doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com I visited an old friend today at lunch time

I have a dear old friend named Charlie.

Charlie in a retired vet that has a really good eye for dog flesh. The very best grouse gun dog I've hunted behind belonged to him.

Time has taken it's toll on Charlie and today he is too unsteady to carry a gun in the woods and hunt safely. But, in spirit he is still a grouse and woodcock hunter.

Anyway, around 1980, Charlie ordered a best London Sidelock from a maker named Peter Chapman. He carried it on many trips we made together to ND, IA, and Northern Minnesota.

As I write this I am thinking of a particular incident when we walked in on a point by his great setter Per just North of Ross, ND.

Per had a big covey of Hun's nailed and they flushed and sweeped around in hun like fashion. Charlie killed a bird and when he looked over at me I could just see the satisfaction in his expression. Like, "that is how it is supposed to work".

Well, he had to see my new pup. So today at lunch I visited he and his wife and their current setter "Gus" to introduce Lily.

The visit was great and when I left the house I had the Chapman in tow.

As we were packing stuff into my truck Charlie said once again that he just can no longer hunt but he'd like to see Lily working birds this coming Fall and would just like to walk along with a walking stick.

We will go, and hopefully if the stars align, he'll get to see me hunt and kill some birds over her points with his Chapman.

This thread that binds us grouse and woodcock hunters together is something really special.

Here is the Chapman.

20 bore built on a Holland & Holland self-opening action. 26" barrels choked .003/.007. Double triggers, ejectors. Stock is 14-1/2" x 1-3/8" x 2-3/8" with 3/8" cast off to a checkered butt. I weighed it on a shipping scale once and as I recall it is around 5-1/2 pounds. It balances just slightly forward of the hinge.

The maker Peter Chapman had worked for Purdey's and then broke off on his own with the financial backing of some US investors. This is gun #32.

The case colors and blue are thinning showing the signs of honest use.

It's a really elegant gun.

Wonderful story and gun.

Wow! Thanks for sharing this, Jaybird. What a nice, nice gun.
JR

Lovely!

I hope Charlie's gun dimensions are similar to your requirements. I have a similar story about a friend and hunting partner named Ted, who just happened to be my Father. His guns were peacefully divided between myself and my Brother, and while his tastes in guns and gun dimensions were different than my own, perhaps they will be a closer fit for my son.
Great story. Do your best to get your old friend out, but, try to understand not to push him too hard to go if he says he just doesn't feel up to it.
Been there, done that.

Best,
Ted

Ted:

I can shoot most anything with reasonable dimensions and I have actually killed some birds with this gun over the years.

Jay

A lovely gun and a wonderful friend. Lucky indeed....enjoy them both!

Great story. Maybe, just maybe, the pups will nail down some birds long enough for you to hand the Chapman off to Charlie for a shot or two, don't tell him maybe he can scoot in for a closer look. May you have many memorable hunts ahead.

Now, that's a story! Wonderful. Defining spirit, seems to me, is the way we relate one thing to another, and this be so true it provides a powerful effect for all those who hunt with a dog.

Great story with a great dog and a great double. Chapman guns are very sought after here in the UK for those people in the know. Most of the Chapman production went to the USA. Peter was a very well respected gun maker here in the UK during his time at Purdeys and in his own right. He came from the same gunmaking era at Purdeys as Peter Nelson, David Trevallion and Brian Sorrell so a real bunch of characters!