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Butch:

I just returned form Mozambique where I hunted the swamps with Zambeze Delta Safaris. My PH was Julian Moller, he was a perfect hunting partner and consummate professional. The answer to every question was yes, and when was now. I went with my son and two friends and we had an unbelievable time. I finally got the Cape Buffalo that I had dreamed of taking for more years now than I want to admit. Your rifle performed perfectly. The four PH’s that were in camp really like the 500 N.E. As one of them said “ When a 500 talks to them, they listen.”

The 577 grain Woodleigh soft opened up to the size of a golf ball and the recovered bullet was 570 grains after starting at 577 grains. The shot was at 73 yards and it was like you dream about. The ammo for all of the rifles came from Superior ammo and worked every time. Larry’s quality is something that you can bet you life on. It was comforting to crawl through the tall grass with your double in my hands. Thanks for a lifetime memory and making a rifle that will be cherished for years to come.

God Bless America

Andy Jones

Augusta, Ga.

July 2012

18 August 2010

Dear Butch,

I wrote my first testimonial about my Deluxe boxlock .470 NE rifle to you back in July 2008. This was after my first Zimbabwe safari where I shot a nice Dagga Boy with my Searcy rifle. Since returning from that first safari, I have shot my Searcy double almost every week, and I have put literally hundreds of full power rounds through it. It still locks up as tight as the day it was delivered, and it consistently shoots better than I will ever be able to. I was so impressed with the .470 you built for me that I ordered a 450/400 classic double and one of your magnificent stalking rifles in 9.3x74R. Both are superbly accurate and are prized possessions waiting for their chance to take game on the dark continent.

I have now returned from my second Zimbabwe safari with my friend Ken Williams. Recall that Ken and I ordered our .470 NE Deluxe rifles as a pair, and we hunt Africa together. At about midway through this second safari, our PH, Mike Payne, located a herd of buffalo that was hanging around the Angwa River and crossing frequently between Chewore South (our area) and the Dande safari area. This day the wind was right, and the buffalo were on the Chewore side, so the stalk was on. That was the good news. The bad news was that the herd was being pressured by lions, so they were very nervous. The lion pressure also forced the old Dagga boys to tag up with the herds for safety as opposed to being off on their own. We did a “double quick” march to attempt to get ahead of the herd before the wind direction changed. After a few brisk miles we encountered some heavy jess, and our PH figured the buffalo would be just on the other side of it. Changing from double quick to ultra quiet mode, we picked our way through the jess. When we emerged, we found the lead bull, a hard boss old Dagga boy, grazing 30 yards from us. His head was down, and he had no idea we were there. Mike said “that one”, and I quickly fired my .470, putting a 500 gr Woodleigh soft and a follow up solid into his boiler room. Ken Williams followed up with 2 backup shots of his own, and the Dagga boy was toast. He went only 20 yards before he dropped. Once again, my Searcy double had performed flawlessly.

The very next day was Ken’s day to be primary shooter, and the quarry was tuskless cow elephant. After a few hours of driving Chewore’s rolling hills, the trackers spotted a small herd of elephant, and the matriarch of the group was a tuskless. Once again, our PH put on a perfect stalk, and we did a large end around maneuver using the wind to our advantage. 30 yards from the elephants, Mike Payne pointed to the tuskless and said “that’s the one”. Ken replied “in the ear”? Mike said “yes”, and the next sound was Ken’s .470 putting a 500 gr Woodleigh solid into the elephant. Her back legs buckled, her trunk came up, and she was down for the count. Ken had executed a perfect side brain shot. I never even got a chance to put a follow up shot into her. Once again, the Searcy double rifle performed flawlessly. Around the mopane fire at camp that night, the PH commented that he had seen hundreds of double rifles in his professional hunting career, but he had never seen any as beautiful and accurate as our two Searcy doubles. He conceded that he was going to have to visit you while in the states this year to order one for himself. His old European (extractor) double just did not measure up any more.

This would normally be the end of the story, but I wanted to remind you of a conversation we had when I ordered my Searcy .470 back in 2006. I was pretty sure I had ordered the correct caliber for buffalo, but I wondered if I would ever need something bigger. When I asked you if I would eventually need a larger caliber double, your response was “hell Dave, even if the dinosaurs come back, you’ll still have enough gun”! Well Butch, as the enclosed photo shows, this is a scenario Ken and I are considering. And that is why I have my fourth Searcy rifle, this one being a double in .500 NE, on order with you. I can’t wait to take delivery of that rifle and take it to Africa next year. Who knows what I will shoot with it?

