A friend who loves to shoot10 gauges bought one, an L.C. Smith O grade 32" Best Damascus barrels, Hunter One Trigger and ejectors circa 1910. He shot it a few times and told me he could not shoot it, was missing Sporting Clays targets that he usually gets. So with him he wanted to get rid of it. I told him I was interested because you don't see many 10 gauge guns with those options. When I got the gun I measured the chokes and the constrictions were right barrel .051 and left was .048. I called him and told him and he said no wonder I could not hit with it.
I took it and put a 30" x30" piece of paper with a center circle and use went back 70 yards using my range finder. Pretty impressive pattern. Used another paper at 30 yards and it just blew a big hole in it. I'm figuring that the gun was special ordered for pass shooting ducks/geese.
In an early Hunter Arms Gun Company catalog it stated that they would bore to any choke except extra full. I guess the client got his way.
A little too heavy for me now at 9 lbs. 10.8 ozs. Arthritis is starting in my hands and to try and break open especially fired hulls with the ejectors I would have to break it over my knees which I just had replaced last year, but at least I'm walking better. When I start shooting again I will go to one of my hammer guns that I like. They just about fall open with plenty of room to get the hulls in and out.
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