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GUN TEST
Old School Values
Pete Moore fulfils yet another shooting dream when he checks out what many
consider to be the king of double rifles – the Krieghoff Classic
I
first saw a Krieghoff in Germany
in 1973 and fell in love with it.
I don’t know why I like double
rifles, but I do, as I would not
give you tuppence for a double
barrelled shotgun. The chance to do
more than look came by accident, as
I was talking to Krieghoff MD (Peter
Brass) on another matter. Peter asked
me if there was anything they could
help me with and I said I was off to
shoot some boar in Croatia and what
was the chance of borrowing one of
their Classic doubles? Much to my
surprise and pleasure he said yes.
Classic rifle,
classic calibre
I had asked for the Classic in 30-06
and Peter said that was possible,
but suggested that 9.3x74R would
be better. This is without doubt the
ultimate calibre for boar, so there I was
Mr synthetic bedding and camo with
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The Krieghoff
Classic double –
the quintessential
German boar rifle,
so what’s a camoclad oaf like Pete
Moore doing with
one?
The secret of a
good double is a
superior build and
precise regulation.
The Krieghoff was
well sorted and
could keep both
shots near on line
inside 2” at 50
meters. I reckon
this is the king of
double rifles!
SHOOTING SPORTS MAGAZINE
what must be the most traditional of
German hunting rifles and cartridges.
Peter kindly said I could have the rifle
for a few months to get the hang of it,
and as I discovered it’s a bit different
to the guns I normally hunt with.
I had shot 9.3x74R before in
lesser makes of double and as I
recall it had been pretty unpleasant.
However, I was reassured by Mark
Stone’s comments as he had test
fired the Classic, in that it was not
bad, just large, as it would be this
gun he would take to Africa in 2008
for some hunting. The truth is that
felt recoil, though a hard fact, can
often be compensated for by proper
stock geometry and as I was to
discover Krieghoff do know how to
produce something that is shall
we say, a cut above the rest...
The Classic turned up from
UK importers Alan Rhone. My first
impression was of a surprisingly small
and well proportioned rifle; if anything
it seemed a bit slight. In essence
it’s a side-by-side shotgun layout with
double trigger, box lock action and top
lever, apart from the thin rifle barrels
Guns & Gear
The simple rear sight sits on a
short rib that’s also suited for
scope mounting, though irons are
not popular in the UK, for driven
boar at normal ranges they are
highly practical and tough
and sights, the real difference is the
de-cocker at the rear of the tang.
This was the basic model in terms
of embellishments and showed the
action in the white with just a bit of
floral engraving. Krieghoff offer the
Classic in the following chamberings
- 30-06, 308 Win, 7x57R, 7x65R,
8x57JRS, 8x75RS and 9.3x74R.
The Big Five version is for your
grand African calibres - 375 Flanged
Magnum to 500 Nitro Express. The
blueing was superb, as was the wood
and also wood to metal fit. When
Mark visited the Krieghoff factory he
commented that other companies
work to tolerances; whereas these
boys work exact. I have to say this was
the impression I got, as the action
opened and shut like a bank vault
door with the top lever snapping to
its middle position with no deviation.
Convergence
The problem or trick with a double
rifle is to get both barrels shooting
to a similar point of impact (POI) at
a set distance. The technical term
for this is regulation and it consists
of moving the muzzles in relation
to each other to achieve this.
Most doubles are set up for
around 50-75m and at that distance
the groups can be disappointing.
I shot one the other year that at
50 yards could not keep inside 6”.
Unusually Krieghoff regulate (unless
specifically asked for) at 150m, which
is no mean feat for a design such
as this and one that makes the gun
a far more practical proposition...
The Classic comes with 23.5”
barrels and basic iron sights; up front
is a brass blade on a ramp, at the rear
a big, U-notch plate on a short raised
rib, which is windage adjustable.
However, also included are a set of
swing off rings for scope mounting.
Swarovski kindly lent me one of their
Z6i 1-6x24 EE (extended eye relief)
scopes. With illumination and a true
X1 power that could go up to X6 for a
longer shot it seemed ideal for driven
boar and short/medium range hunting.
Ammunition was kindly supplied
by Viking Arms in the form of Lapua
285-grain Mega and, as is my want,
I fitted an Eagle cheek piece bag
on the butt. It occurred to me it
would take any sting from firing
With two rounds on
board you get the
fastest and most
reliable second
shot possible.
The Classic is
a non ejector,
but the lack of
this automatic
function adds to its
reliability
and also be a good place to keep
spare ammo for a fast reload.
This example has what Krieghoff
calls a Bavarian butt, which shows a
low/straight comb with flat/angled
cheek piece. The pistol grip is wide
and deep and I found my head
position a tad high for iron sights
even without the Eagle bag fitted,
however it proved ideal for scope use.
Length of pull was 14.75” (to the
front trigger) to suit my long arms.
Cocker or safety?
The 9.3x74R
(right) is the
classic German
boar cartridge and
though old it’s a
real performer.
Left a 30-06 for
comparison and
that’s not a small
round either
In keeping with some other German
rifles the Krieghoff does not show
a true safety catch, instead it has
a de-cocker. To the rear of the top
lever is a large, sliding thumb catch
that cocks the mechanism when
pushed forward, as opening/closing
the barrels is purely for loading/
unloading. Operating it takes a bit
of a push, but by the same token it
gives an instant make safe too. As
once set further forward pressure
on the lug de-cocks the mech and it
slides back to its un-cocked position.
