Arrizabalaga double barrel shotguns have a reputation for being some of the finest side-by-sides made in Spain. This little 28 gauge is a nice example of the kind of work they turn out. It looks like a pretty low-grade model that’s in excellent original condition. If you shoot a smaller-proportioned gun (yeah, I didn’t want to say you’re a small guy), this looks like a great deal on decent sidelock.

Arrizabalaga 28 gauge double barrel shotgun

Habitat loss and declining bird numbers — it’s a sad story that’s being played out across North America. It’s also a story that involves woodcock. Eahc year, as forests mature and housing developments expands, these birds loose more of their home turf. The Woodcock Task Force is fighting to stop this.

Fight for the American Woodcock!

Read more about their efforts here and find out what you can do to help. When you’re done, check out the video below for some great footage of woodcock and woodcock hunting in South Carolina.

Auction alert! There are a number of good guns and sporting items coming up on Saturday, 2/4, at South Bay Actions in East Moriches, Long Island, NY.

Gastinne Rennette at South Bay Auctions on 2/4

Here are a few highlights of the sale. See the complete listing here.

Lot 4: Winchester Model 21 12g with 28″ barrels.

Lot 6: Francotte, 28g. side by side.

Lot 7: Belgian Browning Superposed “Lightning” 20g

Lot 9: L.C. Smith “Pigeon” Grade 12g.

Lot 44: Nichols & LeFever, original advertising for Breech Loading shotguns, rifles etc., Syracuse, New York.

Here’s a good video of summer training from Hi Five Kennels. Besides the nice dog work, what I liked most about this video of how it shows you the kind of covers grouse & woodcock like. Watch the whole thing and you’ll see the places where these birds hang out.

Here’s a little video about how drought and habit loss is impacting  bobwhite quail populations in Texas. Not too cheery. I hope it starts to rain. almost as much as I hope people stop ruining quail habitat.

Let’s celebrate one of America’s finest gunmakers: Patrick Mullin. Don’t feel bad, most people have never heard of him. Patrick Mullin’s double barrel shotguns were some of the finest ever made on this side of the Atlantic.  This 8 gauge, 11lb 5oz., percussion shotgun with 33″ barrels is an excellent example of his work. It glows with excellence and proves that a best-quality gun doesn’t need engraving.

Patrick Mullin 8 gauge percussion shotgun

Patrick Mullin made guns in New York City from around 1850-1870. He was born in Donegal, Ireland,  in 1814 and trained in Dublin and London before emigrating to the US. His guns retailed for $400-$1000 — more than Purdeys made at the same time.

Patrick Mullin 8 gauge percussion shotgun

On Mullin’s death in 1895, the New York Times published his obituary and stated “He turned out guns of his own handiwork that were unsurpassed in excellence.” This 8 gauge shows that they were right. Pics courtesy Dismal River Armory.

Patrick Mullin 8 gauge percussion shotgun

The history of the modern pointing dog is convoluted and tangled. The further into its past you go, and the more clouded its lineage becomes. People believed that Spain’s Burgos Pointer was the great-great-great-great grandaddy of them all, a dog that could trace it’s origin back to the beginnings of pointing breeds over 600 years ago.

A Burgos Pointer

While that’s a great story, it’s not true. The reality is that the Burgos Pointer is a much newer breed of pointing dog. But that doesn’t make its story any less interesting. I suggest you check out this post from Craig Koshyk’s blog to read the whole story on the Burgos Pointer. For the full story on fifty other great breeds, buy Koshyk’s book Point Dogs Part One: The Continentals. It’s well worth the money.

Browning Superposed shotguns are tough to beat. They’re a reliable, time-tested design and one of the few “vintage” shotguns with dimensions that most guys can shoot well. If you’re looking for a solid, dependable shooter, this 12 gauge double barrel Browning is worth a bid:

12 gauge Browning Superposed Shotgun

Fifty years from now, guys will lust after original 20 gauge Browning Over-and-Unders in the same way guys today chase small-bore Parkers. Here’s Lightning with 28″ barrels that future collectors will probably drool over:

20 gauge Browning Superposed Lightning Shotgun

I saw this on a great blog called Uplandbirdhunter.com. Check it out. I’m sure you could use the same technique to a grouse.

OF course, you need to do something with those quail once they’re cleaned. You could even bring the ingredients along with you and do this in the field:

Enjoy.

www.dogsanddoubles.com

W. & C. Scott was one of the most important gunmakers of the last 200 years.  In the their history they came up with many different designs for doubles. One of the quirkiest was the Quintuple Grip system you can see on this shotgun.

W. & C. Scott Double Barrel Shotgun with Quintuple Grip

This system combined a standard Purdey-bolt with two bolts on the outside of the action and barrels. It was used on a number of guns in the 1880s and makers like Holland & Holland also used it on a few of their hammerguns.

It’s an intersting design, but not very practical. The gun itself is clunky, and I doubt the exteral bolts are an advantage.