To go along with post about gun fitting, I thought I would add this quick video about drop on a double-barrel shotgun. If you’ve ever wondered why drop matters and how to measure it, check it out. Very helpful.
Merry Christmas to all…
Dec 25th, 2011 by Gregg
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone out there. I hope you’re having a good time and the cheer is spreading. I wish great health and even better luck in 2012.
Here at Dogs & Doubles were getting ready to do some upland hunting. I should be in central Maine for the next few days, wrapping up my grouse season. If the snow stays away, we should have a good time.
BTW: here’s a few things that were on my gift lis. Once again, the fat man in red didn’t come through. Probably out of his budget.
1. This pair of W.W. Greener sidelock shotguns from Sportarm.com:
A pair W.W. Greener 12 gauge Double Barrel Shotguns
You can see more pics of this guns here, here, and here.
2. This place in Montana where I could take full advantage of them.
3. And six of these guys. Those puppies are from Autumn Memory Kennels. My girl is from there, and they turn out great English Pointers.
English Pointer puppies from Autumn Memory Kennels
Vintage double of the week – 8g Westley Richards…
Dec 23rd, 2011 by Gregg
Any hammerless 8g double barrel is hard to come by, and when you throw in “rifle” you have a side by side that is almost unheard of. That’s what makes this 8 gauge Westley Richards double rifle so amazing. Factor in it’s condition and you have an incredible rare double – probably one of a kind. You can see more pics of it here.
WESTLEY RICHARDS 8-BORE DOUBLE RIFLE
This rifle pushed a 1,200 grain bullet. While the FPS probably wasn’t too high, I’m sure that much lead still hit with a big thud. I’m not sure what the original owner hunted with it — may the last remaining pocket of T Rexes.
A grouse was here…
Dec 21st, 2011 by Gregg
Here’s an anthill I came across a couple of weeks ago that looks like it’s pretty popular with grouse. I don’t know if they roost on it, dust themselves on it, or do both.
Anthill with grouse droppings
A few thoughts about fences…
Dec 19th, 2011 by Gregg
The first thing most guys look at when they pick up a double barrel is the wood. Some guys will pay attention to the make and the engraving. The guys who collect will inspect the condition. Very few guys ever glance at the shotgun’s fences.
Like toplevers and triggers, a side-by-side’s fences are often overlooked. But when it comes to creating a double’s look and defining a maker’s style, the fences are a big deal.
First, a definition: The fences are the part of the action that meets the breech end of the bbls. When you close a shotgun, the barrels meet up against the fences. The term “fences” comes from the muzzloading era when makers added a curve of metal behind the percussion cap to create a “fence” to protect the shooter’s eye’s from sparks and debris. There are good pics of all this here.
Boss & Co., Holland & Holland, and J. Purdey & Sons all file up their fences in different ways. The differences are slight, but the way they alter the gun’s look is substantial. Check out the pics below to see what I mean. Of the three, I like the fences on a Boss the most. They’re bigger, more bulbous, and more substantial than the fences on most other sidelocks. BTW: these images are from Matched Pairs Limited. If you’re looking for a British double, they’re a good place to check out.
Small, round fences on a Purdey double barrel shotgun
Big, bulbous fences on a Boss double barrel. Check out the engraving, too.
Flat, cigar-plug-like fences on a Holland & Holland Royal double barrel
What’s her tail telling me?
Dec 18th, 2011 by Gregg
My dog’s tail says a lot. A couple of weeks ago Puck and I were hunting in Maine and we got into a bunch of grouse. Over almost 2 hours Puck had 6-7 solid points (not including follow ups).
I snapped a few pics of her and later as I was thinking back on things I wondered what Puck’s tail and body position were telling me about each point and situation.
A couple things about the scenting conditions: It was about 40 degrees out, no real air movement, and the ground was moist to wet; there had been a hard frost in the AM and the sky had been cloudless all day; we were hunting the last few hours of the day.
4-5 grouse, 20 yards ahead
In this first pic, Puck’s pointing a group of 4-5 grouse. The birds were about 20 yards ahead of her, feeding under some apple trees. While it looks Puck caught the scent high in the air, her tail is showing some diffidence. She’s not 100% sure of the situation, and I’m not sure why.
Single grouse, moving right to left
This next point was a single bird, located on low ground in a mix of poplars, cedars, and spruces. The bird seem to be running to Puck’s left, and from the time I spotted her to the time I took this pic, her head turned 45 degrees. This time, her low, crooked tail shows even more diffidence. I released Puck and she relocated this bird after a few minutes. The second point was fifty+ yards away from the first.
The third pic is of a single grouse in cover crowded with poplars and cedars. Again, Puck’s tail is low and hooked. Her head, ear and body indicate a positive contact with solid scent, but for some reason she’s not 100% sure of it. This bird flushed pretty far out — 40+ yards — so maybe the scent was dissipating and this caused her to loose confidence in it?
Single grouse, straight ahead 30 yards
Overall, I’m thinking that these grouse/points had a one big thing in common. The birds were moving away from Puck. This may have caused the scent to diminish, or shift. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t 100% convinced of the grouse’s location.
Anyone else have any ideas? I’d love to hear them.
BTW: if you’re wondering how many birds we killed, the answer’s zero. I’m a shitty shot.
The little things…
Dec 17th, 2011 by Gregg
The difference between a true, best-quality double barrel barrel and real nice shotgun is small. It doesn’t take much to lift a gun to the top level — a few more passes with a file, a bit more attention to detail, a little more refined eye for aesthetics. But it’s these extras that add up and make a big difference.
Forend tip on a Boss Double Barrel
To see what I mean, check out the tip on this forend. The gun is a 1921 Boss, and the quality of the work is Best quality.
It amazes me that the stocker was able to fit the wood and metal that precisely. Another thing that impresses me is the shape of the metal. Why make it that way? Those little points, the curves, the shark-fin flares — what a pain in the butt. Imagine how much easier it would have been to fit if it were just V shaped. Functionally, the little extra don’t serve any purpose. They sure look nice, though.
You can see more pics of this gun here. It’s #2 of a pair Lewis Drake had a while back. Like most of the stuff Drake has, the Bosses were fantastic guns.
An Otto Bock double barrel 12 gauge…
Dec 16th, 2011 by Gregg
Otto Bock was some kind of sporting-good supplier based in Berlin during the late 19th & early 20th century. This double-barrel shotgun for sale on Gunsinternationl.com bears his name, even though I’m pretty sure he didn’t actually make it himself. Whatever the gun’s story is, it’s a hell of a nice side by side in awesome original condition.
A lot of the gun looks British. To see what I mean, compare the action, lockplates and fences to this and this pic of an A.A. Brown. It does have some stout Teutonic overtones like the horn inlaid drop points, the broad trigger blades, and the muscular bead work and scultping ahead of the squat toplever.
Otto Bock Double Barrel Shotgun
Otto Bock Double Barrel Shotgun
Otto Bock Double Barrel Shotgun
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