning after. This rain was evidently the heaviest rain during the last 60-years...many people were killed by being swept off bridges while crossing enraged rivers. The tractor used the next day to help recover meat was bogged down in mud for almost a week, a reserv traktor contacted to help the first got stuck also. Ele hunting is a walking affair, even the formidable Toyota Landcruiser had seroius problems....fortunately for us, winsches, diff-locks and plenty of manpower helped the vehicle to transport out meat/tusks/hides at all during these massive rains. T

psss. Picture of a excellent hunting group: R=>L: Kristoffer, PH Luke Swarz, Game Scout"Acani", excellent Tracker "Stewart".

Both doubles used Kynoch original 480 Grain solids. Though manufactured more than 60 years old functioned AOK!

Rod Conwell is yet another gent from Australia who is a dedicated double rifle man who enjoys both having AND using them. Below is a fine eland and buffalo taken with a .470 Merkel.

Accurate Reloading forum's Retreever took this super elephant in Tanzania with a Famars .450 no2. Nice bull--nice rifle--nice caliber!

Pieter Pasques is from Zimbabwe and just took delivery of a .500 Sabtti. Below is his story of his first kill to supply the workers on his farm with Christmas meat. Next on Pieter's list is dangerous game, I'm sure.

Hi Cal
I just want to explain my story of shooting the cow (matepatepa mountain brown buffalo ) the other day. Matepatepa is the name of the area in Zimbabwe where the farm is located . I thought I would just call it a matepatepa mountain brown buffalo instead of a cow just to make my story a bit more exciting. If I told my friends I was hunting a cow with a 500 double they would think I'm crazy. We have about 250 local workers on the farm and every Christmas we slaughter a cow and provide them, and their families, with meat and beer for the Christmas holiday. We also provide holiday treats and gifts to the children. Having never hunted with my .500 double rifle, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take my 1st animal with this weapon. Instead of having the cow in the cattle pen closed
up and using the shotgun I thought surely it would be better and more exciting to actually hunt the cow in the bush and use my .500 and that's what I did. My 1st hunt may not have included dangerous game, but it was a satisfying experience.

Pieter Pasques
Double rifle hunter

Mick Goold is a double rifle man and double rifle hunter as seen by the six photos he sent me the other day. Matetsi 6 in Zimbabwe was where Mick hunted and took a pair of buffalo, nice tusker, sable, and waterbuck. AND with a .500 Army and Navy double. Life does not get any better! In July Mick and I will hunt in his native Australia and I will bring my .600 (of course!). Mick has visited me at my log cabin in Alaska when here for a bear hunt. Thanks, Mick, and well done!

Tony Orr is a gent I met whilst in Darwin for my buffalo hunt in June. Blokes from down under seem to have it made as they hunt buff every week! Tony took this fabulous bull with a .577 2 2/4" Greener and the buff scored an amazing 112 points! I'll be seeing you in July of 2013, Tony, so save at least one bull foe me and my .600.

Andrew Hepner shot this fine buffalo with a finer rifle: a Willian Evans .500 nitro express. I will post more of Andrew's photos soon.

Robert Rose is one of the lucky few who hunts with a vintage English double rifle. He took this tuskless with his Gibbs .450 nitro. His write up can be seen in detail at the Accurate Reloading forums under the hunt reports and tuskless and buffalo.

Below are five photos from Steve Newman of TN. Steve emailed me in the spring in his search for a black powder express double rifle. After a new emails exchanged I invited Steve up for a double rifle shoot at my home in AK. Steve flew up and bought two rifles from me. In the top two photos, the impala and warthog were taken with a Lyon and Lyon 12-bore ball and shot gun (one of the arms I used to own) and the remainder of the photos are Steve with his Sabatti .450 NE. The hunt was in Namibia and Steve will return with the .450 bpe he purchased from me as the ranges are good and the animal are all great trophies. Thanks for the photos, Steve, and c'mon up again next summer for another shoot!

Tomas Lahi sent the following story and photos for the site. Rather than me type it out, it is best told by the author. Thanks, Tomas, a great hunt!!

