Hunting with hammers
 

Now don't get me wrong. I think hammer guns are the most beautiful double gun creations ever made and I would love to own one. But in the back of my mind is the feeling that I wouldn't be satisfied hunting with one. I'm too spoiled with the speed, quickness and safety of a hammerless. But I know a lot of you guys regularly hunt with your hammers and some even prefer them. How have you adapted your hunting style to these guns?

It does take a bit of learning but is pretty easy with some practice. With no driven shooting which an be fast and furious their is plenty of time to cock on the rise, same as slipping off the safety. I cock the hammer of choice on the mount and drop the butt to cock the other if needed and remount. A problem on the mount can be corrected in the few seconds it takes to cock and remount. Many times with a hammerless trying to connect with the 2'nd barrel and a poor mount results on a miss anyway. Unlike a hammerless gun it is only cocked when presented to fire a shot. Going through heavy cover I move my hand up behind the hammer's to be sure the hammers do not get cocked inadvertently on brush. They take a bit of a mental shift but pose no problems with practice. It is important to have a precise fit between the bent and sear for a safe pull. Clean but not too light. I have never had a hammer slip off from recoil. Just do not get sloppy hooking the hammer. Use a good portion of your thumb to hook it securely and hammer guns can be really great hunting arms.

All makes sense and sounds like it takes practice. Very cool. Thanks for sharing your techniques Eric.

i enjoy them -

i enjoy using them over pointing dogs - you generally have a little warning - but i can get the shots off quickly when flushes are the rule

i have a large enough hand to cock both hammers at once on the upland lighter framed gun -i approach the point with the end of my thumb on the front of left hammer spur and covering the right with the base - i can easily bring the gun to cock as i raise it - i open the gun to lower a hammer of any unfired barrel

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=7420

Nice tip Rick. Another reason to like O frames. Thanks

I have told of my method in past posts...

When I'm in the woods or field hunting my tubes are charged, my hammers are both cocked and my action is open. When I walk in on a point, or in the case of no dog, enter the cover, the action is then closed and my trigger hand cupped over the triggers and guard so no errant branch or twig can trip a trigger, and muzzles held skyward. When not in the cover my gun is always open and I can let the hammers down with no danger of a discharge if a hammer slips from my thumb.

A lifter is ideal for this method but a top-action works just as well as long as the action can be opened with the right hammer remaining cocked - not all top-action hammer guns can be opened with the right hammer cocked.





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I would suggest getting used to your hammer gun on the clays course before hunting

my first hunting gun as a kid was a single barrel 20ga hammer gun-

i started hunting hammer doubles in the early 90's after picking up a nice light London hammer gun

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=9797

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=9795

Thanks Dean

I love to hunt with my 20 J. Manton hammer gun. I usually use hammer guns only when I am by myself--except for the dogs, carrying the gun as Dean suggests. I do close the action as soon as the dogs start getting birdy.

I love shooting clay targets with a hammer gun but I wasn't comfortable using my 16ga lifter in the grouse coverts. I have used one while quail hunting and will take a 28ga with me in a couple of weeks.

As a rule, Parker hammer guns have notoriously heavy hammer springs. I found it just about impossible to cock both hammers with my thumb as I was raising the gun. Like Dean, and because I hunt alone, I walked with both hammers cocked, and the gun opened. I would occasionally drop a shell out of the chamber, so I found that a single strip of Scotch tape, lengthwise on the shell, was all that was necessary to keep them in place.
One of the few times I ever limited on grouse, was with an 0 frame 16ga. lifter, which is now firmly in the grips of another member. I had a grade 2 top lever, 0 frame 16, which was also a joy to carry in the Maine woods. I had Walter Eiserer lighten the hammer springs, by hand filing, and polishing, and that was all that was necessary to be able to cock both hammers with my thumb.

