The big gun is ready.....

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I'd been doing a little trap shooting with the Swamp Angel over the summer and happened to notice when I got home one evening that the tang screws were worked loose a bit. I broke out my best screwdrivers and went to running them back in needless to say. Well the front top tang screw went back in nearly a full turn too far and like to scared me to death. The only time I've ever had this happen was with a gun that I later found out had a badly cracked stock head.

I wrung my hands over it a few days and then emailed Brian Dudley. I figured he was super backed up and he was, but he said send her on and he'd take a look. I shipped the action a few days later and he got into it post haste. Thankfully the report wasn't as scary as I feared, apparently the wood had shrunk away from the metal a bit under the tangs and somebody (years ago) had put paper under them. Well the paper had turned to dust finally and they were going back down again. He filled in the slots, cleaned the action, even waxed the stock for me, and sent her back in fine shape.

Trap shooting continued and and then I noticed the ivory front bead had apparently disintegrated. It was badly crazed so I knew this was coming, thankfully I had several new old stock ones on hand. My friend Karl took that job under his wing and I just got the barrels back this afternoon.

Duck season opens in Ontario two Saturdays from now, I guess I'm ready......

[Thomas L. Benson Sr.]

Destry: It sounds like Brian came in pretty handy and on short notice too. Thomas

[Mike Franzen]

What exactly is the "big gun"? Would like to see pics.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Brian did me a real favor looking into it on short notice like that, I appreciated it a lot.

The Swamp Angel is a DHE 12 gauge with 34 inch barrels, straight stock, on a #3 frame. I don't think I've got any pictures that show the old girl very well. Will try to take some if we get into the ducks in a couple weeks.


Destry

[Mike Franzen]

Now that's a water fowler! What is it chambered for?

[charlie cleveland]

sounds like destrey and the swamp angel are in good shape now for the up coming waterfowl season...we should hear some good stories this year...we know now who to call on if our favorite gun breaks down...thanks brian...i love the name of that big gun..SWAMP ANGEL......charlie

[Destry L. Hoffard]

It will take 3 inch shells but the recoil is devastating, and that's from a man who doesn't let a little gun kick bother him. I stick with the heavy 2 3/4 loads and she digests them just fine.

DLH

[Richard Flanders]

I have a few pics of Destrys wonderful gun but they don't show enough of it to be helpful. I can tell you it's a great gun that swings well whether you like it or not and really reaches out there. This pic from 2007 shows how long the bbls are and my best kill with it.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I still remember that duck! The biggest whitest most fantastic bull canvasback I've ever seen shot. And I've seen a few get killed over the years......

We also came pretty close to taking a swim that unexpectedly windy morning as I recall. A good time was had by all, well other than the ducks I suppose.

DLH

P.S. I'm hoping the old girl sees some action this Sunday afternoon. Heading across the border for an evening hunt.

[charlie cleveland]

don t fall in like i did last year...good luck on the hunt...man them are some long barrels on that swamp angel....charlie

[Destry L. Hoffard]

If we'd have taken a swim that day it might have been our last one. Wind kicked up (very unexpectedly) as we were crossing Lake St. Clair. We were closer to our destination than we were from the dock so we kept going. Just as we started to get close we took a big roller over the front of the boat and about half filled it up. Thankfully we'd just broken from 6 feet of water to about 2 feet and were able to get it on into the shallows to bail it out.

I saw something that day I'd not seen happen before. I shot at a crippled canvasback that was sitting right in the decoys. The wind literally blew my shot pattern about two feet to the right of the duck. I had to literally lead the stationary bird a couple feet to the left so I could hit it.

Richard and I were shooting Kent TM and were still managing to kill ducks pretty well despite the wind. Nathan was shooting steel and I don't think killed one till the breeze finally calmed a bit a couple hours into the morning. The wind was completely blowing his lighter steel shot pattern away.


If I've told this story before please pardon me, It's a good one and I think of that morning often.


DLH

[Richard Flanders]

I remember that trip well also. That trip back to the docks was pretty iffy and if I remember right I was so cold I likely wouldn't have noticed if we had sunk! And I remember well your shot getting blown off by the wind. Never seen that before or since.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

The wind had eased up a little bit by the time we headed back but it was still plenty sporty. If it hadn't we would have just had to sit out there till it did I guess. It was plenty chilly, I ran out of coffee before noon.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I've hunted that lake probably hundreds of times, but there aren't maybe half a dozen hunts that often come to mind. That's one of them.....

[Mike Franzen]

Are there any issues taking the gun into or out of canada?

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Going into Canada you have to stop at the border, fill out a form, and give them $25 bucks. Once in awhile they'll come out and actually look at the gun. At the smaller crossings, mostly you just go inside, do the paperwork, and walk out. At the bigger crossings like Windsor they usually come out and look at them. The permit is good for 60 days. Some years, when I hunt over there a lot, I have to buy the damn thing three times.

If you're taking the gun out of the country for the first time you have to stop on the American side and get a little form. Essentially they're checking to see if the serial number is listed as stolen, that's the only reason for it. There's no charge and once you've got one it's good as long as you still own the gun.


DLH

[John Dallas]

Destry - It may be worth your time to get a Canadian Possession and Acquisition license. Good for 3 years I believe. Much cleaner process. Basically, you waste a Saturday taking a mostly useless class in Windsor, and then get your certificate

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Yeah, I took that class actually, but never got around to applying for the actual permit. It was in the couple years where Nathan wasn't hunting and I was only going over a few times a season. I wonder if I've still got the graduation certificate around somewhere.....

Destry