How many Vent rib guns made

[Mark Parela]

I am trying to find a vent rib gun that is choked for pigeon shooting. Tight and tighter. I can not believe I am going to state this, I have been a 21 man since I was a kid, my first real gun was a 21. Of course I didn't even know what I had until years later.
After shooting the 32" as of late I need a 30" pigeon gun. For the life of me I can not find one with tight chokes. I spoke to gent the other day and told me there were only about 500 ever made?? Is this going to be life long quest??

[John Truitt]

I cant believe I am going to say this but if you find a gun that matches all of your desires but is not tight enough in choke just send it to Briley and let them put thin walls in it.
I personally hate screw chokes and would much rather have fixed chokes but it might save you the agony of time until you find a gun that is perfect.

Best of luck. Hope you find what you are looking for.

[Mark Parela]

The guns I have found don't seem to have enough barrel thickness to choke. Sure many would want me hung by my tighty whiteys but I want to shoot not look at a gun. These old gems cry to be shot, not put on display for a circle jerk.

[John Truitt]

Box,

Alot of us here are shooters. So you are amoung friends.
Talk to Briley. They can put some in very thin barrels. You might be suprised. I think they can even make them fixed.

They put thin walls in my friends hammer gun that only had 5 thous in each tube.

Good luck.

[Dave Suponski]

I can't believe I'm saying this either. But if you really need to have more choke in a gun that otherwise suits you why not do it the way Parker did it at the factory. Find a gun with sufficiant wall thickness and have it backbored to your desired constriction. Oh my god I did say it....:rolleyes:

[Bill Murphy]

John, did you ever count the number of vent rib guns in the appendix of TPS?

[John Rutledge]

Box Birder, my 32 inch DHE has very tight chokes if you are interested in a 32. John Rutledge

[Mark Parela]

Find a gun with sufficiant wall thickness

That's easier said then done, I haven't had good luck so far. Will have a call into Briley today on a 30incher. Problem is the Kings Cup is right around the corner in Spain this year. I'd like to have a gun buttoned up by months end. If not I'll take a 2 barrel 21 28" and 30" choked tight and tighter.
Let's be real here there are not many guys doing what I am into, sure there's all this talk about pigeon guns, but at the end of the day how many gents shot pigeons compared to the amount of guns made. Over the years traveling all over many US pigeon guns were more open on that right barrel than the English guns.
There's 2 beliefs in shooting pigeons, slightly open choke in the first barrel to get more pellets in the bird, then there's the tight choke thinking either hit em or miss so your not chasing an erratic bird. But that is US shooting, when you get over seas it's a new ball game, no Barnabey trap, old school Parker type Plunger trap, topped with a faster flying bird, smaller ring. You see many US guys get over there and there like OH boy I'm out. You miss that first bird of the day you take a back seat for the day. Miss an out ain't a pretty game.
They did that here in the US there be very few shoots, sorta like the sporting clay guys crying about the low gun. So they give em the mounted gun, scores go up and everyone is happy. Drive 3 hours, miss the first bird and go home. LOL

[John Truitt]

Mr. Murphy,

I counted 377 listed in TPS. However I used to own one that is not listed and I know of two 34" vent rib guns not listed.
My guess would be somewhere between 500 to 750 vent rib guns total.

What do you think?

John

[Bill Murphy]

I don't have a clue. I'm not sure that vent ribs were reliably mentioned in the stock book era, post 1919. If they weren't reliably mentioned in the stock books, all bets are off. We have the stock book copies. We could do the research if we were allowed to do so.

[Paul Harm]

Find a tight choked 30" and glue a rib on. Brownells sells them. It could be taken of if you wanted. Also Mike Olean [ spelling ? ] can jug choke a gun. I've jug choked my own and it works very nice. Paul

[Mark Parela]

Forge,

Why would I ever in the world do a Rube Goldberg on a gun that is being used for shooting pigeons. As for Mike Orlean he sorta went down hill over these last few years. Unless it has to do with guitars.

[Dean Romig]

Mark, I've never heard a bad word anywhere about the quality of Mike's work.. in fact, I've heard and read nothing but praise for his work. he gets extremely busy at times and got some bad press about his lack of timely response but never about the quality of his work.

[Mark Parela]

I waited well over 15 months for a set of barrels, they came back to me like I sent them. I never said anything about his work, the problem with most gunsmiths is they might be very good at what they do. They just don't know how to run a business, along with they want to touch every job and never get any help.
I sent that same set of barrels to Nigel Teague, from the day they left my house I had them back in 20 days. Now that's service.

[Dean Romig]

I have read a couple of similar reports but that was quite some time ago and have read good reports lately.

I agree that is very poor service and should never happen to anyone.

