Charlie Hunters Big Gun returns to the Old Dominion

[CraigThompson]

Mr. Hall and I drove up to Easton MD today to pick up the 8 gauge I bought in their auction last week . Got up there before the pre arranged time but the auction company was very accommodating and quick . We then visited Albright’s looked around a bit then crossed the street to the Tidewater Inn for lunch . After lunch we shot Schraders . Very nice place ! Took awhile to get home but all’s well . Cleaned up most of the surface rust on the old gun and put on some metal protectant . The gun seems ready to go now !

[David Noble]

Craig, Looks like you’ll be having some fun with that! Is it built on a 7 frame? What does it weigh in at?

[CraigThompson]

Craig, Looks like you’ll be having some fun with that! Is it built on a 7 frame? What does it weigh in at?

Yes a 7 frame , the letter says 16 pounds but I’ve not weighed it. It is however heaved then my other 7 frame and that ones 14 pounds .

[Matt Buckley]

I'd want a man servant to haul that gun out to the duck blind for me. That gun would be a lot of fun in the turkey woods if it's legal in your state.

[Garry L Gordon]

I guess I'm glad 8s are not legal in Missouri. With the nice 8s I've seen come up for sale lately, I console myself that I'm saving money.

Craig, I'm sure you'll put that nice gun to good use. Pictures forthcoming I assume.:whistle:

[CraigThompson]

I guess I'm glad 8s are not legal in Missouri. With the nice 8s I've seen come up for sale lately, I console myself that I'm saving money.

Craig, I'm sure you'll put that nice gun to good use. Pictures forthcoming I assume.:whistle:

I feel the need to take a group picture of all three

[Stan Hillis]

Everett Hitch would like that gun .......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIXzzhpx8n4

[John Davis]

I make it a rule not to shoot guns that are bigger than me. Congrats on a great find.

[Craig Larter]

Very nice looking gun. 16 pounds has to put it in the heaviest heavy weight class. Congratulations and no need to renew your gym membership, just carry that beast around the shop for 30 minutes a day.

[charlie cleveland]

what does the barrels weigh little over 10 lbs is the heaviest I know of...what is the chamber length..and of corase the weight....charlie

[CraigThompson]

I make it a rule not to shoot guns that are bigger than me. Congrats on a great find.

I wanna carry that cannon and a 12 gauge to Prospect Hall tommorrow for the tower shoot but I don’t really feel like pushing a gun cart around the circle , because there’s certainly no way I’m carrying both guns and ammunition etc .

[CraigThompson]

Un struck weight is 11 pounds 5 ounces . I believe the letter said 3 1/2” chambers .

[CraigThompson]

A group photo of the three big guns .

[charlie cleveland]

I believe these barrels are the heavest I have seen todate..this gun could shoot 2 1/2 ounce to3 ounce loads no problem....charlie

[Kevin McCormack]

Just out of sheer curiosity - who is / was Charlie Hunter?

[CraigThompson]

Just out of sheer curiosity - who is / was Charlie Hunter?

To be honest not anyone of importance as far as Parker provenance is concerned. But the person that used to posses this gun as well as all the ones that sold yesterday in Mt Crawford .

[Mike Franzen]

Nice gun Craig. What’s the story on Charlie Hunter?

[CraigThompson]

Nice gun Craig. What’s the story on Charlie Hunter?

It’s “my under standing” he had a fair amount to do with the Shennendale Gun Club getting to where it is now but back 35 years ago , he also was big in DU or so I was told . He and his wife had/have a museum in Staunton VA and quite an accumulation of stuff .

[Bill Murphy]

Craig, how close are you to getting a PGCA letter on that great gun? I can't wait to see what the first owner had in mind for a gun with 11 pound, 5 ounce barrels. I know that my first eight gauge Parker hammer gun had a punt swivel in place of the forend when I first took it home. I later replaced the punt fitting with a real Parker forend. It was a Tryon gun that never got farther from the Tryon store than the shore of the Susquehanna River, near where I found it. Some of these big guns never got far from their original place of purchase.

[CraigThompson]

Craig, how close are you to getting a PGCA letter on that great gun? I can't wait to see what the first owner had in mind for a gun with 11 pound, 5 ounce barrels. I know that my first eight gauge Parker hammer gun had a punt swivel in place of the forend when I first took it home. I later replaced the punt fitting with a real Parker forend. It was a Tryon gun that never got farther from the Tryon store than the shore of the Susquehanna River, near where I found it. Some of these big guns never got far from their original place of purchase.

I got the letter from the Chuckster a few days before the auction . Well as I can remmember the gun initially went to Kansas City . Wasn't any mention about much else if my memory serves .

[Don Ay]

Just out of sheer curiosity - who is / was Charlie Hunter?

I would say he was more focused on decoy collecting.
His collection of some fine examples was just sold along with the the subject gun at Guyette's fall sale in Easton.
He had some very nice Eastern Shore of Va. birds, a Eli Doughty Goose of his sold for $96,000

[CraigThompson]

I would say he was more focused on decoy collecting.
His collection of some fine examples was just sold along with the the subject gun at Guyette's fall sale in Easton.
He had some very nice Eastern Shore of Va. birds, a Eli Doughty Goose of his sold for $96,000

I sat in the gallery and watched the first 45 or so items . There were two goose decoys made by someone in Wisconsin I believe it was and the two combined brought $250,000 before premium . I'm no decoy collector so this is all foriegn to me but I thought quarter mill for two hunks of floating wood was eye opening :eek:

[CraigThompson]

Some of these big guns never got far from their original place of purchase.

