What kind of guys bought hardware store doubles in small gauges?
Ever wonder about that? I have. Growing up in the 50's all the guys I knew bought 12 bores. It was no contest. We hardly saw the point in buying a 16 (too small to be big, too big to be small) or of all things, a 20! And .410'a were a kid's toy. The 12 was a man's gun pure and simple. And so it was the popular choice of all the guys I grew up with. Were the 20's and 16's bought as ladies' guns? If so how come the four twenties I have were not cut down to fit smaller folks? Nitro Specials and early Stevens and Mod. B's must've been bought by eccentrics or budding sportsmen in those days. I have a Nitro Special marked
Western Field MW&Co. made in 1926. Gads, that's 80 years ago!I know that rich guys and the elites bought 28's and flossy 20 gauge Parkers. But what was going on in a blue collar guy's head in buying a small bore working man's gun. My first good shotgun was a Marlin L.C. Smith. I could have had it in .410, 20, or 16 for the same price. But I had to have a twelve. Anybody else ever wondered about this topic? If so, let's hear from you. Chopper
Last edited by chopperlump; 07/25/07 01:11 AM.
