The gun that started me down the road to ruin

[Harold Lee Pickens]

This is my VH 16 1 frame, that was my first Parker. I bought it around 1986-87. It has 28" barrels that were M/F , but back in the day I had Jerry Andrews open it up to IC/IC, no real regrets about that--I prefer open chokes, and this was bought to be my grouse gun. A Sterly 16 soon joined it. I use both now mainly for pheasant. It took 3 shots today for 2 birds--I hit the 2nd bird on the first shot, but put the 2nd barrel into him,as I don't hit him well on he first shot. Killed one over Fancy, and the second over Betty, hunting them as a brace.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Fancy and Betty

[Gerald McPherson]

Two pretty girls for sure. Does that riser do the job for you. I have a leather lace on one on a Gh that sure made a big difference. I was about to give up and pass that thing on. 1/4 of an inch is a lot on a comb I guess. Gerald

[Harold Lee Pickens]

I usually try to hunt with all my 16's during pheasant season so now will have to carry:
GH 16 O frame Damascus
DHE 16 O frame
Quality O, O frame hammer gun
Fox A 16
Sterlingworth Deluxe 16
Sterlingworth 16
Lefever G 16 Damascus
Ithaca 4E 16
and the red-headed stepchild, Rizzini 600 16 OU, with double triggers

[Brett Hoop]

Harold...AKA... Grouse Hunting Hero

Thank you for the post. Very helpful as an example to my wife of why only 3 Parker 16ga guns just does not get it done. She did ask, "what about all those others with smaller pipes." She is hard to keep on specific topic of discussion.

[allen newell]

we grew up with 16 ga Parkers. Still have my grandfathers/dad's 16 VH. Sweet guns they are

[Harold Lee Pickens]

GH 16 O frame got the call today. 2 shots , 2 birds. The barrels had been cut to 27", but it's a great shooter.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Woke up this morning to a pouring rain that was supposed to last all day, so played the guitar, played with puppies, and then read a story in Gray's about a man who lived 10 months a year for the other 2--October and November. I said , hey, that sounds a lot like me, so I put a ladder stand up in the rain at the edge of my backyard, where a big 10 pt has been making rubs and scrapes. My back yard borders a farm where I have permission to hunt.
.
Checking the radar, I saw a 2 hr gap in the rain, so I loaded up Betty and Fancy. Took the rain gun, which is my VHE 20--if there is any finish left on this gun, I haven't seen it--and headed out to the sportsman's club I belong to--we own 4000+ acres, to hunt pheasants. Started to pour rain again as I drove out, but quit again just as I got there. I would be pushing chest high switch grass fields, and knew I was going to get plenty wet. The dogs were working a running bird, point-move-point- move, when it finally got up 25 yds in back of me, I pulled hard thru it and it dropped like a box of rocks. I was shooting 7/8 oz of 6's thru the little cyl/cyl 20. As I collected the bird, the rain came back with a vengeance, but I was ok with that, and made my way back to the truck. I'll be back out tomorrow with the little DHE 16, or maybe the Parker 16 hammer gun, for these are the months we live for.

[Dave Tatman]

Great story, Harold! It should inspire all of us, and remind us why others think us crazy, yet we see it as a perfectly normal pursuit of our passion.

Dave

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Froze my tail off today, brisk North winds and sleety snow. Didn't keep my buddy Terry and I out of the fields. We each took 2 birds(legal limit) over point, with 4shots, 4 birds. I was shooting my little DHE 16 O frame. It feels so dainty in the hands with its straight grip, and 26" cyl/mod barrels, and is 6lbs even-matching its letter. The oval on the stock says Jos. Gray, Atlanta, Ga, and was no doubt someone's cherished little quail gun.
Terry shot his 16 ga Fair Rizzini 900 OU, a beautiful gun, and look close cause it does have double triggers. I have a F. Rizzini 600 16 with double triggers.
Those pheasants and some grouse are in my smoker right now for some Thanksgiving hors douvres.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

more pics from today

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Quality O, 16 GA, O frame. Needed Betty's retrieveing skills on this one.