Hello Cal,

I returned monday evening after a 2-week safari to Zimbabwe, near the Gonorazhou ( 25 Km from Moz border).

I invited a friend, Mattias Lietzau, an avid German hunter and gun collector to join me. Matthias is also a double rifle man.

I was using a Lancaster 450/400 3 1/4" NE. Matthias was using a Willian Evans double in the same caliber.

My outfitter/PH and close friend Juan Pace (Shangwari Safaris) picked us up at Jo-burg and next day we drove via Beitbridge border crossing to Zim. First day out, we stopped by Bubi River at Elephant/Lion Lodge for a cold beer. No personell was visible, so our assistent PH Lui (works for Juan) went to office to find staff. The people were in the office "glued" to the wall...there was a big snake in the office document cabinett. Nobody dared to move. PH Liu (Leo) knows snakes, he foiled the snake with his cap, quick grab/hold behind head...it was a net python. Somebody brought a cloth bag...snake put into bag and closed ...to be released away from Lodge. We enjoyed our beer.

After additional 5 hours on dusty roads we arrived Niavasha, close to Gonorazhou (transmigratory parks). The name Gonnorazhou means in Shangan language..Home of the Elephant.

First day early morning, we came across single Dagher-Boy tracks. To keep noise and scent to a minimum, only Matthias followed the spoor..together with tracker, Ph, govt+Council scouts as observer that everything was above board. After tracking several hours in mopani forest and 13 km later, Matthias caught sight and was able to shoot a 60-80 meter shot with Evans. Good hit, a short run and the buff was down. Running after for a finishing shot = good trophy. Excellent hunting, good German hunting ethics. I forgot to mention that our tracker almost stept on a big Puff Adder. Only the noise from scraping of skin (indicates an irritated snake) saved his day. Our assistent Ph, Liu made her head for a hole and go underground.

Day-time checking indicated that the ele were feeding on Torch wood fruit, Marula season had passed. We changed tactics to hunt at night. This is very exciting, the moon was in down phase = only a little moonlight. We had several encounters with ele with one of the askaris making a charge. Fortunately, he was turned by flashlight 10 meters away. It had been a shame to have to brain him as he only carried ca 25 lbs ivory. We met up with "junior" on at least 2 occasions.

On night of 1 may, we tried a distant forest containing fresh tracks and we knew the ele were going for torch wood fruit.(Smells as dog-shit, but ele seem to like it). We had laid an ambush (sitting under a T.Wood tree)... and waiting. We could hear ele moving into area after it was pitch dark. We could hear several ele breaking branches and feeding. By trying to stalk the ele breaking the largest branches.. expecting this animal to be the largest and oldest bull in the group.

After stalking towards the heaviest breaker...we were ca 50 meters away..seeing nothing but trying to come close. This was when my pulse rate was high and breathing difficult. I could not controll a small cough...The ele scattered like runnaway locomotives, breaking trees like wheat. This is one of the hazards of trying to move too fast. I believe there were about 6 ele in this group.

Hike back in darkness to vehicle a few km distant. Before reaching landcruiser, we heard 2 new(?) ele feeding few hundred meters away.
New stalk started at at 8 pm. Moving ever closer, the 2 ele were feeing in thickets, only under complete cover, not ever leaving the thick stuff. By stalking slowly, slowly to get close, we get within 30 meter...nothing visible. By moving parrallell to ele and a little faster to place ourselves in position for ambush...ele moving from 1 thicket to next may present a shot in gap.

After an intensive stalk of ca 500 meters and 4.5 hours, I get the chance and shoot at 25 meters at half past midnight. This was excitement par excellance. After my first double tap to heart/lung..the Ph's fired.. I told Matthias to also participate.. which he did with a double tap also. The result of this exciting hunt and adrenalin rush I enclose as photo. This was an old male, down to his last set of molars..which were heavily worn. He would have died of starvation within a couple of years.

