doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Duck hunting with your classic side by side?

Now, that is a nice duck gun, dukxdog. What does it weigh? I'll guess between 8/6 and 9/2. Got any more pics of it?

Thanks for posting that. SRH

I use a 1928 era L.C. Smith Ideal Grade Longrange- 32" DT AE-- weighs about 8 lbs. 6 oz. unloaded- 3" chambered-- I bought it from my friend, the late Brad B.-- he had installed a newer pad, opened the chokes to Mod. right/Imp. Mod/left, glass bedded the stocks in the area of the locks and "innards" and it fits me like an Armani suit on a Goombah-- I use RST 2&3/4' non-toxic loads in it for ducks (mallards) and geese (Canadas)--

I also use it for turkeys, spring and fall- with some older issued Federal copper plated No. 4 premium loads- Gangbusters-- It is the last of the 4 12 gauge graded Smith guns in my ownership that I would ever sell.

That being said, the extra late "bonus season" for mallards and geese re-opens this coming Sat- I have 17 acres on the Flat river, and with the area ponds and lakes still covered with slushy ice, and lots of corn fields nearby, we have geese all over- If it is raining or sleeting, I'll take a 12 gauge M12--but if not, most likely the Smith--

Many years ago, I owned a Super Fox HE 12 magnum- 32" F&F, DT, AE--way to heavy for me to handle today, at almost 80 years-- I also had Brad drill out the lead weight in my 1949 M12 Heavy Duck Gun- I prefer a muzzle heavy gun, especially for waterfowl. He also put in place a spacer and re-set the solid red pad-- 13&5/8" is too short a LOP for me, about 14&1/8" on my duck guns, 14&1/4" on my field guns- RWTF

I had a lot fun pass shooting diving ducks with my lightweight Dewson percussion 10 ga. 1 5/8 oz Lubaloy 4's really reached out after I had V.M. Starr jug choke it. The old RR engineer I bought it from said he bought it from a gunsmith in a small town along the railway east of Medora, site of Teddy Roosevelt's ranch and that it once belonged to the cook at that ranch who shot passenger pigeons with it before leaving New York. Then non-toxics came in and bismuth was too costly so I retired it.

Then I shot waterfowl, including geese, cranes, and swans for 30 years with my dad's single-trigger 12 ga F/M Nitro Special 28" using light loads of 1 1/12 oz 1's and 3's in shotcups.
Bad eyesight now in my early '80's so I don't boat hunt ducks much any longer, but still flail away at them from shore or in fields a bit with a 30" Nitro Special using the same reloads. I always without the foreend as they just collect weeds, mud,and alkali water.
When I was a kid, I shot a lot of ducks with full power loads through my $35 bringback 1911 Sauer Model 8 with no ill effects I could detect, but it is my grouse and dove gun now even though I mostly just carry it and seldom bag a bird. It replaced the Stevens Mod. 311 I started out with.

Its been a fun ride shooting these old doubles since 1948.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Nice- I no longer hunt from layout boats, or canoes or regular flat bottomed duck boats- just a dry land pass shooter- that's why the muzzle heavy L.C. Smith LONGRANGE and my 12 gauge M12's work so well for me. Just wondering if I read your post correctly- you shoot a 12 Nitro Special, but w/o the foream attached?? Why- how do you open the gun to reload and recock it w/o the forearm in its proper place?? RWTF

Just the forend iron, Fox...Geo

I hunted Ducks on the Mississippi River this fall with my Greener. 2 3/4" 1 1/4oz proofed, and bismuth reloads

Yes I should have said forend iron only. Why needlessly soak the wood with alkali slough water, rain, or melting snow?
Also, my old Sauer is a 16 ga. Miss that Dupont Bulk Smokeless for reloading an ounce of 8s and shot a lot of it in muzzleloading rifles. Nothing left of it now but a bunch of empty green tins.

I can waterproof my gun's wood pretty darned good with Johnson's paste wax, for a day's hunt. Metal too, for that matter.

What do you do about the buttstock?

SRH

I like paste wax also for the buttstock. My new can is by Old Masters.

I duck hunt with my Sterlingworth pin-guns using bismuth. They're not in that great shape anyway, but they don't seem to be getting any worse for the wear...Geo