doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Best of the Working Man's Doubles

Actually I think it's a respectable term. See the definition of "salt of the earth".

I think of it as a compliment nowadays, what with all the prissy boys around that refuse to engage in a little honest labor and get their hands dirty.

I understand Bob's rant, when he talks about surgeons regularly putting in 80 hour weeks, sounds like a lot of work to me. Just because someone has gone through a lot of education and doesn't wear a blue collar doesn't mean that he doesn't work just as hard as a "working man".

I have degrees in geology and in industrial design and I can't tell you how many times some blue collar guy has tried to bust my balls because of it (I'm just going to be a snob first, you white collar snob!). If it's a neighbor, coworker or someone I'm around alot I can usually bring him around by helping him with his automotive problems (car repair and maintenance is something I'm really good at and enjoy).
Steve

"working man" = Salt of the earth. Def./People who are salt of the earth are decent, dependable and unpretentious.

It wasn't a rant, Bob. Parsing the posts, I'm finding a lot of flair and sincerity. Jack's mention of his union-shop hunting buddy with the Model 21 also appealed to my own experience of generally finding tradesmen in the woods with good guns; the professionals are scarce with little time to enjoy theirs. Jack undoubtedly discovered from his socialist friend that socialists aren't against people making lots of money, they just want it spread around more evenly.

Man, you guys can't leave out the Remington Model 1900 - designed as a working man's version of its pricier big brother. Last one rolled off the line in 1910.

Of course, I'm partial, as that's my only double gun.

I've enjoyed reading these interesting stories and will add mine.

We hunted every Saturday growing up (whatever was in season), and Dad used a JC Higgins that he inherited from his father. The pump 12 could be taken down into 2 pieces and stored in a "leg-o-mutton"-style case. What a clunker! It took a lot of force to work that action. He got older and finally got his "dream" shotgun, the Remington 1187.

About 5 years ago, he announced that his hunting days were through, and he gave away all his guns (I got the 1187, one brother got the Savage 99 250-3000, and one brother got the Marlin 22).

My brothers and I still hunt as often as we can, although I use my "old reliable" LC Smith Field 12. I get a lot of ribbing for only having 2 shots available, but that Elsie get a lot more "oohs and ahs" out in the field than the Remington.

When my father was working the mailroom on Saipan,he mailed home a type 99 Arisaka,only to find upon his return that his father gave it to one of his friends from work.
So much for heirlooms.

JohnM #99 did an excellent post.Very well written
and historically informative. WORKING MAN'S GUN.I am only 65 years
young, I remember growing up in a farming village
in 1947, 48, in Canton district of China, My grand uncle was a farmer plus game hunter. He used a DB percussion muzzle loader, so did the other farmers in our village. I was the retreiver. In England 1949-52, punt guns, I also retreived for a game farmer, British single barrels, or an inherited S x S used by most of our neighbours.
Then in Peninsular Malaya 1952-1960, then yearly trips back 1961-2006,
The average farmer used British single barrels,
the landed gentry like rubber planters , tin miners started buying quality S x S , Hollands, Purdeys ect. The white collar workers , clerical staff started buying B.S.A. , basic
British guns, the better paid workers, and professionals started buying Webleys.

Continuing with this train of thought, one probably doesn't really want to collect or shoot the true working man's gun of that era - the low-priced Sears, Crescents, Belgians, and JABC's - be they single shots or SxS's.

Better to set the goal a step or two higher, at the level of guns owned by the boss, store owner, dentist, or local banker. Then we get into the Nitro's, Trojans, Fultons, Stevens, Sterlingworth's, etc.

My personal pleasure is using the nicer SxS's of that era - that have been restored to as-new condition. I usually acquire them in fair to good condition, and then refinish, rework, or restock as necessary. None of them would really qualify as the "workingmans gun," but might have been owned by the local doctor or banker.

This is a great thread!