Next day PH Juan Pace would like to test frontal brain penetration of Kynoch 450/400 solids ammo, The ammo I was using was the old chlorate primers ca 75 years old. The flame at nightime was impressive (and blinding). The bullet recovered after heart lung shot looked perfect...the brain-frontal.. after skinning the skull and cutting in halv revealed that the bullet had reached the brain, but had separated from the core.
Ph Juan Pace (Shangwari Safari's) suggested that GS monoliths with driving bands was the solution for frontals.

Mr Pace will be the next custodian of the Lancaster...the gun is coming permanently to the game fields of africa...what better than in the hands of a man that will put it to good use...the legacy is complete...the gun has passed through a hunter who now is 96 years of age, Mr Stig Skerved, who hunted Tanzania for 4 years in the end of seventies/beginning of eighties...through me after shooting elephant.. to Juan Pace PH.

The ivory was 33 lbs on broomed and work tusk/ 41 lbs on fine and pointed tooth. Big in body, gave a lot of meat to indigenous peoples and filé (cut out with Viktorinox knife) made an excellent stew the next supper.

This viktorinox I have also used on previous occasions to cut out filé on buff. The extra accesories, tweezers have been very useful when taking away "pepper ticks" (always present in grass when hunting buff). Our assistant Ph Liu was down with fever a couple of days due to tick fever..not getting the tick out without the head. The wine bottle screw was ideal to open quality wine for buff and ele dinners. Handy tool.

Best greetings and happy hunting, Tomas Lahi

ps. I will probably go after big elephant again later this year or beginning of 2013. It would be great to make a reunion of vintage doubles: Gibbs, Lancaster and Evans

Tomas Lahi, using a Gibbs .450 3 1/4" double, took this fine bull with tusks at 26 and 22 kilos (57 and 48 pounds). Hunting in February in Zimbabwe is hot and tracking this bull for 13 kilometers was an effort--but with a fine payoff at day's end.

Tom Van Diepen hunted Zimbabwe in March of 2011 with a Searcy .500 nitro express double. He hunted with Sengwe Safaris with Nixon Dzingai as his PH. The elephant's tusks weighted 55 pounds each and was taken on day 14 of a 15-day hunt. The buffalo was taken on the last day. Great hunt, Tom!

A couple of days after the Dallas Safari Club convention I drove south to a friend's ranch close to the border. Using my .450-400 3-inch Harrison and Hussey boxlock double I took a pig and javelina. The pig was so-so but the javelina had great teeth! A great experience and thanks to Lester Dyke for his hospitality and visiting with his wonderful family. The next day we went out looking for white tail and it turned out to be a 100% day: perfect weather with a slight breeze--cloudless and cool. We walked (rather than driving) a few miles in the bush and rattled up some young bucks. Then, several hundred yards away this young buck was spotted walking away from us and, with a bit of rattling, turned around and began walking toward us. The wind was blowing from he to us so the buck moved off to his right to circle us and get downwind. We, in turn, moved off to our left to meet him. Staying completely still and rattling the shed antlers, the deer appeared about 60 yards away looking at us through the brush. While not a big deer by Texas standards by any stretch of imagination, he was a wild deer, 3 years old or a bit more, and he was hunted fairly. And, it was my first deer. A quick off hand shot with my .450-400 and he fell instantly and didn't move an inch. Next year, after the convention, Lester and I will do this again as he was kind enough to invite me for a chance at a better buck.

A good Alaska friend, Dave Peterson, MD, took this great elk with a great double: Holland and Holland .500 3 1/4" bpe. Dave worked up some loads at my home in Willow and the rifle targets very well.

Dan Levin hunted South Africa with a Kriegoff double rifle with three sets of barrels: .30-06, .375, and .470. The two smaller calibers are scoped with a 1 1/4-4x and a 2 1/2 - 10x Swarovski The .470 is open sighted only. Below are three of his trophies. I met Dan at the Manchester NH gun show on the 15th of October. He asked me about my Courteney back pack and as we chatted more he discovered I was the author of the .600 book and also of this web site. Small world.

