doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A "keeper" gun

lets get back to at least one subject A Keepers Gun" Full title a Game keepers gun" as another contributor put it a basic box lock double, but that is far from reality on the large Estates, this type of gun should in reality be called an Estate gun for use by every body very often the the tenant farmers used it amongst others. Now lets look at the "Game Keeper" on large estates, game keepers where given guns as a part of their tools for the job BUT lets put human nature into the equation and as an example that Robert Adan's I have that came down the family from a grandfather game keeper. Adams was not a top line London maker more a second line maker even then his guns were not cheap and far above the wage level of a game keeper so how did his grandfather come to be the owner? The answer is simple some Estate owners gave guns as a personal gift to a good keeper, though a more common way was I what I was told about that gun. A large estate owner died in reality it was the gamekeeper who had the knowledge about how many and what type of guns were in the gun room, so he would know what guns could go missing and he was not stupid enough to take one of a pair of Holland's Purdey Etc.so would help himself to a good maker gun and very often no one was the wiser. As we would say over here "Half inched found before it was lost Ok stolen" and if it was missed he could have a plausible excuse why he had it. So many gamekeepers had their own guns when they moved from Estate to Estate.

wow great information damascus that surely did educate me on the subject thank you so much for sharing that with us it was truly helpful

I've never sold a gun that I shot well. And won't anytime soon.[/quote]


I’m still looking for a gun I shoot well. The ones I did shoot well I sold 30 years ago. Now I’m searching for some before I can’t hunt anymore.

Everyone would be impressed if you ever saw a dozen of his guns laid out on his bed. Quite a sight

While I haven't held them, I'm kinda familiar with a lot of Bobby's guns. I would agree.

He’s probably acquired a half dozen guns since he first told me ha wasn’t buying anymore. I can’t wait until November to see his newest, a WR droplock.

I've only shot Skeet with it a couple of times, the year after I got it, with hilarious results. I've mostly used it for Trap. That picture was taken at a Trap station sandwiched between two Skeet houses. That's the way my club's laid out.

I aim to use it for Skeet a bit more, though, now that I know I can actually hit some of the wretched things, having gotten some rounds in with my Superposed and my Rizzini this past autumn with far greater success. I will be attempting the aforementioned Hillis Doctrine. Just for giggles.

I love the thing. It's one of my favorite possessions. There's something "gone-away world" about it, even though it's just a Japanese Browning from the '70s, and not a thirties Purdey.

Thank you for your good wishes, sir. A high tide raises all boats.

For what it's worth, Elmer, I own one 12 ga. BSS at this time. It has been used hard for ducks with 1 1/4 oz. steel loads, shot in S X S sporting clays events, and even shot doves a few times. I have often said that it is the easiest S x S, I've ever had, to shoot well. I'm sure it's just the stock dimensions and weight, more than anything else, but whoever set the dims for the buttstocks on them initially had me in mind. All I have to do to it is lace on a 1/2" Kick Killer leather butt pad and it's then "on the money".

Here's a couple of pics of "us" in the backwaters of the L "Anguille River in eastern Arkansas.





Yeah ........ I'd say it's a keeper gun.

I’m still looking for a gun I shoot well. The ones I did shoot well I sold 30 years ago. Now I’m searching for some before I can’t hunt anymore.[/quote]

The issue there for many of us as we age is that our guns may no longer fit us the way they used to. I've discovered that I now shoot better with a shorter LOP and more drop than I used to. I first noticed that with a Parker Reproduction that I shot pretty well at one time. One of the 20ga guns with an extra 16ga set of barrels. I loved that gun. But all of a sudden, I couldn't hit much with it anymore. Which led me to explore guns with different dimensions. It eventually became clear that a shorter stock with more drop was the answer. Or at least it was for me. I know I'm a couple inches shorter than I used to be, although the sleeves on my shirts don't indicate my arms are any shorter. I remember George Bird Evans addressing that same issue as he aged.

Only full time employed by the spooks for 5 years, straight out of college. Went back to get an M.A, reenlisted in the Army Reserve (Military Intelligence unit). Had a full time summer job teaching intelligence subjects, which fit perfectly with teaching French the rest of the year. "Full time" teaching in college had the benefit of allowing me to do a lot of close to home pheasant hunting in Iowa, late 80's to early 2000's, when we had a lot of birds. One year I was full time, but spring semester only, which was perfect. Gave me time to do more out of state hunting in the fall. Eventually became what a fellow MI officer referred to as "a military gentleman", taking on as many relatively short tours of active duty as I could. Plus continuing outdoor writing, which I've now pretty much given up.

I was never going to become rich, but it gave me the opportunity to continue to serve in the military while still getting in a lot of bird hunting. If I had it all to do over, I don't think I would change anything.