All the Best,

Dave Antanitus

Rear Admiral, USN (ret)

9 July 2008

Dear Butch,

A little over 2 years ago, I visited your shop in Boron, Ca. to be measured for my Searcy .470NE Deluxe Grade Double rifle. This was the beginning of fulfilling a lifelong dream – to hunt the African Cape Buffalo with a double rifle. On the afternoon of the third day of my Zimbabwe safari, my PH, Mike Payne, decided to check out a small spring near where we had lunch. He said Buffalo sometimes drank there in the afternoon, and it was worth a look. Arriving at the spring, we did find Buffalo spoor from that day, but the lead tracker thought it to be too old to track and locate the small herd before dark. The PH insisted we follow the tracks, and off we went with the trackers thinking this was a waste of time.

As tracking jobs go, this one seemed to be pretty easy to me. Even I could see the spoor most of the time. After tracking for about 45 minutes, the lead tracker froze and pointed ahead down a small slope. There they were – a small herd of about 15 or so Cape Buffalo about 50 yards in front of us. The PH motioned for all of us to sit down quietly, and after we did, he began glassing the heard. After a few minutes, the PH motioned for me to follow him walking crab style on my butt, staying as low as possible. He called this technique “Hoovering”. Hoovering turned out to be much easier than it looked, and after a few minutes, we had closed to within 25 yards of the nearest Buffalo. Still glassing, the PH pointed to a cow on the far left and said “shoot that cow”. As I raised my Searcy double (from the sitting position) to shoot, a small bull moved in front of the cow, and there was no shot to be had. So we sat and waited. Buffalo moved slowly from left to right in front of us. Finally, a Buffalo totally coated in mud emerged right in front of us. This was the Dagga Boy I was really looking for – old, weathered, with a smooth, hard Boss. He was challenged briefly by a smaller bull, and he turned around to face the challenger –when he did this, he had in essence stopped broadside to me at 30 yards. The PH asked me if I was ready, and I nodded “yes”. Mike then said “as quietly as possible, stand up and shoot him”. So, I quietly stood up, aimed and fired. The Buffalo lurched forward, and I fired again. Both shots had struck the heart, but even hit with a 500 gr Woodleigh Soft point and a 500 gr Barnes X triple shock was not enough to drop him. The Buffalo whirled around and started “bunny hopping” away when my companion, Ken Williams (who was also shooting a Searcy .470NE Deluxe double) spined the buffalo and dropped him in his tracks. The death bellow sounded less than a minute later, and that was that.

I cannot thank you enough for making such a masterpiece of a rifle for me. Even my PH, who shoots a European .470 double, marveled at the accuracy of the Searcy doubles. My 2 shots, fired offhand at 30 yards, with 2 different bullets, were within 3 inches of each other. The rifle shoots better than I ever will – and my PH is now a believer as well. You make the most accurate double rifle available today – period!

Sincerely,

Dave Antanitus

Rear Admiral, USN (ret)

10 DAY TANZANIA BUFFALO HUNT

We arrived November 2, 2006 at Mseguni Camp in the Selous Game Reserve to hunt with Professional Hunter Pierre Van Tonder Big Game Safaris, which we arranged with outfitter Ray Atkinson of Atkinson Hunting Adventures. The camp was very well staffed, comfortable, great equipment, and very professionally run. The food is outstanding (that little fat man can cook).

The first day we went to the rifle range to site in our guns. I took two Searcy Double Rifles on my safari; a 375 flange magnum (26” barrels) with a 1.5 X 5 Leupold quick detachable scope, and the new 450-400 Classic. Both guns sited in perfectly after the long flight from Los Angeles, California.

On the hunt I had planned to take 2 cape buffalo and various plains game. On my first day of hunting about 2 hours out the trackers spotted a small heard of zebra, I had put my 450-400 ammo belt on in hope of encountering cape buffalo, so when the PH said take your scoped 375 and grab a handful of shells, about 5, and put them in my pocket thinking that would be plenty for zebra. About 10 minutes into our zebra stock one of the trackers came running over say Mbogo (Cape Buffalo) so we went off about 200 yards and sure enough there were 7 nice old bulls (Daga Boys). Pierre, the tracker, Twiga, and I worked our way to a large bush. Pierre put the shooting sticks up and pointed to a nice bull standing under a tree about 40 yards away. I placed my 375 Searcy Double Rifle on the sticks, the bull was looking straight at me, I put the cross hairs in the center of his neck about his chest. When I pulled the trigger the buffalo went straight down in his tracks. He was down.

