doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com "Rain gun"

Daryl,
I've shot quite a few deer either in the rain,or right after.In Germany,it may rain hard,stop, the sun come out, and the Reh flock out to the beet and alfa fields.
Mike

Thank you for your response. I failed to add that the majority of the nice doubles that I have were passed down from my great Grandfather, my Grandfather and lastly my Father. With that being said, there us an emotional tie to these guns which for myself means a great deal to me. I do shoot the majority of them but I treat them with a great deal of respect

No sin in having a gun for a rainy day. In fact I have several as it is always raining somewhere in the world. Just another sound reason to buy more guns in my book.

My rainy day gun list includes a couple NID 12's, a cut barrel 16 NID and a 20 NID, Cresent double, several beater Fox Sterlingworths, one A grade Fox, one LC Smith, one Lefever G grade, one H grade Lefever, Lefever nitro special in 12 and 20, one Union Arms 20 ga., one Mossberg 935, one Winchester model 12, one Baker 12, one Remington 1100 and one Remington 3200. Been thinking about adding a Ithaca 37 in 16 or 20, a Mag 10 and perhaps a Parker Trojan.

I know that is a long list to some but the weather looks bad to me. Plus any reason to buy a few more good guns does not go to waste around here. Life is too short and taxes are going to go up next year so spend your money now and enjoy it.

Yeah..what he said; and well, too.

I have had some wonderful bird hunts in the rain and I don't just mean sprinkles and light rain. Am older and smarter now, though. Wife and I hunted one day when the sleet was freezing to the gun barrels and, when the gun was fired, there was apparently enough barrel flex to totally blow all the ice off. To get to the point of the original question.......these guns were all dried very well and appropriately cleaned and lubed afterwards. No ill effects ever noticed. I will hunt with whatever gun I have in whatever conditions show up. But I do not plan on hunting in rain (more than sprinkles/light rain) anymore. Just too old. My shotguns would be considered very expensive to some......and very inexpensive to others. My thought is that if the gun is properly prepped before with waxing, lubing, etc. and will be taken care off after exposure........use it if you want.

A good, well balanced "Rain Gun" is a hunt saver. That's most especially true if you have to travel any real distance to hunt. Would certainly hate to fly or drive a thousand miles and then sit indoors, just because of rain. That's true for shotgun hunting as well as rifle hunting.
A Winchester Model 12 or a Browning Citori Featherlight can certainly fill the bill for upland hunting. Liberal spaying of a quality oil in the action (including removing the Citori stock) will keep things humming after a good drenching in the rain. They also swing surprisingly well. You'll also focus on the hunt rather than spending the day worrying about your shotgun.
Save the vintage English sidelock or Parker for the better days.

Many of us just don't get enough opportunity to hunt and have to hunt whenever we can, weather or not. I've had some very fun hunts in truly crappy weather; some were productive of game bagged and/or other wildlife seen, some just fun to listen to one or more of my companions whine creatively. And DOGS always have a good time, irrespective of weather, which adds to MY enjoyment.

I do have designated rain guns that I use instead of my elderly American doubles (most of which are just elderly, not especially notable except for sentimental value). The main ones I use are Ruger Red Labels, a 12 and a 28, which are partly stainless and pretty easy to maintain. Now that I live in "the land of little rain" (VERY little this year), I don't have much need of them.

When I lived in the Frozen North (WI, ID, WA, VT, and upstate NYS), I worried more about keeping myself safe from weather than my gun, tho. Have had frostbite and also fallen thru ice into a deep stream. Makes you kinda put mere rust in perspective.

Don't plan to use my good doubles in the rain, but it happens. Then as others I clean like mad, and not just the first day.

But we also do most of our gunning in the salty bays and ocean, which adds another very tough dimension. I've had a couple of pumps and an A-5 parkerized for this (and still clean them like mad), and a couple of "beater" doubles (partial to those olde Knickerbockers and Model 20 Huskies) that do OK since they've already lost most of their finish and handle well.

I have taken the Wilkes out in the salt (and it rains out there too) and will again now that I'm loading LP 2.5 inch shells (heck, only paid $250 for it 30 years ago, so it's not that valuable, right?) and will spray and scrub it like mad; probably ditto the LC and the Fox 12's too. I like to use them....

My fowl weather guns are lower grade versions of my high grade guns. These are Parker VH and GH/EH, Sterlingworths, and lower grade LC Smiths.

A good coat of Renaissance or similar wax will protect the metal and wood, and seal the joints between the action and other parts. In the field I protect the gun from direct rain as best that I can. If soaked or dropped in the water the gun must be dissambled and cleaned. Lefevers are great for this the side plates can be removed easily. I need another Lefever...

Why would any side by side aficionado hunt with a pump or black autoloader? That's just silly!

I have never felt a pump gun or semi-auto that had the balance of even a cheap double. As far as I'm concerned life is too short to waste any of it on a Pump.