Daniel, I can tell you understand what I'm trying to say. A gun becomes special for what you and it go through together and the privilege you have in carrying it. Craig's reference is a good example as is the way Phil regards his Stevens.

Can you share a photo of one of those 5 grouse guns? I'd love to see one.

Garry the weird thing about the hunt with the AH Parker was I was by myself in one of the slow blinds in our marsh. My partner couldn't hunt so it was just me and Lucy my lab. Just before dawn a pair of mallards came overhead and I killed the drake with one shot, Lucy retrieved the duck a ways back in the cattails . A couple of minutes later 50 mallards were over my pond and I killed a drake. Lucy made short work of that duck. A couple of minutes later another 50 mallards and blacks are over my pond, I killed two drakes with two shots. I line up Lucy for the retrieve and she keeps looking off line from the two mallards I have marked. Lucy goes left on my back command and she would not take a whistle. Lucy swims around the corner of the pond and picks up a big black duck drake (always believe your dog!) a willy I had not seen. After she picks up the black the two mallards were retrieved. I was done before 7am and back at the landing before 7:30am. For an old duck hunter it doesn't get any better.

My experience duck hunting is very limited, and even more limited with a good retriever. I love to watch a good, well trained dog do its thing. I would have paid to watch your lab on the morning you describe. To have a special gun to complete the gun-bird-dog triumvirate is something to remember. Hunting with a good friend is great. Hunting alone with your dog is equally so. What a nice memory.

What a great post Garry. You're suffering from a Truly First World problem, good for you! Other truly first world problems include dropping your cell phone in the hot tub, the 911 getting a flat, and your Leica has a light leak. I can't shoot all my pieces, but my Ithaca single shot 20g lever action with buck barrel has not been shot in 40 years. It took my first woodcock, first grouse, first squirrel and first cardinal on my neighbors bird feeder (that didn't go so well). I will never sell her. I'd dig her out for a photo but it's nothing to look at : )

Garry one is in my avatar, a 20 ga. repro q1&2, an a grade fox 16 choked cylinder and improve, a Sterlingworth 16 imp. &mod., Parker 1 frame 12 imp&mod.and a Baretta 20 imp.&mod. Now that i think of it there may be a few more that will do the job but are rarely called on. As far as photos i was going to say that you could put me in the category of a well known poster on this forum but i did post one of my Remington hammer gun 4 years ago and of some just hatched woodcock and have yet to catch on to the method.

I like your avatar very much.

Andy, my wife often asks, "What's your problem?" Now I know and will tell her. I'll not explain it, though. Not in my best interests. And if you ever meet her (BTW, she is of Italian descent, and I'm sure you both would have lots in common -- especially cooking), don't bring this up.:)

If you're ever out this way, bring your Ithaca. You can shoot deer from my deck.

Thank you for the invite Garry! Hope to meet you (and your wife of superior ethnic origins...) :) I'm hoping our 13 year old daughter will use the Ithaca someday for a deer, she's waiting on a new 20g youth gas gun now to lighten the recoil for skeet and sporting clays. Out of three kids she's the only one with interest, so who knows if she'll end up with a pile of Parkers someday.

" One is a 10ga AH Parker show gun that I killed 4 drake mallards and one black on my first hunt with the gun with 4 shots, 5 ducks."

Craig, at first I read your post and the thing that popped into my twisted mind was that this was a blend of an AH Fox and a Parker Bros!! Then the proper synapses fired and I realized you had an A grade hammerless. :shock: :bowdown:

I have two firearms that I used a lot originally and haven't shot either in a loooong time. First is a Stevens (315 or 311, not sure which) in 16g that was my Pappy's go to bird and bunny gun. The only thing I did to that gun was add a recoil pad to give more LOP. Shot many a dove, bunny and rooster with that gun. The second is one I remembered I had from reading "I have this old gun..." in the March issue of American Rifleman. It's a Winchester 67A. Single shot bolt .22LR that also was my Pappy's go to chuck gun. He's walk the perimeter of the farm every evening, spring-summer-fall with that old rifle. I guess I have to take at least one chuck with it this year so it doesn't feel lonely.