Szescei & Fuchs Double Barrel Bolt Action Dangerous Game Rifle

This rifle is being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018.

Normally in big game rifles, one has the choice of either a double barrel or a bolt action (semi autos being generally eschewed as not reliable enough). After the surely unnerving experience of being charged by three elephants simultaneously, however, Hungarian hunter Joseph Szecsei decided he wanted both the immediate followup shot of the double barrel and the capacity of the bolt action all in a single rifle. So working with Fuchs Fine Guns in Austria, he created just that – a double barrel bolt action rifle.

The system uses six locking lugs on the rear end of the bolt to lock two bolts and chambers, and a dual magazine which holds three extra rounds for each barrel. The guns are made to order for the very high end of the market, and are available in pretty much your choice of caliber – this particular example is in .416 Remington Magnum. Interestingly, Fuchs also makes an over/under pattern of this system as well as a miniaturized rimfire pattern. Neat!

29 Comments

  1. What a stunningly beautiful firearm. Kinda disappointed that it didn’t have counter-rotating bolts. 8 rounds of .416 Rem Mag will probably have a lasting effect on your shoulder! If I win the lottery I will get one of those rimfires!

  2. One with contra-rotating bolts would be a bit more complex, I’d think.

    A gas-operated semi-automatic one would be exceptionally interesting.

    cheers

    eon

  3. Well, if you somehow missed the rhino with a bolt-action, you’d get tossed. And double rifles can’t be reloaded quickly (unless you’re already holding fresh rounds in your off hand). Maybe that’s what we’re thinking about here. A detachable double magazine comes in handy too…

    • One of the classic dangers of the break-action single or double rifle is too-soft cartridge brass that results in

      A) The case sticking due to the action type’s inherent poor primary extraction (no rotation to break the case loose from the chamber wall), followed by

      B) The extractor/ejector “pulling through” the rim, followed by

      C) Snapping back down on top of the (semi-crushed) rim, which not only leaves you with an empty stuck in that barrel but also

      D)Prevents closing the action to fire a round from the other barrel.

      All of which adds up to

      E) You becoming a permanent part of the veldt after the irritated Cape Buffalo or etc. runs you down and then does a tap-dance on your head.

      One more reason to (1) use enough gun and (2) have a second loaded one within reach. Assuming, that is, the gunbearer can hand it to you fast enough and you’re quick enough at dropping one, grabbing and mounting the other, and etc.

      So a double rifle with magazine feed plus decent primary extraction due to turning bolt action actually makes pretty good sense when hunting dangerous game, and not just in Africa. It would also come in very handy when dealing with Grizzly, Kodiak, Alaskan Brown, or polar bear, who have an irritating tendency to regard humans as a menu item, especially the Grizz.

      cheers

      eon

      • “So a double rifle with magazine feed plus decent primary extraction due to turning bolt action actually makes pretty good sense when hunting dangerous game, and not just in Africa. It would also come in very handy when dealing with Grizzly, Kodiak, Alaskan Brown, or polar bear, who have an irritating tendency to regard humans as a menu item, especially the Grizz.”
        I heard that similar story is behind creation of .600/538 MM cartridge, see bottom left photo: http://www.ferlachguns.com/news.htm
        which was crafted to combine heavy Nitro Express performance with bolt-action repeating rifle

      • The solution to the problem of soft cases, is to pay for decent ammunition.

        If you can afford to be facing African game with a double rifle, you can afford decent ammunition

        If your rifle (of whatever type) is chambered for one of the bullshit American cartridges that were hyped for dangerous game by marketing departments and their tame journalists, but gathered at track record of injured game and hunters (.458 winchester is exhibit A in this!).

        I’ll second the nomination for a Darwin award.

        Hopefully Andries will contribute to the comments
        He can cite the retired winchester ballistician who clearly says that the. 458 was never a dangerous game cartridge, it was just hyped for that role as the largest practical size to expand the 63mm length h&h style belted head case to.

        In general terms the American rounds were too often designed by the marketing department and made by the accountancy department

        Over pressure in pursuit of figures to use in marketing, and with propellant that deteriorates in equatorial heat, cased in crappy brass and loaded with crappy bullets that can’t reliably withstand impact on heavy bones at the velocities that they’re launched at.

        In extreme examples. (The execrable. 458 winchester again!) The bullets wouldn’t even penetrate the hides Of African buffalo).

        Higher energy (energy increases to the square of velocity, that’s why marketing departments cite energy figures) doesn’t count for anything, if the bullet doesn’t reach the animal’s vitals

        A crappy case that won’t extract, adds insult to injury

        And a bolt action rifle with 30° bolt rotation (almost no camming) firing over pressure rounds, loaded with rapidly deteriorating powder in soft cases…
        Look up “professional Hunter training” to get the make of the rifle that repeatedly needed the use of a boot heel to open the bolt

      • “So a double rifle with magazine feed plus decent primary extraction due to turning bolt action…” In this case, I thought only the bolt connection contraption at the rear turned, not the individual bolts?

  4. Once again I am unable to locate the link to the auction house.
    Well done, Ian! Keeping possible buyers from accessing their web site!

  5. Frank — When you put your mouse over the green text “This rifle is being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018.” it changes from an arrow to a hand. This shows it’s a link to another page.

  6. Besides the quick second shot, a rationale for the traditional double barreled rifle is that the fire control system for each barrel is completely independent of the other. So a broken mainspring, a broken firing pin, etc., will not leave one disarmed. I.e., they come with a spare everything.

  7. 1. How did Mr. Szecsei survive the three elephants charging him?

    2. Elmer Keith wrote an article extolling the double-barrel big game rifle and insisted that holding two rounds between the fingers of the off hand allowed for faster shooting of four rounds than any bolt-action. I will not try this myself against any wild game, right down to mice.

    • On the first issue, I suspect the dude wasn’t dealing with the elephants by himself. There was likely a companion with another large double rifle. As for holding cartridges in your off-hand, I agree that it’s not a good idea. At least it isn’t great for beginners…

  8. A side by side break open ejector is extremely quick to reload

    – For anyone who takes the time to practice.

    For bolt action fans who want rapid follow up shots, the. 425 Westley Richards offered stripper loading of super mag diameter cases with rebated standard 8 x57mm head size on a standard length Mauser 98

    Unusually, Barnes’ cartridges of the world, isn’t blinded by his usuually overwhelming nationalistic prejudices (he extols American cases based on the .404 Jeffrey case, but dismisses the. 280 Jeffrey that pre dated them by about 70 years)

    He actually admits that the. 425 westley richards is a good round

  9. Are the double barrels manufactured monolithic?

    Or are they inserted into a monoblock for threading into the receiver ring?

    For the action, it’s good to see that the Vetterli inspired actions are still going strong.

    I’ll count the late 1960s rear locked “steyr mannlichers” as intellectual Offspring of the Vetterli

  10. Would the action have a good extraction for african cartridges. One of the adventages of express rifles is that they overcome partially the problem of sticky cases in African hot climates. African big game hunters prefer the Mauser 98 action by his excellent extraction.

  11. Keith in England,
    I am sorry you live in Orwellian society where firearm ownership is so difficult. Your jealousy of the American Second Amendment is palpable.

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