doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bird Gun.... aka Quail Gun

Quail? Why, the Sterlingworth 20ga, of course!

Jose, how did you come to own the Pedro Arrizabalaga? Can we see some closeup pictures? I have a Pedro Arrizabalaga in 28 gauge and it is a wonderful gun.

..... Since all my ancestors fought for the Confederacy I'm with you Adam:

For Dove and Quail and lot's of other stuff....just some old field grade guns.............

16/20 Philly Fox S/W's both 28" M/F........2.5" chambers
20/16 Hunter L.C.'s both 28" M/F.......2.5" chambers

I shoot only handloads in these......7/8 oz. 2.5" 16's....3/4 oz. 2.5" 20's......


All uncut, Callahan & Cody lettered guns.........


1930 Hunter Arms L.C.Smith 16................1925 Philly Fox S/W 16

1939 Hunter Arms L.C.Smith 20................1928 Philly Fox S/W 20



Cheers,

Here's my favorite bird gun by Joseph Lang completed March 6, 1866 with replacement Damascus barrels by James Woodward probably in or shortly before 1872. It has a Jones underlever and non-rebounding hammers. I also shoot birds with my 20 gauge 1926 Fox Sterlingworth, my 28 gauge Beretta 687 and my 28 gauge Ugartechea boxlock. I most likely will commit a cardinal sin this year and shoot birds with my newly acquired pump shotgun a time or two - well, maybe it won't be a sin since it's a Browning Model 42 .410.

Jose:
What beautiful birds and a marvelous SxS. As George asked do you know if they are variants of a Bobwhite or their own species? How far outside of Mexico City do you need to go to find quail hunting?

Mike

Smallbore side by sides for me.20,28 and sometimes 16 gauge.25,26,27 and sometimes 28 inch barrel lengths used. Bobby

Very nice lot indeed Jose.....beautiful Arrizabalaga 20....keep up the good work in January.....!

Cheers,

The most elegant quail I ever saw in Mexico were.... Elegant Quail that I saw very briefly in the thorn jungles in the mountains in Western Jalisco. Exquisite! But not a place to hunt with a birdgun anyway. You could hardly stand up in those senderos, let alone swing a shotgun. Little tunnels of thorns going for miles up and down and up and... you get the picture. About a skinny burro wide.

I'd vote for our western Mountain Quail for the most beautiful quail. Also lovers of "hard places to swing a double," unfortunately.

Gentlemen:

As always, you make nice comments when you answer me. This is the most educated an polite forum in the world!

Just for your knowledge

BIRDS

We have, as I know, 13 different quail species in Mexico:

1. Spotted wood-quail
2. Singing quail
3. Moctezuma or Harlequin quail
4. Ocellated quail
5. Spot bellied bobwhite
6. Common bobwhite
7. Black throated or Yucatan bobwhite
8. Banded quail
9. Scaled quail
10.Elegant quail
11.Gambel�s quail
12.California quail
13.Mountain quail

The banded quail (Philortyx fasciatus)is endemic in a relatively small territory in central Mexico. they cohabit with the red breasted bobwhite (it is a sub-species of the common bobwhite) but do not merge together.
At the begining of the season you can find coveys with 30 or more individuals and belive me, it is an exiting experience when they "explode" in front of your pointing dog.

I hunt those birds about 90-120 minutes drive from my home in Mexico city.



GUN

Pedro Arrizabalaga model #132 made in 1968
I have this shotgun because my granfather bought it in Spain many years ago.
Very well made gun, strong as the best.

We are only a small bunch of quail hunters here, mostly sons and grandsons of european inmigrants that bring this great sport here.





Best,

Beautiful bird and a beautiful gun Jose.......thank you for the follow up and the detailed information on Mexico's fine quail population/species........

Jose, your grandfather's Arrizabalaga engraving appears to have a 'German' flavor to it......very nice......

I have hunted quite a bit in Northern Mexico over the years for Gambel's quail and White Wing Doves, always enjoyed the hunts, the food and the people............too bad the drug wars ruined all that

Thank you for sharing Jose...........

Cheers,