To keep shells from falling out of the chamber, bite lightly on the brass, just enough to put it slightly out of round. Problem solved

its hard enough to get through my woodcock covers with the gun closed and held upright in front of me with one hand while i clear a path with the other, i have tried with an open empty gun after a shot- its somewhat lower than a pain in the neck

i doubt they carried scotch tape in those old canvas coats

but- seriously -safety first and if that works for you - great

i will admit my one 10 gauge has very stiff springs and gets cocked one at a time - but i am not carrying that 10 pounder into alder bottoms

i haven't seen any old pictures of the hunters in the field with their hammer guns open - none of old timers told me as a kid to have the gun open- i was instructed to keep my thumb off the hammer until i was ready to shoot just like the safety now days

I carry a stapler, and Rolodex too. Kinda like a lot of guys I see with three dog collar transmitters, whistles and Lord knows what else.
Or, I'd just put the tape on the shells before I even went out.
If I can't cock both hammers with my thumb while the gun is coming up, then the springs are to stout.

Or yur too old....:rotf:

OK Stosh, I take back every nice thing I ever said about you.

Oh wait, I never did that.

I wanted to say that Dave but I didn't have the 'nads...
Besides, I still haven't got the check from him yet.





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Being the oldest guy in Andover, It's probably a good thing you didn't say anything. And, I only mailed the check yesterday. Jerk:cuss:

Dean, Is Egger sending me a check too?....:whistle: And no Edger I would not have expected you to....

You're just jealous that I used to shoot skeet with Bill Foster...:whistle:






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Why would I be jealous? I'm not jealous that you shot skeet with Annie Oakley and Frank Butler.

that would have been trap :corn:

Skeet having not been invented in his younger days

Yes, Thank you for pointing that out to me, but I actually meant to say 'Skeet', my failed attempt to inject more than one complexity into my humor. As my most valued critic, I will run any further attempts by you beforehand.

Shooting a hammer gun is different from shooting a hammerless gun and there are different sets of reflexes you have to develop. That has been my experience.

That's been my system with hammer guns, as well. One of the things I love about lifters, btw. Oh, and fishtail top levers rule!

My M.O. exactly.

As the kids say these days, “same”.

Okay Mark, you need to tell us about that 28 gauge gun.... please?





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Glad to Dean! It is one of my absolute favorite guns. It is a London "guild" gun, originaly made in the late 1880's. Back Action, 28 bore Hammer Gun with very finely struck 30" barrels. the gun has nice dimensions with only 2 " drop at heel, and weighs a hefty 4lbs, 7oz. It was re-proved in the 1930's in London for 2 1/2" nitro at 3 tons, and is choked 550" in the right, and 556" in the left. The gun was probably refreshed in the 30's when re-proof, and then put away, as it is literally a 95% finish gun. It is marked AW Gamage on the action plates and rib. AW Gamage was a very high end Department Store in London in the 1800's thru the better part of the 20th century. Kirk Merrington looked the gun over, and said that it is a dead ringer for a Purdy of that vintage. I need to get the gun back to Kirk, as it has begun "doubling" if both hammers are cocked. Funny, I have taken very few photos of this gun, maybe ill pluck it from the case this evening and take a few. Even with the diminutive 2 1/2" RST's, the gun is a death ray for doves. I shot a limit of Snipe with the gun this year, and it is my "go to" Quail gun along with my little Mark DeHaan .410.

Thanks Mark - I can't wait to see more pictures.





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I just cannot imagine why the "peanut gallery" is not clamoring for more info on the 12 bore Husky model 20, 12bore in the first pic, with the beautiful mirror finish polish job on the action, and the gorgeous sanded down wood!

Got that beauty in a Laredo Pawnshop for $100!!!! It is butt ugly, but a hoot to shoot!

I am such a terrible gun photographer!! I wish I could take a clinic from Bruce Day. Here are a few pics, including one next o a 1 frame DH, to give some scale.. it is a sweet little gun!

