[SaxonPig]

I bought this double rifle 30 years ago in CA. Requested info from the manufacturer and got a letter stating the name of the original owner who bought it new in 1910. The name didn't mean anything to me, but according to an Englishman who responded to a query I made on a double rifle forum, the first owner was Ian Fleming's father-in-law. Fleming is known for his spy novels featuring the James Bond character he created.

The rifle was sold on consignment through the manufacturer's sales office in 1920 to a man bearing the same name as a prince in the ruling family of Afghanistan. No way to prove if it was really him or another man with the same name. But fun to speculate.

Does this count as a celebrity gun?

 

[xtimberman]

Yes, good enough for me to call it a celebri-gun!

Might be Mullah Omar's Great Uncle's cousin's double gun.

Who was the maker?

xtm

 

[carl418]

Very cool, SP!

 

[bmcgilvray]

Nice touch to have a double rifle in the collection. Definitely an interesting history too. For which cartridge is it chambered?

 

[SaxonPig]

It's a Cogswell & Harrison 375 Nitro Express (375x2.5" Rimmed). Factory loads used a 270 grain bullet at around 1900 FPS. I have loaded the 235 Speer spitzers to 2300. I think it would be good on even dangerous thin skinned animals like big cats.

 

[azmick]

Nice buy SP, kind of cool indeed!

 

[Bob K]

At the S&W museum, (I see um, too!!! :lol: YUK YUK!!!) I was about 2' from the original Ed McGivern gun. Is that close enough???? :roll: Bob

 

[Leighton]

Very cool!!! Always loved those old doubles.

 

[bmcgilvray]

It'd be great to hand load for that round.

 

[Leighton]

Just last night on Outdoor TV, they had one of the shows about those. Very, very cool!!!!!

It was the Shooting Gallery show.

 

[SaxonPig]

The cartridge is a tapered, rimmed case. The problem is finding proper cases. They are available from a couple of sources but cost about $4 each. They can be formed from the 30-40 Krag but the resulting case is about 1/4" shorter than it should be so you lose powder capacity.

In the short cases I load 260 grain lead bullets to around 1900 FPS and I have taken the 235 Speer spitzer to 2300. Not nearly as powerful as the full length 357 H&H, it can still pack a punch.

BTW- I have read that the Enfield 303 can be rebarreled to this caliber. Would make an interesting sporting rifle.

 

[bmcgilvray]

You've got me to thinking here.

I've made shorty .405 cases from the .30-40 case. I wonder how close .405 WCF brass is to what you need. Don't have my Barnes' "Cartridges of the World" at hand but will have to look up dimensions later.

 

[SaxonPig]

The rim is too big and the case still comes out short.

 

[Frank V]

Beautiful double rifle, thanks for sharing with us. Frank