[Mark Parela]

No matter how I sliced and diced I couldn't latch onto a pigeon gun. Believe me I tried just could find one tight enough. I would have loved to pack up a Parker for Madrid this september, maybe next year. So it will either come down to a Model 21 or a Perazzi but I just can not seem to enjoy those stacked barrels. Either way I can not think of a better week off shooting pigeons.
Plus I am bringing my 80 year old mother, she's up for a free trip but even to this day she hates the fact I enjoy guns and trapping.

[David Long]

21 Winchester all the way

[Mark Parela]

To me there is nothing as striking as a Vent rib SxS. My main pigeon gun has been a 2 barrel 21 30" F\F and the other has Teague choke tubes, 2 beavertails. I am sure I ruined a wonderful package that left the custom shop in 75 but when I need a more open choke Bada-bing I am in like Flynn. Hell you hit those Madrid rings with the wind blowing in your face you want a LM\LM gun. Now if I could just find that Parker set up.

[David Long]

Good Luck on the parker and the shoot

[Ed Blake]

You are taking your 80-year old mother to Spain for a pigeon shoot? You win the "Good Son" award. I usually just take my 84-year old mother to church and the local chinese buffet afterwards.

[jay shachter]

I have a BHE 32" Vent rib gun with double triggers, beavertail, straight stock choked .031/.040 and a DHE vent rib 32" factory monte carlo, splinter, single selective trigger choked .019/.034, both for sale. call me at 616 292 6240.

Jay Shachter

[Mark Parela]

Ed Mom is a tough bird, she'll tour the area for the week.


Jay we spoke on the phone a week ago, I emailed you just haven't seen anything come my way as of yet. Only interested in single trigger guns.

[Dean Romig]

Here ya go Mark. Just saw it on gunbrokerdotcom

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=235028174

[Mark Parela]

Whats up with that trigger on that gun. I hate getting into shade tree guns.

[Dean Romig]

Contact the seller... I have no idea.

[John Truitt]

that looks like a miller. either a single non selective or an early version that is selective but the selector is up on the saftey

[Ed Blake]

Nice gun.

[Bill Murphy]

It would be a first generation selective Miller. What "shade tree" aftermarket single triggers are you aware of, Boxbirder? Going to Europe to shoot twenty five dollar birds with a gun you bought last week with a Parker single trigger?? You're more of a gambler than I have ever met.

[Mark Parela]

You're more of a gambler than I have ever met

Nah I am taking a Model 21 again this fall, if I can get a little time with the 32" and find a 30" I am after then I will bring a Parker to the worlds next spring.

[Mark Parela]

Bill the reason why I brought up the "shade tree" trigger is from 2 experiences I have either owned or seen.

The first one was a gun that old Bill Wise located for me, a very late Linder Empire boxlock 20ga 32" single trigger. I made the trip up to the Vintagers and it was love at first sight, the trigger was a double converted to single.
You shot the first barrel then had to pull it again to set the trigger up for the second barrel. I bought that gun, dealt with that trigger for about 10 shots all while I was earning my wings as a shade tree gunsmith.

Upon inspecting the trigger there was a piece of flat stock metal in there that was used to replace the front trigger, it had to move back and forth to do the set the trigger deal. I sent it up to Turnbul for a Miller trigger. That gun has been all over the world, I guess I call it my South America bread and butter pigeon gun.

The other gun I came across a few months ago was a Parker 30 Vent trap gun with a single trigger. I made the trip out to a gun club and met the owner. He was so proud to tell me that his late uncle converted the trigger himself. OH BOY this guy must have been a craftsmen since he converted the safety to a selector also. When I looked at the trigger it had the same deal flat stock like the Daly to fill the front trigger. I shot the gun, a few times it had a hesitation. The old man then explains just tug on it harder, that's what you tell a hooker.

So when I use the term shade tree it's all in good fun. Here's another one that was brought to my attention. Couple of upgrades over the years LOL and some plastic work on the stock. I think you can own that one for 12grand:p
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/boxbirder/IMG_0814.jpg

[Bill Murphy]

If the gun you described with the home made trigger had a selector in the safety, it was probably a Miller, not a trigger made by the owner's father. The gunbroker DHE probably has a Miller trigger but it isn't marked as such, according to the seller. The trigger blade seems to have been contoured and shaped, probably removing the Miller logo in the process. It looks like a nice gun.

[Mark Parela]

You are taking your 80-year old mother to Spain for a pigeon shoot? You win the "Good Son" award. I usually just take my 84-year old mother to church and the local chinese buffet afterwards.

I took mom out for her Birthday today. All I can say is she is Da Bomb of a mom, she's helped me out so much over the years in my business I would have failed 4 times over. But her and I keep at it, she does her 3 days a week keeping my ass in the right direction. There's always that one day a week when she's says to me I wish your father was here to see what you built, I always have to reminder WE and the crew.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/boxbirder/BdayVette.jpg