All of a sudden the rest of the heard came running at us, when they saw the other Professional Hunter, Clinton Van Tonder, and my wife. The herd changed direction and ran about 30 feet in front of me, I had already reloaded the empty barrel from my first buffalo. Then my PH spotted an exceptional buffalo in the back of the herd. He pointed him out to me and said “shoot him, shoot him up the butt”. I took aim and fired the 375 again and hit the buffalo in the spine near the base of his tail, at the shot his rear legs started to go down. The PH shot once hitting the bull in the lung and I shot three more times, finally finishing the second buffalo.

So here I was, my first day and 2 hours into my hunt and I took both of my buffalos in about 45 seconds, both are great bulls, with the second one being exceptional.

The rest of my hunt was for plains game. I took 1 zebra, 2 Lichtenstein Hartebeest and 1 Impala. All of the plain games were taken at ranges varying from 120 to 170 yards; we could not get any closer due to the fact that most of the game had babies at this time of year and were very skittish.

All the game I shot on this hunt except for one buffalo dropped with a single shot and all were shot with my 375 flanged. I was very impressed at how accurate my Searcy Double Rifle worked at distance up to 170 yards.

I guess I’ll have to go back and try to get a buffalo with my Searcy Double 450-400 or the new 470 Nitro Express Butch is currently making for me.

We were extremely pleased with the arrangements made by Atkinson Hunting Adventures and Pierre Van Tonder Big Game Safaris in meeting us at the airport, arranging and managing our firearms through customs, and all ground transportation and flights to and from camp. It could not have been any easier.

William O. Morrison

Los Angeles, California

10 July 2008

Butch,

On 2 July 2008, it was my day to be the primary shooter on a two-on-one hunt for Cape buffalo. At approximately 0755 local Zimbabwe bush time, facing a dagga boy at 11 paces, I fired two perfect rounds from the magnificent 470 Nitro Express Deluxe rifle you built for me. The first round, a 500 grain Woodleigh soft, found its target and ripped through the buffalo’s heart. The second shot, a 500 grain Barnes Triple Shock most efficiently destroyed both his lungs. My best buddy, Dave Antanitus, who also shoots a Searcy Deluxe double in 470 NE, fired two rounds after me to hasten the death bellow. At 11 paces, we took no chances for we were well within the old warrior’s kill zone, professional hunter, Mike Payne, of Chifuti Safaris, fired one 500 grain Woodleigh solid from his European double into what was left of the lungs. He kept his second shot for “insurance” in case the buffalo turned. He later stated that his shot was unnecessary for “we Virginia boys know how to shoot our doubles!”

What surprised me about this hunt was everyone told me how quickly the events that lead up to pulling the trigger on a buffalo are. Not so, with my buffalo. My situation was agonizingly long, deliberate, but amazingly calm. It was far from slow motion once my breathing finally became regulated after double timing to the front of the herd. The “end around them” maneuver won us a favorable wind. The PH had positioned us ahead of the herd and within 15 yards of its edge. Shortly we saw the lead bull walk out in front. His horns were strikingly massive, but the boss was soft. Being the 8^th day of a 10 day hunt, the PH told me to wait for a shot on that bull. As I raised my rifle, instinctively wrapping the leather sling taunt against the outside of my elbow, I held my double in place for what seemed to be eternality. As the time slowly passed with no shot to be had, I was grateful a small cow stepped in front the bull fully denying me a shot. At that moment, I could lower my rifle just a bit to not attract attention from a black sea of wondering eyes. Suddenly a humongous cow stopped in her tracks and looked straight towards me. Her head was raised, ears down and her nose pointing right to the center of my chest. Damn, I was going to get busted by a cow. She fixed her stare on me and why she did not spook watching the sweat pour down my face and snot drip over my lip I will never know. I could see the PH from the corner of my eye, and he was frozen solid, rifle not raised. My buddy Dave, I could not see, but could hear him breathing, so I knew he too was close and frozen in place. That cow would not take her eyes off of me. She did not blink and we did not move. When a small bull passed in front of her, I was able to catch the slight finger movement of Mike, the PH, pointing to the right. Hoping my nemesis would not see my eyes turning in that direction, I saw my dagga boy, head down, slowly walking directly towards me.

