[Steve Sanford]

All~

Thanks so much for all of the great information. I'm stopping by a friend's tomorrow to measure the chokes. (He's a "double" guy who has done it before and has the right calipers.) Might as well weigh the gun, too.

The story on the 28 is...amusing. When I was 13 or 14 (1966, 67), a friend of my Dad's stopped by with the gun one evening after dinner. I do not remember his name, but he owned the bowling alley around the corner. (I grew up on Long Island, in East Islip. Oscar's on Carleton Avenue was the bowling alley.) He came by it when some guy came into the bar and offered to sell him the gun for $25. One can only speculate about the "provenance" of this fine fowling piece but I would imagine the deal was quickly closed. In any event, the new owner lent it to us for the duck season. It was returned to him afterward and I have no idea where it wound up.

As I mentioned, I did shoot my first goose with it. We were hunting on the shore of Nicoll's Cove (on Great South Bay) with a duck rig on the water and a goose rig on land behind us. My Dad had left to get some coffee when 3 Canadas stooled right in. I had to shoot my bird 3 times to bring him to bag. My Dad, when he returned, was very excited for me and proud - but did ask why I hadn't grabbed his 12 gauge (Winchester Model 50) right next to me in the blind....

Interesting coincidence: Just today, while sorting through a bunch of vintage shotshells (also from my Dad), I gave a friend what I thought were a bunch of loose 20 gauge shells. His sharp-eyed son could read that they were, in fact, 28 gauge.

All the best,

SJS

Pencil Brook Farm
South Cambridge, NY