I ain't goin' there boys.

John, when I miss station one high house I always shoot over it.

I do the same Dean, but we play by using the option on the first dropped target, and that sure seems frequent to 1high..Thank God grouse don't flush from a hemlock three feet behind and above (to often)

Where I hunt they do... but they don't fly straight away, rather, they fly away behind you putting any and all obstacles between themselves and the shooter.

My Perfect grouse gun
 

For the last couple of years my favorite grouse gun has been a Smith & Wesson SXS w/ 28" barrels ,chokes IC & Mod. At 6lbs it has done great near the Chain of Ponds in Maine. (18) birds for the season.....but who's counting ? :)

Ed, what gauge is your S&W?

20 gauge I had the stock bent slightly to cast off and installed a leather recoil pad

Ed, nice reference to Led Zepplin:bowdown:

Dean, You might have the perfect grouse gun, 12g a one frame 28" barrels ball grip grade 3 You will know shortly, Gary

Thanks Gary. According to the engraving it looks like a woodcock gun. :cool:

Rich,

I knew someone would figure that out sooner or later..... its reference to the fall and up coming bird season and of course Led Zepplin. ;)

Another Grouse gun is on it's way. The Big Brown Truck will deliver a grade 2 16ga hammer gun with a ball grip:bowdown:

Ed-I wonder how many of us are rock-n-roll fans. Zeplin along with the Stones are two of my favorites.

I'm in that group... my tastes run from the early fifties through more recent stuff, but my preference for recent rock is in the blues like Stevie Ray Vaughn and others. There were and are some very gifted artists in just about every musical genre though - like Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Lyle Lovett, Keb Mo, Stevie Nicks, Jimi Hendrix, Emmy-Lou Harris... For me the list goes on and on.

Keb Mo????????
IMHO the greatest gutiar player was Jimi Hendrix, then Eric Clapton

Whoa, Lets not forget the "father" of the electric guitar, Les Paul, Got one of his solid bodies down in the basement, Gary

I still recognize a Les Paul & Mary Ford recording... unmistakable.

Guys, if you enjoy Led Zepplin catch a show of Get The Led Out. They're a tribute Led Zepplin band. I've been to (6) shows in the last two years. They play studio versions of Zepplins songs. Absolutely fantastic. Check out their web site and play their demo.

Other way around......:rolleyes:

I agree. Just listen to Claptons "Unplugged Album".:) The cut "Signe' really shows his talent.

Did Clapton keep any of his shotguns or did he auction all of them? He had quite a collection of Best English guns until a couple of years ago.

I did not know that. Maybe he sold them to upgrade his collection to Parkers

He kept the DHE 20 I sold to him....:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

A lot of celebrities have sold off some guns recently not just Mr. Clapton. Steve Barnett had a couple of David McKay Brown round bodied 20's that belonged to Robert Redford. I doubt any of these gents needed the money it was just a matter of reducing the inventory, something I need to deal with also:whistle:

I wouldn't pay a premium for a gun belonging to either one of them:nono:

i like my gun to be light, quick handling and be pointing in the place were the bird is about to fly to.Any gun that you can hit grouse with is your best grouse gun.

I personally think there are TWO perfect Parker grouse guns !

The first being the 16 gauge Parker William Harnden Foster talked about in some of his stories .

The second would be Burton Spillers little Parker 20 gauge he gave to Tap Tappley !

They are not perfect because of the way they may or may not fit a person but rather from the history they both carry within !

Now the best grouse killing gun I personally ever owned was a POS Browning Citori Upland Special 16 gauge. Thing had 24" piped and english stock and typically I kept it choked with sylinder and improved cylinder . Late season i went with cylinder and modified .

Now if I were of the inclanation to hike the Blue Ridge again and had a decent setter I have three guns I would consider suitable for Grouse !

1. Westley Richards boxlock 12 gauge english stocked light IC and a bit tight modified

2. AH Fox A Grade 16 gauge 26" IC/M

3. Parker GH 16 gauge damascus 27" cut gun thats now light IC and light IC

Well there's maybe a 4th gun that I've not gotten to know to well yet !

A Philadelphia Fox Sterlingworth 20 gauge that belonged to Robert Montgomery (father of Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery) , this one is 28" modified and full .

i agree..the gun you can hit with gota be the best one.. charlie

I have a 16 ga. 0-frame hammer gun just like the one Foster wrote about and it is a great little grouse and woodcock gun.
Morris allowed me to shoot Spiller's 20 ga. at Pintail point and I shot my personal best SC score with it. It was like somebody better than I was directing my shots.

dean thats probab;y true i like the idea anyway.. charlie

In just a couple of weeks the perfect Grouse Guns will get to test their abilities. Gunner's Gun is up first (and will likely get the most field time) but the Parker line up is extensive. The Door Nock Parker a GH 0 frame Damascuss 16 will get it'd debut as will a GHE 16 damascuss that followed me home from the Southern. A little straight stocked DHE 20 with 26 inch bbls choked cyl and IC will get some time this fall as well. There are the 28's and the English guns as well. I hope there are enough Grouse for all these Grouse guns:whistle:

looks like i have the same problem as you have with which gun to use hunting only differance i have no grouse..whoa on me... i listen very well when you fellas tell of the hunts... charlie

I would enjoy shooting that one I think as well as GB Evan's Purdey 12 ! Or Dr. Norris's Purdey whoever you care to call it ! Incidentally where might that Purdy be now ?

Don't know for sure but the other one came close to the surface recently.

What other one do you make reference ?

GBE's 12 gauge Sterlingworth or the AYA 28 he had in the latter years ?

The other Purdey owned by Dr. Norris.

I might opt for a 12 in the Grouse coverts IF it was a Purdy. I would use some RST 2 inch shells.

GBE's Purdey is in safe hands within the OH family, The shortened stock was extended with an excellent matched piece and last I saw it, it was in remarkable condition for its age and use.

The gun was one of two Purdeys and a British boxlock that Dr Norris owned, At the time of Dr. Norris death. GBE was allowed his choice of the three. He selected the two barrel Purdey set, which Dr Norris himself had received as a bequest from his shooting friend Lynford Biddle some years before

Norris had the two Purdey's and also a Holland I think . I can't remmember what the third gun was . I can see his book in my bookcase about 12 feet away and I'm to lazy to get up and get it :rolleyes:

So what happened to the little AYA 28 gauge GBE had ?

I cannot remmember whether he sold the 12 gauge Sterlingworth or still had it .

I've actually been contemplating selling off my GBE book accumulation since my Grouse days in the Blue Ridge are a thing of the past !

GBE kept the Fox, I believe both it an the AYA went to friends.

Ahh the perfect grouse gun, where do I begin. Perhaps a Win. Mod
12 in 16 or 20gauge, Ruger Red Label in 28g, maybe the beat up
Win. Mod24 12g with impcyl and mod chokes or my current favorite
Ithaca mod37 ultra featherlight 20g impcyl. 4-3/4 pounds of pure bliss.
I'm hoping to have my Parker G-grade 16g back from my gunsmith
In time for the grouse opener in Wis. Could be my new perfect grouse
Gun! But, all in all, when I'm in the woods in two weeks with Sami the
Lab it won't matter if I'm carrying a sling shot, I'll have a smile on my
Face! Jim P

I took Gunner's Gun to the Sporting Clays course yesterday to get warmed up for the opener. There have been some new additions that I have been shooting and we haven't been out in a while so it was time.

Sept 15 Gunner and I will once again be in the thick stuff.

I hope this one works out, DH 16 O frame 26 inch bbls choked IC/F:eek: Some spreaders in the left bbl (if needed:whistle:) will help.