At this point, my rifle was no longer heavy for pain was replaced by adrenalin. A sense of clam overtook me as I searched and found my windows through the brush that would allow a brain shot. I had put 142 rounds through my Searcy up to this point and I knew without question I could put a bullet in that beast’s brain. The safety made no sound as it slid forward. I carefully moved my finger from the right barrel’s trigger chambered with a Woodleigh soft nose to the back trigger chambered for a Barnes Triple Shock. I still had my rifle raised and pointed in the direction of the forgotten herd bull as I waited for my target to clear a small tree that would clearly expose his skull. However, he turned slightly, and presented a perfect heart and lung shot. Instinctively, my finger moved back to the original front trigger. The motion to obtain sight alignment and aim was quick. The individual squeeze of the front and then rear trigger was near instantaneously. As my two shells ejected, I reloaded and while reacquiring the target, the sound of Dave’s Searcy roared and two more rounds found their way into the lung cavity of this magnificent animal. The single shot from the PH, was heard, but by then the bull was stone dead.

I have never felt as alive as I did the day I faced a dagga boy at 11 paces. Knowing that within one to two seconds was all it would have taken for him to have killed me, if not for my Searcy double, will last me the rest of days. My PH wrote in my journal afterwards, “To stand steady at eleven paces takes a Madoda.”

Butch, you make the finest and most accurate double rifle period!! The inherent accuracy of my Searcy double instills confidence that no amount of money can buy. Facing a dangerous game animal at such close range makes a man very grateful to have ejectors. Thank you for making such a treasured masterpiece of form, function, and art for me.

Ken Williams

Major, USMC Ret.

Why a Double?

I grew up using bolt guns for everything from rabbits on up, so on my first trip to Africa of course I took two bolt guns. One day while approaching a herd of cape buffalo through the cover of a mopane forest, a lone bull walked just in front of our hunting party. We froze, and the bull noticed us when he was 12 yards away. He stopped, lowered his head and stared. He had a hard boss and the PH whispered that I could shoot him if I wanted but we could do better. I aimed at the bull as he looked at me, and I realized that from a distance of 12 yards my bolt gun was a single shot because the bull would be on top of us before I could chamber, aim and fire a second round. So I held my fire and the bull trotted off.

The next day we approached another herd of buffalo as they were feeding. The PH, 2 trackers and I huddled on an anthill watching the herd feed and looking for a good bull. In time the buffalo moved until they had nearly circled us, and the closest one was a cow only 15 feet away. Once again I realized that my bolt gun would only be a single shot if that buffalo came for us.

Upon my return from that hunt, I ordered a Searcy double in .500 nitro express. When the rifle was ready, I booked another hunt and went after elephant. Over the course of time I took 9 elephant and 3 cape buffalo with my Searcy. The best thing about carrying a double on a dangerous game hunt is having the confidence to approach the game as closely as possible with the confidence that a second shot will be instantly available if needed.

The first elephant that I took with my Searcy double presented a side brain shot at 18 yards. I fired and the elephant seemed to momentarily freeze before dropping straight down. As the elephant dropped, I fired a second shot which went through the lungs. There is no way I could have gotten a second shot off that quickly with a bolt gun.

The second elephant I shot with my Searcy double had gotten our scent and was fidgeting back and forth, compromising a brain shot. So I took a heart shot and immediately the elephant began to run. On the elephant’s third stride I took a high shoulder/spine shot and the elephant dropped. Once again, the double had allowed me to quickly place a second bullet in the animal.

The third elephant I shot with my Searcy was walking broadside and covering some ground, again not an appropriate situation for a brain shot. So I took a lung shot and immediately the elephant turned to face me and in that moment I took the frontal brain shot that was presented. All of this happened before I could have worked a bolt and fired a second round.

The second cape buffalo that I took with my Searcy double was a very old scrum cap bull with half of his horns worn off. He offered a spread of only 21 inches, in contrast with 40 inches or better that most hunters desire. After following the bull for two to three miles, I got a broadside shot at him and put the bullet through the heart. The bull stood straight up into the air on his hind legs and spun 90 degrees to face me before dropping to the ground. Just as his front legs hit the ground, I placed a second shot through his withers which put him down for good. Once more I had a chance to get a second shot into the animal because of the speed a double offers.

When hunting dangerous game, I get a thrill from following tracks and from approaching the game as closely as possible. For someone who wants to get close to dangerous game and have the confidence that a second shot will be instantly available, a double is the answer.

Written by Dan McCarthy