Hoser-
You need to get over to nitroexpress.com and introduce yourself to the community there - and do a lot of listening.
Double rifles are in so many ways different than the 'other choices' available to the modern hunter - and they need special care and feeding.
You speak of lead-free ammunition and that you live in California.
Double rifles and monolithic solid copper bullets are not necessarily a very good combination.
Those very hard bullets can do expensive harm to double rifle barrels. There are even bullet designs which incorporate lead that are strongly NOT recommended for use in double rifles (partitions and a-frames for example) due to the unforgiving, very hard solid sections of copper in the belly of the bullets...
Before you buy a double rifle you need to prep yourself for a 'different' kind of approach to shooting and feeding your rifles.
You'll do very very well to seriously consider getting set up to handload for whatever rifle you get.
One doesn't own a double rifle for the 'cheap and available ammunition'
On caliber selection for what you describe - the 30-06 could definitely do all you need to do for your entire hunting life.
The 30-06 will have very little recoil at all, the rifles are very handy and light.
The 9.3 is a great big game cartridge, but it will have much more recoil, the rifles will be heavier.
A 30-06 double rifle would be really sweet.
If you're looking to buy new, get in contact with the maker (call Merkel for instance) and ask them if they will guarantee their rifle against damage caused by shooting solid copper bullets through it.
I'd be very interested to hear what they have to say about that.
Cheers
Tinker
