The 'mold was broken' when Nash passed on to that big Beaver he loved so well back in March 1971. There are many gentleman sportsmen with the Southern gentility, inbreed good manners and safe gun handling habits extant even today- perhaps even a few members of this most august group-- BUT- taking a heavy 32" Full choked Fox HE 12 and smashing 98/100 skeet targets in 1928- the first time ever on a skeet field- that is, as they say- a "whole nother ball game indeed".
As Nash is my shotgunning hero (along with Paul A. Curtis, Ray P. Holland and Herb Parsons) I hearken back to his fine article "The Dove": F&S magazine Jan 1947 issue- "You've about had all the thrills possible when you blot out an almost overhead 50 yard dove and see your bird, well patterned, crumple."
That was written one year (almost) before he lost his prized Bo Whoop Fox HE, and about 15 years before his cataract eye surgery that diminished his ability to pick up incoming and long range targets. Except for possibly Fred Kimble, I doubt if we will ever see long range shooting on game birds like those two gentlemen of another era did- and with tight Full Chokes.
I would use spreaders, rather than destroy the old factory barrel boring masters' original chokes in fine doubles. To alter a Parker or any other fine double gun by cutting off the muzzles to "open the chokes" is a travesty- instead find one that is stocked and choked- barrel length, gauge, etc- non-withstanding.
I also must remember, that at age 70- like another of my "heroes": Gen. Chuck Yeager- I have been blessed with 20-15 distance vision, and can shoot from either shoulder (rifle) and have perfect depth perception. Maybe not quite like that of the late Ted "The Splendid Splinter" Williams, but I can see all the feet, colors and wing details of incoming or passing geese- and the best sounds from a successful foray for "dem ol' webfeets"- the thump of a big dead one hitting the deck- graveyard daid""__
I have a 2E 12 Smith with 32" Nitro barrels and factory ventilated rib (circa 1927 for the barrel retrofit at Fulton) and both tubes are choked tighter than Dick's hatband- I am not a clays shooter per se- but did find for a clays "pigeon ring" event, where a piece of colored masking tape is affixed to the clay disc) a RST or Polywad spreader worked fine for the right tube (front trigger) I have also shot many many geese and later season mallard with this shotgun, I use RST non-tox and it drops them like good money in a floating crap game-
