doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 32 inch barrels on a SxS ?

Tell him to fix the wood, while he is at it?

Best,
Ted

No cracks visible in the butt-stock. Maybe glass bed the head?...Geo

What will you use the gun for, Geo? That's the best way to determine choke needs.

My 32" Smith is at John Garvin's, in Albany, right now having the head of the stock glass bedded.

SRH

Stan, I have a second barrel set for the gun. It is an O grade 30" M/F set fitted to the gun and existing beavertail fore-end. I've used it for last season doves and ringnecks (ducks).

I suspect that's all I would use the resurrected original set for as well. However, it may be that the gun would be useful for a more competitive sporting clays shooter than I am. What chokes would be most useful there?...Geo

Chokes are not like paper or plastic but more personal like blonde, brunette or red head. In this case near, mid range, far or midrange with quick reflexes or far with slow reflexes. It's style, intended use and a very personal choice.

I have set up long barrel guns with different chokes like .015 and .025, .020 and .030, .025 and .040-.050. For all around use I do very well with the .015 and .025 combo. For barn pigeons, on windy days, I reach for a Lefever I have which is .025 and .050. It kills them at any range I can manage to hit them at. I have smoked several at an honest 55+ yards and the feather storm looked like low eight on a Skeet field. Awesome and scary at the same time but worse from the pigeons side.

With one exception I've had little experience with 32" double guns,that one exception being an 8lbs even 5-E Grade LC Smith that I had Buck Hamlin restore and restock in exhibition English many years ago; and my sole experiences with that gun were limited to dove shooting (and one turkey shoot where I won a turkey!). I'd never claim to be the nimrod many of you guys are so will confess I could do very well on crossers; but on birds that got a bit close I couldn't swing that gun fast enough to get out front to save my life! Still I had my share of fun with that gun, as near the end of one dove shoot a shooter stationed across the field walked over and wanted to know "what the hell kind of gun was I shooting "'cause I was knocking down some of those birds at 75 yards"! But my all-time best memory of that gun took place late one Saturday afternoon over a dove field in Oconee County, GA. It was one of those crystal clear day days when it seemed one could spot a dove from a half mile away; and as the evening waned I spotted a lone, and very high flying dove moving towards the field. I had my old lab, Lady, with me that hot afternoon; so had taken a stand next to the lake below the hill where the field was located, as I wanted to insure she had
plenty to drink and could cool down so that she wasn't heat
stressed. As the lone dove sailed high across the tall oak tree near the center of field, I called "bird"; but the shooter in the stand yelled "too high for me"! So I watched the dove as it
never waivered from it's path, or lost any altitude; and from my vantage point, it appeared about the size of a dragon fly. So I'm watching; and in spite of my effort, couldn't find a reason why I shouldn't give this bird a go. As I raised the Smith I could see the dove perfectly silhouetted against the evening sun; I held the muzzles a bit high as I established my lead and then touched off the right barrel. The bird didn't flinch as I continued my swing, but I saw a puff of downy feathers and knew my lead was spot on, and touched off the left. At the shot I saw the head of the dove fold backwards over its body, and its wings drop by its sides; the bird was stone dead in the air! So I called to Lady "Mark!" and watched the bird fall and fall. The events seemed as if they were unfolding in slow motion. The dove seemed to fall forever as it sailed across the lake, then clipped the top of an oak tree and landed in a cloud of feathers inside the off-side pasture fence. When finally down I pointed towards those trees; looked at Lady and said "Back"! Lady swam across the lake, quickly located our prize; then swam back across the lake and placed that dove in my hand. If only great dogs and one's most memorable moments afield could last forever!
The Smith is long since gone; but I've got two other 32" guns I've yet to shoot. One is a rare C Grade Baltimore Arms 12-bore project gun upon which I took pity as it still has lots of potential. Someone had chopped it original unknown length fine Damascus barrels to 20" and had screwed-up its forend pretty good; but forum member Daryl Halquist was kind enough to sell me a good set of 32" BAC steel barrels, which barrels are now fitted to the gun. I've also repaired the forend; and as soon as stock finishes are restored, a perished pad replaced, and it "new" barrels re-blacked I hope to make a few lasting memories with that old gem. My other 32" double is a 10-bore Smith, a really unique piece that began life as a Quality 2 Syracuse Smith, which at some point prior to 1913 had its barrels sent to the Hunter Arms repair department for a little work. Who knows what exactly had been specified, but the end result was that those original Quality 2 barrels were fitted to an entirely new pre-13 Grade O frame to include the fitting of a new fore iron and all new stocks. The original Quality 2 stamp on the barrel flats was over-stamped with the Grade "0" designation, and the original serial number from the barrel set was stamped onto the new Grade 0 frame. I may or may not feature this repair shop gun in an article some day; but it remains in great condition and is very shootable; I simply have yet to shoot it.

If it was mine, Geo, I'd choke it .015" and .025" and you might want to drop in a spreader if you have a really close in rabbit or fast crosser. I quit messing with spreaders and shoot tight chokes on all clays, but for most people less hardheaded than I the spreaders work well occasionally. Just don't get to putting too much faith in them and lose confidence in your own ability.

SRH

Thanks for the insight on choke as well as the reminder about what a good idea it is to glass the stock head on an Elsie...Geo

I've been shooting my 32" 16 ga. Elsie for about 7-8 years now, I guess, and the last time I shot it I noticed, while cleaning, that tiny cracks were beginning behind the lockplates. I got some recommendations for stockers to work on it, and decided to try a Georgia guy to do the job. I wanted the problem corrected before it got noticeable, and wanted it glass bedded so that I don't have to worry about it in the future. I shoot this gun very well, and plan to use it many more times in the future, so wanted to make it bulletproof for 1 1/8 oz. loads.

SRH

My Watson Bros. has 32" and 28" barrels. I shoot the long ones at ducks and clays.
It's a fowler.