doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Double rifle build - which action?

I've gotten the idea from somewhere, that if I was to undertake a project to build a double rifle off of a shotgun action, a Fox 16ga is a good choice. Is that true, or misguided? What other actions make good candidates for doing this.

Thank you.

The Fox is one of the worse for this task, it is an excellent shotgun action design however.

One of the the best is the BRNO ZP 49 SLE built in the late 1950's or early 1960'S. These action are hardened modern high quality steel, with coil spring side locks, striker discs, hidden third fastners, and chopper lump barrels. Numerous people have used them for this task. Search for Ron Vella of Canada posts on building double rifles with these actions as he has built 2 or 3 using them.

Striker discs are a must and using the BRNO actions I make new striker discs from O-1 alloy steel, drill them for the small rifle size strikers (firing pins) then harden and temper.

Using shotgun size strikers is asking for trouble and gas blowback into your face and the butt stock.

Do not be tempted to bore the face of the action and install striker discs on a shotgun action that was not originally built with them. This is an unsafe practice, no matter who has written that they do it---it weakens the action.

Several of the German shotguns are also suitable, but they are hard to find with striker discs. Also one can find some very good Spanish made shotgun actions with striker discs and Greener cross bolts.

Understood. Thank you. What gauge/action size is best to use?

PM Sent

I favor the 12 guage BRNO while others favor the 16 for balance. Here is one of Ron Vella's posts:

http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat....true#Post246412

You should keep in mind that shotgun actions are not ideal for building double rifles, even though many craftsman do this. Even a few are being made in UK. As a general rule the standing breech of a shotgun action is woefully to thin for building a double rifle, not the mention not reinforced enough in the standing breech to action body junctions--you need bolsters here.

Aaron Little in Texas in probably THE best authority on building double rifles from shotgun actions. See his website. Call him and talk to him, see his posts on this and other websites. Look at what Aaron has to say on the Accurate Reloading double rifle section website.

Start with making a DR in .45-70 and keep your pressure low. Use a virtual ballistic software such as QuickLoad to develop a proof test load and proof test it somewhat higher pressure than the English and European proof house--two times per barrel. If you want to keep from getting sued in a court of law, build only for yourself.

See some of Aaron's recent work:

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/760101804/m/5211062052

Ron Vella's BRNO action DR's (scroll up to top of post)


http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat....true#Post228438

http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=317136&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1

What caliber are you planning to build? There is a book on this subject that I bought when I was hot on this idea. But I ended up not going that route because a double is really one barrel too many for my rifle needs.

I have that book as well.

No preference on caliber. Something potent, but I have nothing to prove by trying to go big. I have two custom rifle builds to accomplish to complete school. One will be using a small ring Mauser I have on hand, and because it’s a small ring they only permit smaller caliber builds. Fine with me, so we decided on .300 Blackout. Next will be a large ring Mauser, when I find one that I can afford.

The motivators for the double rifle are: because I want to, I think they’re fantastic, I won’t likely be able to afford one otherwise, and party because school isn’t keen on the idea. I would be very happy with a mid-range caliber, but since I’m not well versed in rifle calibers, I don’t know what that would be yet. I’d like it to be on the safe side for this kind of thing, and available over the counter. I reload shotshells for my old beater doubles, but don’t have rifle equipment.

Anyway, it sounds fun, and incredibly difficult, so why not. I did see what looked like a good German action for this project, but I’ll miss it. Need to sell off other projects first.