Opinions, please.

[Hammer Gun]

Interesting discusion fellows, I am not a shooter but a collector, but will give my opinion on the subject, The gun used in competition should be as originally configured at Parker, Gary

[C grade]

There are some excellent competitive shooters in our vintage SXS world. It seems most of them shoot heavy, long barreled 12 ga guns . I greatly respect and admire these shooters and enjoy watching them break targets. I do not necessarily want to shoot against them in sub gage events by allowing them to temporarily insert a "gage mate" in their 12 gage and have an unfair advantage . This is an amateur sport and I do not want to see it dominated by the pros. I have a good friend that is deadly with his long barreled 12, but I can kick his ass in 20ga and 28ga and greatly enjoy doing so! The light small gage guns are a different game and I want to keep it that way. JMHO
David

[DoubleDown]

Lots of great comments here, but after reading David's last post, it highlights the unfair advantage I was looking for. I too travel to these events with sometimes 9 or 10 guns in tow, and switching between them does often affect my shooting. Going from a heavy long barreled 12 to a light and whippy 20ga is much different than shooting the same heavy gun with gauge mates. I can see where this would give the competitive shooter who practices repetition with the same gun an unfair advantage in one of these events.

I do agree though that two barrel sets, or guns that have been re-barreld or permanently re-chambered to a different guage should also be allowed to compete.

Mike

[Dean Romig]

Ditto Mike's comments.

[John Truitt]

Thanks Mike,

That's what I was looking for.

I totally agree about tube sets and the like.

I like to restore/ resurrect guns that otherwise were deemed junkers.

This usually involved monblocking a gun. I have enough 12 gauges so I have moved on to subgauges.

My current thought for a project will be a set of 34" 20 gauges barrels for my C grade hammer gun.

The 34" 28 ga and 410 are already in the works.

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by John Truitt

Dean,

I don't know how you regulate/ enforce the rules. But those guns are out there and being used. Ask Pete Lester. He had to compete against a very good shooter using a British 10 ga rechambered to 12 ga.( I am sorry I cannot find his thread. He mentions the gun and shooter with respect and no complaints. I am using this as a reference that the guns are out there in vintage shoots)

You have a good memory John. That was a couple of years ago. It was a british double gun with 10ga bores and 12ga chambers. I think was I using my GHE Skeet that day or possibly a favored VH, both 12's, either way I was not out gunned that day I was just plain out shot. The winning shooter was Mal MacGregor and when he is on his game it doesn't matter what he is shooting.

[John Truitt]

I would like to hear from Pete Lester if he would be willing to respond.

He made reference to a competition up north where a shooter was using a british 10 bore that was rechambered to a 12 ga. I think he even included some pictures at the time.

I would greatly appreciate his opinion and inputs on this topic.


Again thanks for all the opinions and thoughts guys.

Thanks Pete I wasn't fast enough on the key board.

[J.B. Books]

John, Mal often shoots a Purdey hammer pigeon gun with very tight chokes. On the skeet field he consistently breaks 24 and 25's. He prefers full choke for both skeet and sporting clays. That day was the first time he used that gun and he broke a 95x100 if I remember correctly. I was runner up with an 83 I think. All targets were within the range of a skeet choke, if anyone had a handicap it was Mal. He is a gifted shooter and nice guy to share a beer and pizza with after the shoot.

I am a firm believer it is hard to handicap a good shooter. Back in the 90's when hand fed traps were still prevalent in ATA trap shooting, the old Winchester traps were set in the 2 hole for soft angles. The ATA made a rule one year for 3 hole targets with the idea it would help even the competition. Singles and Handicap, nothing changed, the leader board was still filled with same usual names with the same great scores.

To digress a bit. Back in the 70's there was a Can-Am sponsored moto cross racer named Jimmy Ellis. I was at a motocross track in Maine and he was there. They put Jimmy 100 yards behind the starting line of the 250cc Pro class, facing backwards with a dead engine. He still managed to catch the field and win the race.

It's hard to beat God given talent whether it's in shotgun sports or racing.

[C grade]

I agree that a gun that has been re-barreled, sleeved, or a new barrel fitted to the gun is fine as long as that barrel is true to the gage event. I do not think gluing new chambers to reduce the gage is "cricket". This is a fun game and no one wants "gage police ,just honor among shooters. I know it is being done but not so it is currently a problem. We all know the rule is out there and if we chose to skirt it that is an individual choice. If I see someone with gage mates etc I will just not shoot with them. If a new event comes up in 2014 that allows that I would have to decide to participate or not-probably not
David

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

The winning shooter was Mal MacGregor and when he is on his game it doesn't matter what he is shooting.

.....or who he is shooting against!