doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com "Factory alterations"

KY Jon, you are right,the gun you are referring to was not cut off by anyone, Bob the Gunsmith or the Remington factory. The guns were made for Cliff Green of Centerville, Maryland and were 24" barrels, all eight of them, from day one. Cliff shot four gun NSSA skeet here in Maryland with those guns for some years. Whatever the last guy paid for those guns, they are probably worth somewhat more than that much now. Tell us more about shooting this gun, one of the pair. Were you a prospective buyer test firing or were you a friend of the original or an early owner?

Eightbore,

Son of a friend of the original owner or more correctly son of a friend of friend, and was thinking about buying, but as I say I was real bad with the gun at Skeet. Too short on both ends and back then I did not think that O/U's were built funny. Shame to say I even shot an auto at the time in the 12 gauge. I shot the
20 and had, I think, a 14 and maybe a 16 at Skeet. A months worth of misses in two rounds will make you right humble.

Was it Dr. Metcalf who also shot Skeet, late 50's early 60's, and had one fine goose farm over on the upper shore? 40+ years ago I remember my father taking me goose hunting at his "Doctor" friends farm. I think it was Dr. Metcalf. Geese out the waazoo. Got our limits in maybe ten minutes after entering the blinds. Mine with my Winchester Model 12, 28 gauge. Longest shot might have been 20 yards. They had picked the corn crosswise, the amount of corn on the ground had to be 50%. Ducks, geese, dove out the you know what.

Heard that one of the Duponts offered the Dr. half a million or more for farm and he refused the offer. He said that he would not have a good place to hunt if he sold it and had enough money already. Man after my own heart. I remember Dr. Metcalf but I could be wrong about name. The farm was real and the hunt with my father was one of my best childhood memories of hunting with him.

Maybe, in heaven, we get to go hunting again with our fathers and grandfathers. Lead shot allowed, pipe smoke in the air, paper shells, thermos of sweeten coffee for the cold days, shoot until the Black ducks are safe in the night, old dogs, long gone, to do the retrieve. That is my kind of heaven.

Yes, Doctor Metcalf was Cliff Green's shooting partner. The famous All American and Maryland State Senator Joe George was another of their squadmates in the era. I submitted Joe George's name to the Maryland Skeet Hall of Fame several years ago and he was quickly inducted. I'm not sure whether Doctor Metcalf is in that Hall of Honor, but I will check it out and maybe submit his name this year if he has not been inducted. He is a great shooter and deserves to be in there. These guys were all charter members of the Sudlersville Skeet Club, one of the earliest formed skeet clubs in the country that is still active. One of the old and prestigious skeet shoots in Maryland is the Delmarva Open, a four gun shoot with a list of All Bore event winners that reads like the NSSA Hall of Fame and goes back to 1938. Cliff Green and Joe George won the event in the early days, as well as World Champions and Hall of Famers like George Deyoe, Harry Wright, Charlie Boardman, Marc Benson, Bob Uknalis, Jamie Gaines, and others. Oddly enough, among those heroes of the skeet world is Eightbore, 1996 winner! By the way, the last time I saw fellow champ Cliff Green's Parkers for sale, the asking price was a quarter very large, yes, $250,000.00. I wonder where they are now.

Another name form that era was Ed Calhoun. He taught me which end of a shotgun was pointed in the right direction for Skeet. That has been about 40 years ago. He was a many time All American and one heck of a character. Back in those days real guns had cutts on them.

They use to give away decoys at the shoot you mention. I have several for the old days. Had them made by Stoney Point which is also closed. Use to like shooting among the grain bins at the old location in Suddlersville. Never shot over the dump.

Other names from the old days gone by were Winnie Coleman and his brother Julian Coleman. Tales told were that Julian went to a Sporting good store, I think it was Western Auto back when they sold guns, and borrowed a 12 gauge gun to shoot at the world. Won the even and took the gun back. Did not buy it. Winnie shot until he was quite old. Ran a 100 and had to shoot doubles at what must have been 70 plus. Did not win but was everyones favorite that day.

The Parkers we for sale when I looked at them for I think was about a sixth of that amount. Then it would have been a stretch to buy them all but I use to be much more stretchable before kids. Parker fever had not been invented aways back then. It seems to be fairly rampant in some places.

I have enjoyed shooting with Winnie Coleman, mostly at Sudlersville but at other clubs on the shore also. Yes, I still have my pair of Blue Wing Teal from my big win in 1996. I have given my decoys from individual wins at the Delmarva to friends for gifts. Now I would like to have them back and I know where they are. I loved shooting in the grain bins, used to spend the weekend on the property, wake up early and shoot pigeons before the 9:00 flight. The skeet field had neighbors within twenty feet of the property. What a great club, right in the middle of town. I would like to go back some year and defend my title but I don't have very high hopes. I have only shot at the new club a couple of times but have a bunch of friends over there. I might stand a chance if I can talk Uknalis into staying away. I have a card in my collection that Metcalf and Coleman sent to Cliff Green from the World Shoot in 1949 chastising him for staying home and missing the fun. I think Julian and the Doc ran 100 in a leg of the All Bore and were holding it over Cliff big time. I think Doc won his first World Championship at that shoot with an outrageous All Bore score for a Senior in 1949. I understand that Cliff Green was with Nash Buckingham the day he lost Bo Whoop #1. You don't think those guys used to tip a little, do you?

Never a little. My Calhoun friend use top buy rye whiskey, Old Overholt, by the case and share it like water. Not fifteen feet from his grave is one with the Overholt name on it.

Did not know the Nash Buckingham connection. Like many I missed a lot of information because the subject never interested me at the time. If only I could go back and talk to a few of those old timers again. What I could learn and swear not to share with others.

Forgot to tell you, the "chicken farmer" has a probably grandson that still shoots NSSA out of Delaware. He's a pretty high average shooter but don't know if he is very active. I will check. You must be half in the grave if Ed was your mentor. That was a long time ago.

Poetic, Jon; that's a pretty nice description of heaven.

True, too, about the verification of alterations. I have a letter from the Savage Repair Department that mentions my Sterlingworth 12ga by serial number. Apparently it was sent with a list of repair charges (long gone) but I have no way of knowing what repairs (if any) were done at the factory or whether the owner saw the prices and then carried the gun down the street to Bubba's shop.

Can you tell if the repairs were done? Early Foxes sent back to Savage were often bored to 2 3/4" chambers and crudely marked as such on the barrel breeches.

Bravo !!
This thread should be inducted into some Hall of Fame.
Thanks, gents.
Best,
John