Verney-Carron Classic: Azur .450/400 3” N.E.

The Verney-Carron Azur rifle sent for this review was equipped with ejectors, double triggers, pistol grip with extended trigger guard tang, steel pistol grip cap, recoil pad, a lovely Turkish walnut stock, light English style hand engraving, 24 lines to the inch hand checkering, a fixed single leaf rear sight, a pivot scope mount, sling swivels and a night/day front sight; the rifle weighed 11 pounds unloaded. The Azur side-by-side has a uniquely-designed receiver that includes a front closure, an interior cross brace, and a double interior longitudinal brace; all of these features yield added strength to areas affected by the pressures of Nitro Express cartridges. What is not reflected in these accurate, but one-dimensional, facts is the superb craftsmanship evident in the details of this double rifle.

(Full review to appear in Africa’s Sportsman Magazine, 2019, October/November/December issue)