8-gauge and Spiller's Parker articles
 

Those who take Sporting Classics will find (two) great reads in the current Autumn Guns & Hunting Issue. :bowdown:

First one is the article titled Eight is Enough by Worth Matthewson that covers history and lore of the 8-gauge and info on present day waterfowl hunting with one in Scotland. Second article of interest is Burt Spiller's Parker by Tom Keer that includes a 1-1/2 page picture of Morris holding Burt's VH 20.

Both articles are copyrighted; please don’t ask me for photocopies or scans if you’re not a subscriber to the SC mag or can't find this issue at a bookseller. :nono:

I was pleased to see (and read) the articles. Great to see "The Old Reliable" featured.

Burt's VH 20 sure has seen some publicity. It's a neat little gun that Morris was gracious enough to give me a few boxes of his special loads to shoot on the course at Pintail Point in 2008 or '09. I shot my best ever score at SC with that gun that day... I think that gun still had Burt's spirit in it.

I was at the auction at Cobbs in New Hampshire when Bill Tapply auctioned it... it was coming home with me!! I was certain of it, so much so that I had $8k in my pocket to buy a $2500 gun - maybe $3500 or $4k considering the provenance. Boy was I shocked when it hammered at something like $10,500

Austin Hogan wrote a nice article for Parker Pages for the issue following the auction.

Dave Suponski and I went to Spiller's grave site and toured some of his shooting grounds.

On the day we visited the grave site we learned of another higher grade Parker Burt owned and loved but was never written about and unfortunately the details of that gun may never come to light. I've been told there is a pending court case concerning rightful ownership of Burt's legacy and personal property.

Anyway...



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Neat "stuff," Dean. Thanks for posting those photos.

Of stonewalls and abandoned orchards a turn of words that have taken so many along.

Dean
Thanks for those photos! A touchstone Parker if there ever was. I would have a hard time following the bell in your neck of the woods, I would be hoping to hear Mark!

Which issue? I have September October and the stories are not in that issue? Thanks

As posted, it's the current Autumn Guns & Hunting issue. It came in the mail yesterday. I assume all subscribers get it; on the other hand I've taken the SC mag for > 20 years now and maybe it's just sent to long term subscribers?

Okay I assume the guy in the pictures with the cigar is Morris Baker ?

Is the guy in the picture in the red black plaid shirt William Tappley ?

I also "assume" the lady holding the bottle of champagne is your wife ?

Right, Morris has the cigar.
The guy in the red/black plaid shirt is Austin Hogan, probably the best editor ever of Parker Pages.

And yes, that is my wife Kathy.



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Your wife shoots also ? I see she's wearing a shell pouch .

I've never been big about buying guns with big provenance basically from the fact I didn't want to pay the price .

I did when I was 16ish want to buy what was supposed to be one of the three Jack O'Conner Al Biesen 270's as it was for sale on Shotgun News back then for the unattainable(for me) sum of if memory serves of $1800 . That woulda been back about 75-77 I believe .