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As light as my Churchill is, it shoots well. Being able to effectively shoot a light gun comes from muscle memory. Once you have it, it's hard to beat for game shooting.
Karl

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A 2” 12 does nothing a 2 1/2” 16 or 20 won’t do just as well or better. I had one, 2” 12, which was a joy to carry. But a 2 1/2” 20 is just as much a joy to carry and easier to load for. I ended up selling my 2” 12 because it ended up filling a slot which multiple other guns did just as well or better. I had 16 and 20 with the same weight, same or heavier payload and which patterned just as well. Mine was choked IM in both barrels and had very nice patterns but nothing magical anymore than the 28 is a magical gauge. Hype is not hope.

Seems like one maker made them for 90% of the trade, so name means very little. Do be aware that to get the weight down they were struck very thin and often are even thinner than you might be comfortable shooting. Do not buy one without carefully measuring the barrels.

Some of the 2” factory shells are loaded so hot, they rattle your fillings. I loaded Federal Paper hulls with 15/16 shot and it was a joy to shoot. Then again I love paper hulls in all doubles.

If you find one you like buy it and scratch that itch. I lusted for a SuperBrite O/U for 20 years until I found one. Shot it so poorly that if I used it to shoot myself it would require two extra shells to finish the job. It was totally cool and I was satisfied having shot it for the time I owned it but like selling a boat, I shed no tears after it left. Buy right to sell painlessly later.

2 members like this: LeFusil, ClapperZapper
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Originally Posted by battle
I love the 2” doubles. I’ve had probably a dozen or so and have never had one that was “I’ll balanced”. And I’ve had them in 26”, 27” and 28”. Maybe LeFusil’s Spanish made 2” guns were “I’ll balanced”. But the English version of a 2” double is a joy to carry and shoot.

I’ve never owned a Spanish version or an English version….seen, handled, shot dozens and even hunted a couple of both varieties though…..not one of them made me want to own one. Not one.
I shoot a lot of wild birds every season, prairie birds, forest birds, and mountain birds…not one of those 2” guns would’ve suited any of my purposes…I have a light Churchill XXV 12 bore that comes in at 5 lbs 14 oz. and that sucker is dynamic and balanced right as most Churchills are. It’s much more versatile than any 2” 12 could hope to be.

I’m glad you’ve had good luck and those 2” guns work so well for you. You’re a lucky guy.

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I like the uniqueness of the 2" 12 with its light weight and fast handling (my perception) for shooting in the tight woodcock covers I frequent.
The one depicted with the empty hull is an unbranded gun made by Skimin & Wood with 28" barrels. I added a leather pad to it which raised the weight of the gun from 5.5 lbs. to 5.75 lbs. The second gun I acquired this year and is also a Skimin & Wood gun but branded C. Hellis & Son with 26" barrels and a weight of 5 lbs., 7 oz. Both guns were made in the late 1930s and proofed for 7/8 oz. loads. I shoot published recipe handloads with a hybrid mixture of plastic gas seals and fiber wads. The plastic gas seals give me more consistent chronographed velocity than with nitro cards and fiber wads. Gil

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I have shot a few 2 inchers, most made by William Ford. Superb handling and nice even patterns from all of them. The dainty feel and those super light barrels made me extra careful not to bump them against a tree branch.

I had no means to judge the shot string, but somewhere in my files there are photos of a 2 incher's patterns, spread evenly over a 70X100 centimeter printing plates at 30 meteres. The charges were 7/8 oz of No6. Coincidentally, on the same test we shot a Lancaster 12/20 and a Holland Royal. The little William Ford patterned as well as the other two.

Last edited by Shotgunlover; 12/26/21 08:10 AM.
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If you want killing power, buy a bigger chambered gun. If you are enamored with the idea of a featherweight 12, short chamber, get one. What other people want or don't want is all over the map. Justifying it is not necessary. To paraphrase Amarillo Mike 'Once you pass the chicken joint on the way out of town to hunt birds, you've left practicality behind'.

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Originally Posted by Chuck H
If you want killing power, buy a bigger chambered gun. If you are enamored with the idea of a featherweight 12, short chamber, get one. What other people want or don't want is all over the map. Justifying it is not necessary. To paraphrase Amarillo Mike 'Once you pass the chicken joint on the way out of town to hunt birds, you've left practicality behind'.
Amen. I have repeated Mike's "chicken joint" observation but had attributed it to you over the years.
Gil

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More than one guy, here, figured it out over the years.

Best,
Ted

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I would like to own a 2" sxs but just for the uniqueness of owning one, I can't find any advantage in the field. I do shoot a 5 lb 15 oz 2 3/4" 12ga sxs and I have a 2 1/2" 12ga Darne at the same weight. On upland birds I find that 1 oz works in 12's, 16's and 20gauges.


After the first shot the rest are just noise.
1 member likes this: Ted Schefelbein
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On upland birds I find that 1 oz works in 12's, 16's and 20gauges.

True. For some reason a 1oz 2 1/2” 16ga is just a killer on the rare occasions I do my job

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