doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SxS Renaissance - Really?

And, what were all of them shooting five and ten years ago, to a person. What sort of budget friendly firearms introduced them shooting, for you to indoctrinate them to become interested?

Nonshooter, nonhunter
Nonshooter, nonhunter (I think - I did not know her well)
870
870 or Mossberg
Mossberg pump
In that order.

All but the second one shot my doubles at some point. Janet shot my wife's SKB for a year because it was cut short, the others shot my Merkel or Cashmore or Scott mostly, and eventually, I helped them find their own. Will and Kat had help with the search part from others as well. Actually, all of them are pretty interesting stories in very different ways.

I did not get my first double (the infamous Merkel) until I was about 35 or 36. I shot an 870 or 97 Winchester before that.

Maybe, maybe not, details matter, in the last five years. Plastic stocks, were any of them black plastic? No pistols, no stories of spraying paper at indoor ranges? Come on prof, all this comment about about new shooters getting their foot in the door with bargain basement guns is rather hypocritical of them, or at least someone?

maybe, maybe not what? no plastic, no pistols, no spraying.

The rest of your message makes no sense either (par for the course).

In any event, they can be interested, but each one is different. Most of them wouldn't care, but they got some exposure and then eventually took the leap. There are others, older than mid40s, but as a group, they are either not interested in guns at all, or not interested in vintage guns... Until someone takes some interest in them and showing them something different that what they know.

I see lots of those kids from grade school to high school that are on one team or another. They certainly have interest in shooting, and they all shoot 0/Us, semis, or dedicated trap guns. But when they take an interest in one of mine, I hand them a box and the gun and let them have at it. Some of them shoot really well and are stunned how easy it was. They have all heard how impossible it is to shoot side-bys. Maybe someday, they will come back to them when they have a buck or three to spare. Just show them there are other ways to skin cats and who knows what will happen?

They made a resurgence with me in my 40s. First shotgun I ever shot was a SxS 16 my dad owned. When he died 2 years ago I got it. Now I own 5. But I’m 50 now...so I’m not in my 40s....I want many more. Gonna shoot my 1903 Lefever tomorrow...

Last winter, we had a skeet squad from a club in northern Wisconsin on which 3 of the 5 of us shot sxs. But our average age is well on the north side of 60.

Back before my mis-aligned ankle made me a former runner and participant in local road races, my wife always laughed because I often ended up with an age group prize. She referred to it as an "appearance award", and she was often right. But when I brought home a prize from a skeet shoot a few years back, I had to explain to her that there were a lot more old fart skeet shooters than there are old fart runners. But not many of us shooting sxs.

The crowd enjoying lunch after the LCSCA 2024 Spring Shoot. The fella looking at the camera next to Frank Finch, and his wife or girlfriend, were the only non-old guys.
This is discouraging, and I've done my part trying to get med students and friends into shooting and bird hunting, but IMHO this is the new reality.
I intend to enjoy my old guns as long as I can, with the old shooting friends that remain, but have significantly thinned the herd.



LOTS of upper Midwest folks come to Arizona to retire, bringing their shotguns, and when they can not longer shoot, a grandson walks into Cabela's looking to trade for a black gun. Some pretty nice doubles show up, but the interest for them is limited. I think William Larkin Moore is doing fine, but they ARE in Scottsdale.

I sometimes wonder why we care. After all, we aren't out there conserving and shooting matchlocks or even flintlocks in any meaningful way. The abandonment of old stuff is not new. If the new generations want to move on to something else, that is their choice. In the meantime, any of them that want to shoot a double are welcome to try mine.

More par for the course nonsense. Everyone moves on, including new generations, as you, they never did start with best doubles. There is no rule that says a small group of them, as it is now, cannot move on to side by sides of their free choosing.

Except for the dreams of a flip flopping prezhopeful, side by sides, matchlocks or flintlocks are not being gathered for the crusher, there is simply little market for new ones. Classics and antiques will be around and they will be owned by younger generations, let's just try not to teach them that the only good gun, is one that thegov has stomped out the will to possess and appreciate.

Craig, that is one of your dumber, nonresponsive comments.