Cal took this trophy bull on the Triple U Buffalo Ranch in South Dakota on October 2 with a 4-bore Robert Hughes double rifle. The details can be found on the home page.

Jon Ashbrook took this pig with a Westley Richards 12-bore Explora and Holland and Holland Paradox ammo. Looks it works quite well.

This caribou fell to Cal's .450-400 3" Harrison and Hussey ble in August of 2011. The details of the hunt are on the August 24th update on the home page. I could not get a shot at other bulls due to distance and this makes the success here all the more valuable. Hunting is far more enjoyable than assassination at 500 yards.

Canada's John Hipwell used a stunning Manton 8-bore to take these three excellent trophies. Three of the big six AND with a vintage 8 is something not often done these days. Thanks, John, for sending these. John's hunt and rifles will be featured in my upcoming book on the bore rifles.

Jon Ashbrook shot these nice hogs with an Army and Navy .450-400 3 1/4" that dates from 1903. Thanks, Jon!

Ron Ashabraner sent these photos of his two safaris. The buff and hippo were taken in Zimbabwe and the remaining four in Namibia. All six were shot with a Merkel .375 double. Good job, Ron, and thanks for the contribution.

Paul Ard, a good Alaska mate, shot this nice buffalo in South Africa with a hammer, under lever .450 no2. He hunted with Hannes Swanepoel Safaris. I will post more info on this rifle and details of the hunt upon Paul's return.

Ron Klier's own words will tell of this photo and rifle: The rifle is a standard Sabatti 92 .45-70 as presently being imported by Cabela's. I can't tell you how pleased I am with it. Accuracy is outstanding with both factory loads it was regulated with (325 gr. Hornady FTX) and my handloads. I shot the hogs with handloaded ammo consisting of a 300 gr. Remington HP - 50.0 grs. of IMR 4198 - CCI #200 Large Rifle primer. Velocity is 2050 FPS and accuracy is just a tad better than the aforementioned factory load. I can break clay targets consistently with the handload at 110 yds with either barrel. Really a nice gun for the price. Haven't had a chance to use the Merkel yet and I just shoot factory ammo in it, but will keep you posted. The hog hunt took place this past February at the Gopher Plantation in Millwood, GA. I am a retired Ohio State Trooper and a group of us make an annual trip there every February to get out of the winters here for a bit. We usually try to use old lever guns of some sort on the hog hunt, but this was the first time for a double rifle. Great fun. I attached a few more pics. Thanks again and will look forward to the pics on you site.

Jerry and Joan Brossia completed yet another African hunt and used (among other rifles) a .500 Merkel double. Life does not get any better.

Look very closely and you will see a nice nilgai in the photo. Yes, it is behind a fabulous Holland and Holland royal in .465 nitro express. Photos from a good friend, Lester Dyke.

Mike Mooney is yet another Alaskan who left the great northland for warmer pastures in Washington. Several years ago Mike took this cape buffalo with a vintage Holland and Holland .500 3 1/4" black powder express. Several plains game fell to his .375 (only one barrel, though) and the year before Mike and I hunted in South Africa together.

Jerry and Joan Brossia are experienced hunters in both Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Jerry shoots a .500 Merkel double and, as you can see from the photos, shoots it very well. A fellow Alaskan, Jerry began developing loads for his double at my cabin in Willow.

Gus Gillespie, a good friend for many years here in Alaska, took this cape buffalo in Tanzania with an Osborne .450 3 1/4". Gus took several great animals on his safari with a .375 and the .450 including a super lion. He is a very active member in the Alaska SCI chapter.

Anthony Alborough-Tregear of Westley Richards was a great assistance in my book on the .600s and was kind enough to write the introduction. He is also an experienced African hunter as can be seen in the two photos below. I do not have the caliber and make of his double but will post it when I find out. Thanks for all the help, Anthony.

