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.