Blooding Another Parker

[mobirdhunter]

As I've posted before, I believe that the first shots you fire from a new-to-you gun are very special. All of my guns are purchased with hunting in mind and I try to make the first shot from them memorable. When game falls from that first shot, it's all that much more special as I feel I'm connecting with the history of the gun and its previous caretakers.

Yesterday dawned sunny with light winds and temperatures cool enough to be comfortable walking the fields of a farm that generally holds multiple coveys of quail and that I'd reserved for the blooding of a new gun. I'd been "saving" a BH 12 gauge for just such an occasion. It is an 1890s vintage gun, and, from the research letter, I've learned that it has had three sets of Parker barrels in its lifetime, including the current 30 inch fluid steel Remington era set. Built on a number 1 frame and weighing just 3 ounces over 7 pounds, and with nice, high dimensions that match my shooting style perfectly, I was sure the gun would pattern where I pointed.

To make the tale short, the gun took a double from over a covey point by Aspen on its first and second shots fired. I could not help but wonder about its original owner and the first shots he fired from this gun. The gun and its history, the chance to use it on wild birds pointed by a dog I trained -- still hunting here nearly 120 years after Parker's craftsmen and women created this gun -- made the day special.

I'd wager each of you who shoots a Parker, at game or clays, knows how much more special it is to use a gun with a past. I'm so grateful that we have the records (and the knowledge within this Association) that allow us to connect with the past through these wonderful examples of American history.

Photo Key:

1. The 1890s BH with the birds it took on this special day.
2. The moment of truth: a follow-up single pointed by Aspen that also fell to the BH. Although I normally do not try for doubles, and generally quit shooting after I've gotten a brace of birds, we indulged in some more shooting after the initial covey point. This covey was huge, having over 20 birds in it, so I know the few we took wouldn't hurt its chances for survival.
3. You know it's a red-letter day when the full moon shows you the way home, with tired dogs in the back of the truck and thoughts of long ago hunts from the history of a special gun to ponder on the long ride.