The following four photos are from Cal. Top photo is a Matetsi, Zimbabwe, buffalo from 2008. Taken with a John Wilkes .600 that dates from 1914 it was rough for this cold weather Alaskan to carry 15 1/2 pounds in the heat of September. The boss is great but he is a bit narrow. Next is a croc from Tanzania taken with a .450-400 Harrison and Husssey. The eland was taken with a Mortimer and Son .500 black powder express outside of Chiredzi, Zimbabwe in 1997 on Jerry Whitehead's ranch with PH Neil Duckworth. The hippo was shot in Tanzania and the rifle is my .450-400. PH is Gary Hopkins of Zimbabwe.

Below are five photos of game I've taken with my Harrison and Hussey boxlock ejector double rifle. It has a Swarovski 1.25-4x 30mm scope and claw mounts. Top photo is a super nyala taken in Zululand, about 30 miles out of Greytown, SA. The bush was so thick other nyala and impala came to within a few yards of us. My PH was Gert Rall of Pietersburg. Next, is a sable taken in Zimbabwe in 2005 with Gary Hopkins, PH. Below that is a warthog from the Limpopo river on the Botswana border in 2005. The water buffalo was taken in 2000 with Kim Walters and Barry Jones of Buffalo Safaris Australia. One shot through the chest and a second through the shoulder as he turned did in the old dagga boy. Bottom photo are some poacher's dogs taken is SA in 2005. The dogs were used to run down and exhaust game and had killed a warthog and now had a 40-inch lizard at bay. After I shot the dogs I noticed the poacher running away. If you look close at the top center of the picture, you can see the lizard--curved like the letter C

Ron Williams of Palmer, Alaska, took this non-trophy cow elephant in Metetsi (Zimbabwe) in 2008. It was a one shot kill (brain shot) with a Rodda .475.

I shot this buffalo close to Lake Kariba in 2003. The rifle is a Joseph Lang double (of course) in .450 no2 nitro express. Load was 102 grains of IMR 4831 and a 500-grain Hornady solid. My guide was Gert Rall of South Africa and Evans M'kanza of Zimbabwe. My rifle has a great history of going to Kenya in 1904 with White Hunters Africa when the owner (a veteran of the Boer War) moved from hog farming to being a white hunter. It stayed in Kenya until 1956 when it went back to London for repairs and/or alterations. I purchased it in Anchorage in 2001 and she shoots within two inches at 50 yards. Below the buffalo is a giraffe taken with the .450 no2 Lang in South Africa outside of the town of Vivo. While giraffe are not considered a sporting trophy animal, stalking one is the most difficult of any game I have come upon. Taken at 60 yards with two shots 3 inches apart on the upper left shoulder. The Grizzly was also taken with the Lang in 2003. He as an interior grizzly taken 30 miles out of the town of Eagle on the Yukon River, close the the Yukon border. The bear's internal organs and fat was purple due to eating nothing but blueberries (I carry whipped cream, bowl, and spoon when I hunt in the fall as I love the wild Alaska berries). I called this griz to 8 yards when a shot in the chest dropped him instantly.

Steve Ahrenberg of Phoenix has hunted extensively in Africa. Below are two excellent trophies taken with doubles. The Botswana elephant was taken in 2006 with a Krieghoff .470 and the buffalo (and what a buffalo it is!) was taken in Zambia with a Armeria de Madrid .500. Expect more photos from Steve. One additional note, Steve has just purchased his first English double--an Osborne .450-400 3 1/4".

Below are four of Cal's non-trophy trophies (?). All were taken with my .450-400 Harrison and Hussey boxlock ejector with a Swarovski scope. The caribou was a 2004 meat animal taken on the Yukon Border in Alaska. The impala was leopard bait in Tanzania in 2006. The Tanzania leopard was also in 2006. He was a good cat but was wounded a few months prior by a Russian client and infection set in. Upon cleaning him, he stank to high heaven and his internal organs were green in color. He was over 7-feet long but weighed well under 100 pounds as he was starving. The lion was a major disappointment. My PH told me he was a 5 1/2 year old lion with little mane due to living his live in the bush. Actually, he was a 2 1/2 year old sub adult and should not have been shot. I didn't know this then.