Guys,

Thanks for your opinions.

I tend to agree with Joe Wood. "What is so sacrosanct about a few thousanths at the muzzle of a shotgun that overides all consideration of adjusting the gun to better serve it's user."
Like I said, this isn't a Purdey, Holland & Holland or Boss. It will undoubtedly be worth a little more in the future, but it won't be worth $5,000 in five lifetimes.

The original chokes are a compromise. They are a one-size fits-all, simplify-inventory, middle of the road solution to producing what fits the needs of most people some/most of the time. These trends originated when shells were filled with felt wads and the guns just tend to shoot too tight with modern design wads/shells. I own two PW 375 loaders and I could try to replicate the older technology loading materials, but that is a little too much trouble. I imagine the builders of these pieces expected us to adjust them to our needs if their guesstimation of chokes did not suit us. Few of us would really question a quality 7 lb. 12 gauge double with 30 inch barre;s opened up by a quality shop to Imp Cyl/Mod choking for a reasonable price. Those chokes cover a lot of ground, and I doubt they would have a huge effect on the value of a fairly standard field piece.

I love the term "stewardship" applied to these guns as that truly reflects what we are doing. Every gun I buy is purchased contemplating that my three boys will end up babysitting them for twenty or thirty more years until they are passed on.

I rarely buy a gun less than thirty years old- 40 is more the average. I buy them for their craftmanship. I buy them because caring hands built them for generations to enjoy. The engraving is beautiful compared to what is called engraving on production guns now. The barrels ring like church bells when struck. The least of them has "soul" that no plastic/camo/overbored/choke tubed wonder ever will. They do need to have some utility for me however. That is why I have stayed away from short chambered guns so far and why I always veer toward more modern chambers and stock dimensions. I don't enjoy any gun that just has to spend most of it's existence in the safe, be babied or I have to worry about some youngster unraveling it by dropping a couple of AA's or STS's into the chambers.

I will, for sure, spend some time getting to know this one before I do anything to it. It might be another of those magical ones that just kills everytning it's pointed at, with no modification.

I do think, taking all your opinions into consideration, that I would probably just have someone open up the tight barrel a little if it works out that it is too tight. The point about choke tubes seeming odd in a sxs is well taken, and I agree with that. I love them in my pumps, autos and o/u's, but they just don't seem right in a quality double- kind of like a wakeboard tower on a beautiful old wooden Chris-Craft.

Thank you all for your wisdom and opinions.

Last edited by Duff; 01/10/09 10:52 PM.