doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Get the stones...

This one will be controversial for several reasons, so I wanted to present a few things prior to getting into the meat of the post. As a gunsmith and gunmaker my priority is to serve my customers and fulfill THEIR desires on THEIR firearms, so long as the end result is safe. You may have your opinions, and im not here to change them. This is my clients opinion and his rifle.

So…let’s install a red dot on a recent production H&H round action .500ne.

How can I accomplish this and live with myself?

I did these modifications in a way that will allow one to return it to something the factory would or has done. In this example, one can remove the sight/mount and install a 3-leaf sight commonly found on such double rifles made by the manufacturer. This came with some compromise as I wish the red dot was closer to the eye for field of view reasons, but I couldn’t come up with a way to accomplish such without much more invasive modification.

The rifle came with a single fixed blade rear sight, so I extended the dovetail cut in the rib, made a new rear sight I filed in for 50yds in the same style as original but longer, then made a QR mount for the red dot which slides onto the rear sight and locks on.

Next came the decision;should we use a QR lever or a screw with large slot to lock it in. My clients choice was a screw with large slot which can be attached/removed with a screwdriver, or even a large coin. His reasoning is the lever would stick out more and he worried about it catching on stuff.

Some engraving remains to do on the new sight, but that will be accomplished at a later date due to time constraints.

So, off we go…

500-2 by Aa Li, on Flickr

IMG_0271 by Aa Li, on Flickr

IMG_0268 by Aa Li, on Flickr

500-3 by Aa Li, on Flickr

500-4 by Aa Li, on Flickr

in practice...
500 by Aa Li, on Flickr

500-1 by Aa Li, on Flickr

An elegant solution in my opinion. Well done.

Did the red dot change the regulation?

Ken

Not at all. Gun delivered a wonderful 1” group at 50yds.

Aaron; I like your approach on the red dot. For some time now, my observations are that shooters have discovered red dots on double rifles are sensible. For dangerous game shooters who are over 50 or so, red dots may be life saving devices. Some shooters begin to see vision issues even before age 50 and cannot focus on the rear sight of a open sight rifle.

Several years ago (at age 75) I was very upset at the Vintagers who would not let me shoot one of my double rifles at the Vintage cup with a scope attached, even thought I told them that I would be shooting only for my personal desire to see how my double rifle (a stalking double rifle, not a dangerous game "stopping rifle") patterned on their targets and not shooting it in competition with the other non-scoped double rifle shooters. The double rifle shooting organization in Australia have allowed double rifle shooters to use scopes and red dots for years according to Graeme Wright. It is interesting in that regard that the Australian double rifle shooters still have an event and the Vintagers event cratered.

Stephen Howell

gunmaker,
Meat on the ground proves the concept.
Mike

Replied on Accuratereloading also, but the work is outstanding, the beautiful rifle will shoot better and get used more.

Thanks for sharing!

Mounting the sight that far forward is sort of a "Scout Rifle" concept, but I understand why you did so. Having it forward like that allows the eyes to not only see it but see around it and offers another level of aiming. For close up dangerous game I can see a big benefit to positioning it where you did. In this case maybe function follows form.

Nice work Aaron, and fine results.

As to the Holland work, I must say that I prefer the traditional style H&H quarter rib greatly to the one pictured.

Heck, even for a young’n like myself with decent eyesight and plenty of iron sight rifle use, and wing shooting/clay shooting experience the implementation of the red dot on double rifles can’t be argued. I shoot more accurately quicker than with irons. If I ever build my own, it’ll have a red dot mounted lower and fixed with irons that co-witness in the lower red dot window.