Very nice, a unique gun in a classic style that you can actually shoot well enough to make it a regular grab. That doesn't always happen. I like the Dehaan guns as well.

Bruce shared on the site the table on fps and patterns for 28 gauge compared to others. Speed kills and knowing ballistics performance of 28 gauges can see why you used the term death ray, its an accurate description of the gauge and obviously you got a fowling piece that gets it done. Dilly, Dilly and Tally-Ho.

A few more, oh, and 29” tubes, not 30

Those pictures are fine for my purposes Mark.

I'll send you the necessary info for my FFL guy in a PM.





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Dean, this is one of the few guns I own that I have had to “stiff-arm” guys I have hunted with over the last few years. In my fantasy life, I would peddle the gun for a graded, straight stocked 20 Parker, a straight stocked elsie .410. But........even then........I just dont know!

Back to the original thread theme....I love hunting with hammer guns, but most often I will shoot hammers when shooting from a blind or stand (read ducks and doves). Walking up behind dogs in our country, which is generally thick, and thorny and “cactusy”, and usually with two,other shooters in the flush squad, I generally just feel more comfortable dealing with a hammerless gun. Also, it has been my experience, that when shooting with “new guys” (which due to business entertainment, etc I hunt quail frequently with folks I dont know well), invariably someone sks to shoot my gun on a covey rise. Even after a quick primer on handling a hammer gun, issues occur. Twice in my adult hunting career, fellow hunters have “fanned” a hammer and sent an accidental discharge downrange. This happens, when looking at the pointing dog, while walking quickly over rough ground because th dog handler is urging them to “move up!”, they have thumb on hammer in anticipation. One stumble, and a hammer is fanned. Try to get out a few times a year by myself, with one dog, afoot, and shoot a few quail. Shoot! Those hammerless guns need love too!

I completely get that Mark. Who could fault your logic?! Safety is and always should be paramount.





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I think 99.9% of responsible hunters and gun owners will adamantly agree there is not a game animal out there that is worth an accidental shot that could hurt or kill someone, yet it still happens and mostly from slim minority of irresponsible or ignorant hunters and gun owners. I don't know the statistics but for shotgunning, quail hunting and turkey hunting have to be most dangerous. I think its rare to see deaths from hunting with shotguns and with all the mandatory hunter safety classes, but still. Quail hunting I can see how things happen so quickly and with people getting excited in the pursuit, but turkey hunting, I will never get that one.

Hammer guns just have a different technique and mindset to operate safely. My first gun that I got when 12 was a 20 ga H&R hammer single shot. Still have that gun, and have not shot it in over, heck I can't remember last time I shot it buts been decades. Probably because of a love hate relationship. The hammer was so stiff when I was a kid I was terrified that when pulling hammer back my thumb would slip and gun would go off. Or, if I pulled hammer back but did not shoot and had to release hammer, my thumb would slip. That model once gun was cocked you could not open action. I spent hours as kid working that hammer back and forth on an empty gun learning to mount the gun and pull hammer back at the same time.

Mark your 28ga hammer gun looks a lot like my W.R. Pape 28 hammer gun. Eric Eis, Mike Smith and myself just returned from a Quail hunt in Georgia where we spent a morning with just hammer guns. Mike and I had 28's while Eric's gun was a 20. A report on our excellent adventure will appear seperately:)

My vertfirst gun was an Iver Johnson Cycle Works .410 hammer. It had been my great grandfathers, and passed down the line to me. By the time i got it, it had had many homemade repairs, including my dad’s homemade mainspring craftes from an acme jaw trap spring. That sucker was STRONG. And an additional issue was that the hammer spur checking was worn smooth. When i first got the gun, it took both thumbs to cock the gun!! The gun was marked for 2 1/2” shells only, but I must have shot 2,000 rounds of 3” shells out of that gun! I always had to be equipped with my “barlow” knife to pry the hulls out.