That's interesting. In GA, 30 yrs. ago, they would have still been all pumps and semi-s. Even 50 yrs. ago, here, I would have had the only S x S on a dove field, out of maybe 30 guns. Truth is, I don't know how far I'd have to go back to find that the S x S was the predominant action type. 100 yrs. ............ maybe?
SRH
Agree with you there, Stan. Post-WWII years--well, let me push that into the early to mid-50's, when I started paying attention to guns other than the .410 singles my dad and older brother had--were a pretty bleak period for doubles of any kind. The Browning Superposed was likely the most common, and you didn't really see all that many of them on a pheasant hunt in Iowa. Just too darned expensive. I got my first double--Savage 420 OU, made for only a few years right before WWII--in about 1962, and it was something of an oddity among my hunting buddies, as well as the older generation. It wasn't until we started getting OU's from Japan, courtesy of Winchester and Ithaca and Browning (plus Beretta), that they achieved some popularity. Then the Japanese-made side by sides caused a minor resurgence. And then the late Mr. McIntosh started telling us about how good those old American classic sxs were--most of which had been gathering dust in gun shops for a long time because hardly anyone wanted them. And that lit at least a small fire.
But pumps and autos were far ahead of doubles (either horizontal or vertical) for a pretty long time, whether you were a bird hunter or a target shooter.
Last edited by L. Brown; 11/30/17 09:10 AM.
