Posted in ENJOYING BOTH on Jan 14th, 2012
Check out this quick little video of some folks hunting for grouse and woodcock in Maine. It’s pretty well done. (FYI – turn you audio down before it gets going. The music is a bit much.) BTW: Do you think he popped that first grouse out of that pine tree?
Posted in DOUBLES on Jan 7th, 2012
Parkers double barrel shotguns are probably the most popular, and most collectible, of the vintage America side by sides. Here’s a good look at one of the earliest Parker designs – the Under Lifter hammergun. I handled a number of under-lifter Parkers. They’re surprisingly easy to open/close.
Posted in DOUBLES on Nov 16th, 2011
Amoskeag’s 11/19 auction has a bunch of good double barrel shotguns coming up in it. Here a couple that would be ideal in the uplands. 20g Browning Superlight - of all the classic “America” shotguns, the Belgian Brownings are the most shootable. With modern dimensions and chambers, they’re very handy guns. Most of them are heavy, [...]
Posted in DOUBLES on Sep 30th, 2011
Work! It really gets in the way. If I didn’t need the money, I wouldn’t go. It’s been a busy couple of weeks at the office, so I’ve had little time for being here (or in the field). BUT tomorrow is October 1 — the best time of the year –and I’ll be out bright and early, [...]
Posted in DOUBLES on Sep 9th, 2011
The fall gun-auction season is here. It kicks off on Friday with Rock Island Auctions and runs through the weekend with Redding’s Auction Service having a nice sale on Sunday. -9/9, 9/10 & 9/11 @ Rock Island Auctions, Rock Island, IL There are lots of good guns here, including almost 50 double barrel shotguns. This [...]
Posted in DOUBLES on Aug 23rd, 2011
Live Bird Gun — if you collect double-barrel shotguns, those three words can cost you plenty. There seems to be something special about doubles made for pigeon shooting–something that collectors like and sellers love. That’s why true pigeon guns command premium prices. It’s also why dealers are quick to label any side-by-side or over/under with certain features [...]
Posted in DOUBLES on Aug 12th, 2011
Sorry for the late notice, but I just stumbles across this auction. It’s being held tomorrow, 8/13, in Montrose, GA, at Montrose Auctions. It features over 850 firearms, including nice looking doubles like this sharp 12 gauge Francotte and this clean 20 gauge Fox A grade. The sale also includes a bunch of Parkers and Brownings, and other [...]
Posted in DOUBLES on Jun 17th, 2011
Clean, original American double barrel shotgun are hard to find. That’s why these two side by sides caught my eye. They’re both up at Auctionarms.com and ending at the end of next week. The first is this Parker 12 gauge GHE on a #1 frame. It’s a 1919 gun with a pretty standard configuration: 28″ [...]
Posted in DOUBLES on Jun 10th, 2011
OK, sorry for the late notice, but I just found out about this auction. Gaudreau’s Auction Company in Dayville , CT, is auctioning off two Parkers double barrel shotguns tomorrow. It looks like they’re both VH grades, one in 12g and the other in 20g. Other than that, I don’t know a thing about them. They do [...]
Posted in DOUBLES on Jun 8th, 2011
Spotting a refinish is an important skill to have if you start collecting old double barrels. A lot of the vintage side-by-side shotguns out there are 70+ years old and most of them have had some work done on them. Because collectors place such a premium of original condition, it pays to know what it [...]