Sensibly the action can be opened
even with the de-cocker in its (forward)
fire position; however, there are a few
caveats to this system concerning
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GUN TEST
This example showed swing-off
scope mounts, which allows the
swift change from glass to irons.
The Swarovski Z6i is wearing the
mounts for fitting my SurefIre torch
for night work
scope dimensions and ring height.
The Swarovski has a rather wide
eyepiece bell and I found that with
the de-cocker forward there was not
much room to get my thumb on to
the top lever, unless I de-cocked the
action first. With that understood
it was time to start shooting and I
was very excited at the prospect.
I elected to fire a few rounds
standing just to get the feel of the
thing. Snuggling in tight and glad I
had elected for an EE scope I touched
off the first barrel. Boom! The noise
echoed round the range and the gun
pushed me backwards a little, but in
truth it was very well behaved for what
in effect is a calibre not much below
a 375 H&H. More importantly I could
stand it easily so no built-in flinch - I
could now get on with some practice.
Getting to know you...
Pushing the lever open I broke the
action expecting the empties to
eject, which did not happen, as the
Classic is not an ejector, so they had
to be removed by hand. This proved
less than easy under a scope, until I
perfected my own immediate action
(IA) drill; break the action then flick the
muzzle up right and those big brass
tubes fall clear every time. It occurred
to me this was an oversight on what
is primarily a dangerous game rifle,
but on reflection – maybe not! OK auto
ejection makes for a faster reload, but
by the same token it’s something else
to go wrong, so speed is sacrificed for
reliability. Which is probably better,
as once you have your
IA drills pat, the reload
is as quick as it
can be, given it’s
all down to you...
The Classic was
certainly different
to the 4-5 shot
magazine repeaters
I was used to.
Ammo was Lapua
285-grain Mega and
kindly supplied by
importers Viking
Arms Ltd. Though
only travelling at
a modest 2170 fps
these big bullets
really carry and
penetrate well
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SHOOTING SPORTS MAGAZINE
As boar was the game I elected
to zero at 50 yards and at that
distance the Classic was keeping
both shots inside two inches and
almost level, which for a double is
very good and a glowing testament
to how Krieghoff makes them!
Back at 100 yards the gun was
putting in near identical groups
and I was starting to warm to it.
Speaking of that; the barrels do
get hot and too much shooting does
cause the groups to expand and even
change shape. Hardly surprising given
the lightness of the tubes. Krieghoff
mention this fact in the handbook and
even gives figures. For me the burn
factor was high and I’d recommend
a glove for your supporting hand,
if you’re going to shoot a lot.
I used standard clay pigeons as
targets, as shots would be taken
standing so I’d need to get on to
the target, drop the dot on and
pull the trigger. This was great fun
watching the clays literally vaporise
as the big 9.3 bullets hit them. I’m
no shotgunner and firing a double
trigger set up is a bit different
and requires more technique.
The Classic fires forward trigger
right barrel, rear left. Clearance is
generous between the blades and
inside the guard so you can use
a glove with no problems. Mark
suggested that as opposed to
physically moving my finger to the
second blade, I should let the recoil
slide my whole hand backwards to
re-position it for the second shot.
On the reload it was easy to pull
out a pair of cartridges and slide
them into the chambers, though I
never managed to perfect the two
spare rounds between the fingers
of the supporting hand trick... But I
was content with this IA drill too.
Over the chrono the Lapua ammo
was averaging 2175 fps with an
energy figure of 2993 ft/lbs. This
big 285-grain bullet carries a lot
of mass that will allow it to punch
through pretty much anything.
Pete strikes out
People speak of double rifles in
almost mystical terms – they give the
quickest second shot, they
handle and point like a good
shotgun and are the most
reliable gun on the planet.
All true as I discovered, but by
the same token they are usually very
expensive (certainly the good ones)
Guns & Gear
and very limited in effective
range. I really enjoyed using
the Krieghoff and I would
love one. But they are very
much a horse with a course
and that’s close range and
on the more dangerous
species. Calibre-wise I
consider 9.3x74R more
than enough and that
would include buffalo!
As you will see if
you read this month’s
Hunting in Europe article,
me and the Krieghoff
made it to Croatia but
never got a boar, such
is hunting. However, I
was confident that had
any tusker presented itself then I
would have dropped it with ease.
At around £4000 + for the basic
model and £6000 + for the African
Big Five version these are not guns
you buy lightly. However, not only are
they magnificent pieces of engineering,
but also highly practical close range
equipment; where firepower and
reliability are at a premium. Having
shot a few different double rifles over
Notice the unusual butt angle, which
appears quite high in relation to the
action. This example of the Classic
showed minimal decoration, which is
how I like it...
the years; if I was to buy one then it
would be a Krieghoff no question!
My thanks to Peter Brass
for giving me the opportunity
to use a truly amazing rifle!
Thanks to:
Viking Arms Ltd, 01423
780810 (Lapua ammunition)
Swarovski UK Ltd, 01737
856800 (Z6i 1-6x24EE)
Krieghoff Classic Double
z Calibre 9.3x74R (on test)
z Action double barrel
z Iron sights Y
z Scope mounts Y
z QD sling swivels
z Soft transit case
z Price £4,435 (prices vary as to specifications)
z Contact Alan Rhone, 01978 660 001 www.krieghoff.com
Detail of the top lever and
de-cocker, note with the larger
eyepiece bell the lack of clearance
to get your thumb in to open the
action with the mechanism cocked
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