doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Vintage Shotgun Marketing Hyperbole

Jim, I think you are right . Also I miss their Genuine French Canadian Crepe Suzzette Pancake Mix [spelling ??] In the 60s a friend and I drove there from College to get some fish hooks. Entering the door of Herters were several stuffed animals, including a menacing huge wolf of the dark phase. I had never seen something like that and made a wish to go to Alaska where the wolf was from. The wish was granted and I stayed in Alaska for 30 years, partaking of all it had to offer. Sadly Herters is gone as is the near relative in Fairbault , Minn., Ruhr American. I remember they sold bowstrings made in Browning , Mt., by the community there. I still have a pile of old catalogs.

I think it should be noted that none of these ads imply that you'll make a 60-80yd shot on every attempt, only that such shooting was possible. Anybody can make an ocassional lucky shot; heck yours truly once rolled a running cottontail at more than 80 yards with a 20-bore Parker and improved cylinder choke.
The bunny was being chased across an open field; and the shot was taken out of frustration, as the dogs had been running this old veteran for more than 3 hours in thick broomsedge, and it never presented a shot. I held the muzzles high, swung way out in front, and the bunny begin to tumble what seems liked 3 seconds after the shot; but one #6 pellet hit the kidney area, grazed the spine, and stopped under the skin on the off side. It was a nothing but a lucky peller strike, and one I couldn't duplicate in a 100 attempts. But before totally dismissing the long-range capability of big magnum 10's and 12's, read Elmer Keith's book. This guy was fortunate in that he was privileged to shoot train car loads of shotshells in a wide variety of guns and field conditions and he learned how to consistently hit waterfowl at long range. In my opinion, our guns are capable of much more that most of us have ability; an ability that can only be developed by having the luxury of time, opportunity, and enough ammo.

Topgun, I have to disagree. When guys like me read these ads, we are already thinking of geese flying close or a pheasant rise. These companies and their ads take advantage of our weakenss and I think they do imply, maybe not legally, but surely and accurately that we will be the guys capapable of 60 yard shots and dead birds at that. This is only if we have their guns.

Ads from decades earlier talked about "superior penetration" and I guess that rang the chimes of would be hunters then.

Daryl
I agree, many people were encouraged by such advertising to engage in "skybusting" and other spurious shooting activities that were unethical and unsporting; so I'm certainly not implying that I concur with, or advocate such advertising or activites. My point was that such shots can be made by a very few individuals that have mastered the art. As to long range shooting, the most unbelievable thing I ever witnessed personally was at a trap range in Kansas City under the lights one night. Three unknown to me trap shooters with single barrel trap guns had a wager over who could make the longest shot. They kept backing up further into the parking lot behind the trap range (which was surely against range safety rules?) until they were every step of 100 yards from the trap house (no exaggeration); the first two guys missed, but the third guy broke his bird. I couldn't believe what I had just seen, but the other guys bet double or nothing that he couldn't do it again; so this guy calls pull and breaks the next target. I don't believe two breaks back-to-back was luck, this guy was REAL good!
By the way Daryl, please send me some more pics of your Smith Monogram; as we do want to feature that gun in an LCSCA newsletter.
Thanks
Tom

Many many trap ranges have a night a week when they shoot games. Anyone who does not think you can break clay pigeons from 80-100 yards has not been to those game nights. It is done all the time. And it is for sure easier to kill a bird from in the air from underneath it than on the ground. Lots easier.
I am not advocating shooting ducks at 80 yards. But it can for sure be done. Jake

Them ole Boys from Kansas sure can shoot now cant they

Bob Brister discusses the Nilo Lethality Computer Model and waterfowl loads starting on p.184 of Shotgunning: The Art and the Science. The Winchester SuperX XX 3" 1 7/8oz. lead 4s had a rating of 70% clean kills at 60 yds with a full choke for perfectly centered birds. That's a very different load from those used prior to introduction of the Super-X 3" in 1922.
A buddy once killed a sage grouse at about 50 yds near Pinedale, WY with a single pellet in the head. He grew up shooting pheasants in SW KS and was a tremendous wing shot, but thereafter he let go at any bird within 60 yds

The standard Super-Fox was a 2 3/4" chambered gun, built to shoot the then-new Super-X, which was a 1 1/4 oz load. But my guess is that even that load, in Becker-bored barrels, had a longer effective range than the vast majority of guys standing behind it and pulling the trigger.

"Talking about hype . . . I just translated some ad copy on the Manufrance Ideal for a friend. "The most perfect and the most beautiful shotgun in the world." "The simplest and best shotgun in the world."

Larry that is not too far from the truth, is it ?

Back in the years when I was hunting more frequently than now; We always did a "post mortum" while cleaning pheasants or ducks and I can say we were amazed at how few pellets it took to get the job done at times.
Jim