doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Theoretical, and the gun in hand

I hope this image induced neuroses isn't all that catching gents!
Altho' my travels have been few, I think we're talking about the guy who thinks he has made the gun find of the century, and not the chap with a pair o'Boss&Co. guns. For his self-image has been made long before the guns!

I have two old Remington 11-48 autoloaders - a 12 and a 20 - that I shoot better than any of my classic American SxS's. The 12 has one of those lovely poly-chokes, to make it especially beautiful and graceful. I guess that if I were ever shooting for real money, I'd bring those Remingtons.
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BUT, its a lot more fun to hunt with a Lefever, Elsie, or Fox -- and so that's what I do most of the time. So what if a few birds need the second barrel, or even get away...
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When they came out, I bought a new 20 gauge RBL, and thus far I shoot it rather poorly. Its a lovely gun, pretty wood, well made, etc. but I can't usually break 20 with it on the skeet field. Go figure...

JERRY

My neurosis is induced by the images of myself needlessly letting go two guns that I
shot well enough and were nicer than Ted's Mossberg (a Beretta S-57E and
a Merkel 201E). Ted is hugely more faithful to his pump than I should have been to
my doubles.

Ignorance is not always bliss!

JC

Makes me want to go out and buy a mOssberg...

I am out of my league among you, gents, but I could not refrain from reading this and write my own; not even sure I understand it all.
I agree with Jerry Lape on this matter. If I am to hunt, I do it with most pleasure holding a beautiful gun in hands. If I hit or not what I shoot at it is less important to me. The flush is far more excitant than the kill. The trip in the woods with a beautiful gun is more atractive than the kill itself.
I have a few friends who tolerate my nonsense, with a good dose of laugh. They all shoot uglier guns than mine (I think), but do it better. I would not trade my pleasure of hunting with a beauty for a kill. To each his own.
In two words, I like the Beauty before the Truth.
Now I can see my friends vomiting if they would read this...

jOe, you can't buy it-then the magic won't work. It must be left to you, by a felon, who can't legally own it.

Hey, I never said I sold my doubles. I just tend to save them, for when the bluebirds are flying. We don't get as much of that here as, say, in Memphis or Amarillo, so a Minnesota guy's got to be prepared.

I'll also admit, that as I've grown older, the flush is more exciting than the kill-but, if I am to kill, I expect and demand profiency of myself, and my gun of choice. Given the option, I'll not watch game suffer at my hands with even the most beautiful of guns.

I'll further the concept a bit-the "one gun" people, who want to believe one gun can do it all, don't live in my neighborhood. My grouse gun isn't a trap gun, my pheasant gun doesn't shoot duck tower, a goose gun is just that, and so on. I believe that thinking about the job at hand will lead you to choices about the best tool for the task at hand. If you are worried about the wood or innards of that 100 year old beauty of a double on a true rough shoot, you aren't focused on the task at hand, bringing death swiftly, and, mercifully, to the prey.

Pretty is as pretty does.

As always, there is room at my house for an ugly gun. As long as the shooter is expert with it. It won't be ugly at all, in that case. And, I have parted with some very pretty guns. Mostly, for good reason.
Best,
Ted

I'd hate to think I needed magic from a felon..

Ted wrote "Hey, I never said I sold my doubles. I just tend to save them, for when the bluebirds are flying."

I knew you guys hunted snipe - and now bluebirds? You are as bad as the Cajuns!

How do you cook bluebirds?

Best,

Mike

We marinade them overnight - bluebirds are a bit dryer than goldfinches.

Just wondering....how have you determined which gun you shoot the best? I've 3-4 guns that couldn't have one bird (clay or feathered) difference among them.