Whitworth Double Rifle

Bill Adams sends along a link to a very nice Whitworth double rifle on Gunbroker. Many manufacturers made double rifles, primarily for hunting when a quick followup shot was often needed, particularly for dangerous game. As you’d expect that extra barrel made them rather heavy which limited their use in military applications. This particular example comes from South Africa where it was used extensively for hunting. I have seen some examples of double rifles used in the American Civil War, but most of them seem to have been the Jacob’s.

Here’s the famous hexagonal bore.