My first 8 seven frame was purchased from a member in the southwest and I believe I was told he got it from someone in the state of NY don't remmember where the letter said it went intially .

My hammerless was initially shipped to a wood company in the panhandle of Florida with specifications for it to pattern buckshot well . I bought that gun from a dealer in Indianna or Illinois forget which .

The Charlie Hunter gun as stated earlier I believe the letter said Kansas City and then at ome point Staunton VA . Now it's in central VA .

[David Noble]

Craig, did you ever get to weigh the big gun to affirm it's 16 lbs?

[CraigThompson]

Craig, did you ever get to weigh the big gun to affirm it's 16 lbs?

Not yet :whistle: But I promise it’s on my to do list . I don’t have a digital scale at the house , but we have one at the shop . To be honest it hasn’t been out the house since the day I brought it home .

[Bill Murphy]

Craig, Charlie's home was in Staunton, VA.

[CraigThompson]

Craig, Charlie's home was in Staunton, VA.

It’s my understanding he had several . But if I remmember what I was told correctly he grew up in Staunton - Augusta county Virginia. Also if I’m not mistaken had a restored plantation type deal on the Mattaponi River down in the I think Wakefield VA area . I suspect this gun hung on the wall there , but I honestly don’t know .

[Craig Larter]

Here is a link to the decoy auction recap with pictures of the top lots.
https://guyetteanddeeter.com/archive-pages/2021/n21.php

[Mills Morrison]

Wow!

[CraigThompson]

Wow!

Oh yeah those two goose decoys that brought the second and third highest prices really opened my eyes . Kinda made me think I’d wasted my time driving up there , as far as actually buying anything was concerned .

[Craig Larter]

And we think Parkers are pricey.

[CraigThompson]

Put the old gun on my bathroom spring scale and it’s right on 16 pounds . But exactness I’m not so sure about could be a few ounces plus or minus . If I can remmember I’ll bring my small postal scale from the shop home and weigh it in the three component parts for hopefully a more exact weight .

[CraigThompson]

Brought the digital mail scale home from the shop today . Had to weigh the gun in pieces . Got 10 pounds 9 ounces for just the barrels , got 7 ounces for just the forend and the stock/action weighed 4 pounds 14 ounces . So total weight comes in at 15 pounds 14 ounces , just two ounces shy of 16 pounds .

[Keith Sirmans]

This is such a great thread! I may have 8 gauge fever now

[CraigThompson]

This is such a great thread! I may have 8 gauge fever now

Don’t do it the damn things multiply :rotf: I first bought an 8 hammer from a member here . Then I got a PH 8 from a shop in the Midwest . So I’m
Thinking I have a hammer and a hammerless so don’t need anymore . Well then the one this threads about popped up and then a DH 8 literally in the last month . Turns into almost a sickness !

[Mills Morrison]

When I bought my 8 I thought it would lead to my getting more. So far that has not happened. Kind of amazed actually

[Milton C Starr]

This is such a great thread! I may have 8 gauge fever now

The fun factor really goes up when the gauge size gets in the single digits haha.
I find myself shooting my 8 gauge more than any other shotgun I have. The recoil isnt what you would expect and its really just a slow push. I cant convince anyone else to give it a try though they see the shells and decline. Probably doesnt help when you show them a 10 ga shell fits inside a 8 gauge shell :rotf: I hope in the future I can get a few more, I got 18 loads I plan to pattern for mine this weekend.

[Keith Sirmans]

The fun factor really goes up when the gauge size gets in the single digits haha.
I find myself shooting my 8 gauge more than any other shotgun I have. The recoil isnt what you would expect and its really just a slow push. I cant convince anyone else to give it a try though they see the shells and decline. Probably doesnt help when you show them a 10 ga shell fits inside a 8 gauge shell :rotf: I hope in the future I can get a few more, I got 18 loads I plan to pattern for mine this weekend.

Well if you are ever in South Ga bring it with ya and I will bring some cash for a few shells. I would love to shoot it!

[Milton C Starr]

Well if you are ever in South Ga bring it with ya and I will bring some cash for a few shells. I would love to shoot it!

Im about 2hrs west of you I think, if you ever feel like driving over to the mayhaw shooting range I will give you a few shells to fire off. I think the problem most people have with the big guns is not the recoil but trying to hold them on target because of the weight. A couple years of carrying bundles of asphalt shingles on my shoulders the 8 gauges feel pretty nimble:rotf:

[Keith Sirmans]

Deal!

[Bill Murphy]

I spent many years trying to break my back, but that's over now. My 30" DH eight weighs just ten pounds, less than my skeet gun. If I had to give up my eights, that lightweight would be the last to go.

[charlie cleveland]

bill that's got to be the lightest 8 ga on this planet....they put a lot of thought into making the gun so light...charlie