Grouse guns

[todd allen]

Well, after more than two decades sitting in the safe, I will be taking my little 20 gauge Trojan up into the Idaho grouse trails this fall.
Over the past 20 years or so of taking grouse up there, I have carried a Winchester M-97, a Model 21, and an H&H Royal SLE.
This year, there will be a couple of M-21s in camp, as well as a very nice Underlifter. I feel pretty strongly that the Trojan needs to be there.
If we could get National Geographic to send a photographer along, there might even be a Parker Pages moment.

[Dean Romig]

Those little 20 gauge Trojans are jewels! What length are the barrels, 26" or 28"?





.

[todd allen]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Those little 20 gauge Trojans are jewels! What length are the barrels, 26" or 28"?

.

Trojan number 228335 is a 28" BBLd gun. It's a sweet handling little gun, that's been neglected for far too many years, in deference to it's higher graded kin that it has shared safe space with for all these years. This gun deserves to go North this year to do what it was built for.

[James L. Martin]

I also have a 20ga Trojan 28" and everyone who see's it can't believe how good it looks and feels.

[mobirdhunter]

My 20 gauge Trojan also spends most days in the safe, and it's in nice enough original condition, I'm not sure that the grouse woods are the place for it. It has really tight chokes and 26 inch barrels, so I keep telling myself that I would never hit a grouse anyway. Logic is wasted in the face of the irrelevant (with apologies to Mr. McQuarrie).

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by todd allen

Trojan number 228335 is a 28" BBLd gun. It's a sweet handling little gun, that's been neglected for far too many years, in deference to it's higher graded kin that it has shared safe space with for all these years. This gun deserves to go North this year to do what it was built for.

I agree with you wholeheartedly! It needs to get out there and be allowed to 'do its stuff'...

Dave Suponski has a great little Trojan 20 with 28" barrels too and you should have seen him put the "smack down" on a quickly disappearing grouse. I couldn't believe he hit that bird (and others) as it disappeared over a knoll in the Vermont uplands... but when we got there it wasn't even twitching. A very pretty cock bird!





.

[Brett Hoop]

My grouse season began in February when I made a long straight through run up to northern Wisconsin to pick up Buzzy. Buzzy being a first generation merica born to English Setter immigrants. We formulated a plan on the 16 hour voyage home, the pup somehow made the white outs a little less tense. St. Pat's day John Nagel and I trolled the aisle of Baltimore where a Scotch Yankee had a long barreled DHE 20 ga. Gee ya think I can swing this thing in the Aspen John? Spring training started at Hunting Hills with the Ole Grouser himself Harold Pickens, and moved south to Drakes with Anderson, Eis, Smith &Co. Where I was out shot by a girl, Sara LaFever, that made me move over to Deep Creek and just look at guns for two days before Uncle Bob and his buddy Tom lured me back onto the course . A few weeks latter and the not to be missed Ribfest in the Endless Mountain's at Ernie's was the backdrop for more grouse gun practice. Here I did better. I couldn't say it was Ernie's scotch as some suggested, because that came latter honest. But Uncle Bob was chilled out on something because I witnessed him run a 47 all on camera because we had Paul Fuller filming and shooting with us. Humbled again I had nothing to loose and grabbed the speed gun a Parker GH Damascus in the process as we say, with Brian Dudley. Rough shaped and no trigger guard it was sure to illicit comment. Rich you really were missed, and missed a wonderful opportunity. Ohio SxS and I took it to the pattern board, where the drops proved out wonderfully and then I splattered my glasses with paint when repainting the board and couldn't get all of the paint off. The group of Edgar, Chuck, Allan and Longbarrel 28 Daryl and .410 Smitty were kind about my gun, I feel certain it was the first time they had shot with someone spotted with whitewash. And I shot a good for me number, where were you then Sara?
All my shooting was done with what my current view of what a grouse gun needs to be. All 0 frames, 28, 20,16 VH, GH and a DHE and all Parker Bros. made in Meriden.
It'll be me and Buzzy heading back up to Wisconsin mid October, to take another long gone man's Parker for a walk. Wishing everyone good luck in the King's court!

[Sara LeFever]

Originally Posted by Brett Hoop

and moved south to Drakes with Anderson, Eis, Smith &Co. Where I was out shot by a girl, Sara LaFever, that made me move over to Deep Creek and just look at guns for two days before Uncle Bob and his buddy Tom lured me back onto the course . A few weeks latter and the not to be missed Ribfest in the Endless Mountain's at Ernie's was the backdrop for more grouse gun practice. Here I did better. I couldn't say it was Ernie's scotch as some suggested, because that came latter honest. But Uncle Bob was chilled out on something because I witnessed him run a 47 all on camera because we had Paul Fuller filming and shooting with us. Humbled again I had nothing to loose and grabbed the speed gun a Parker GH Damascus in the process as we say, with Brian Dudley. Rough shaped and no trigger guard it was sure to illicit comment. Rich you really were missed, and missed a wonderful opportunity. Ohio SxS and I took it to the pattern board, where the drops proved out wonderfully and then I splattered my glasses with paint when repainting the board and couldn't get all of the paint off. The group of Edgar, Chuck, Allan and Longbarrel 28 Daryl and .410 Smitty were kind about my gun, I feel certain it was the first time they had shot with someone spotted with whitewash. And I shot a good for me number, where were you then Sara?

[Researcher]

I've tried in the past to explain to you easterners that this is a grouse gun --

Supershot Sealed Eight.jpg

but you just don't seem to be grasping the concept.

[Tom Flanigan]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

I've tried in the past to explain to you easterners that this is a grouse gun --

Attachment 65676

but you just don't seem to be grasping the concept.

That’s a Canadian grouse gun. My Saskatchewan French Canadian friends shot a lot of grouse by riding the wooded area roads in the evening and ground swatting them. They were in it for the meat and usually shot .410 shotguns, but a real purist would use a rifle or handgun. I rode with a pretty young lady one night for the heck of it. She whacked three that evening and I was cringing, especially when she steeped on the wings and pulled up on the legs to strip off the breasts. It was barbaric. Only the breasts were loaded into the car. Her mother told me she was brought up on eating grouse and never wanted to eat another. She was incredulous when I said I hunted them with my setter. She responded, “why would you do that? You can get all you want riding the roads in the evening”. I didn’t try to explain. It would have been lost on her. The folks up there are meat hunters, pure and simple. Most don’t have a lot of money and grouse on the table means lower food bills.

Most of the ducks and geese I shot each day went to the aboriginal people. I also left most of the moose and bear I killed with them, only taking about 75 lbs. home. The aboriginal’s loved to eat ducks and geese but they don’t shoot them because of the cost of shells. Each shell has to account for a lot of meat. They save their cartridges (mostly 30-30) for moose and deer. They loved me for the ducks and geese I gave them and became close friends. They would watch my setter for me when I was off hunting larger game. They gave me permission to hunt all tribal lands. I appreciated the gesture, but I could hunt anywhere up there. However, it was an honor and I was grateful. They are wonderful people.