I agree with you wholeheartedly! It needs to get out there and be allowed to 'do its stuff'...

Dave Suponski has a great little Trojan 20 with 28" barrels too and you should have seen him put the "smack down" on a quickly disappearing grouse. I couldn't believe he hit that bird (and others) as it disappeared over a knoll in the Vermont uplands... but when we got there it wasn't even twitching. A very pretty cock bird!





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My 20 gauge Trojan also spends most days in the safe, and it's in nice enough original condition, I'm not sure that the grouse woods are the place for it. It has really tight chokes and 26 inch barrels, so I keep telling myself that I would never hit a grouse anyway. Logic is wasted in the face of the irrelevant (with apologies to Mr. McQuarrie).

That is a beautiful Trojan! Maybe too nice to hunt with. Mine is in okay shape, nice and tight, etc, but certainly not too nice to take to the field.
The backstory on my gun, I bought it back then to fill a niche in my meager collection. It sat in the corner of my safe, unfired by me for close to 25 years. One day, my buddy comes out to do some quail hunting. I open the safe, to grab one of the usual's, which means usually my 32" VHE. The little Trojan winked at me, and I said what the heck.
I walked a sandy river bottom, a GSP on each side, and my buddy blocking from the top. We got into a covey, one of the dogs pushed em out, and I was banging 25 yard crossers.
The first shot I ever fired out of that little gun smoked a Gambels - mid river. We collected a small hand full of birds that day, and I never touched the back trigger. I have to assume the left barrel works too.
I have to give up ejectors, to hunt with the Trojan, but nothing else.

Not having ejectors is no handicap at all.





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Todd,

It's a funny thing how a gun can "have its day" and make you feel like you can't miss. I've also had other days with a "pulled from the safe" gun where I couldn't hit anything. Obviously changing guns is tough on your shooting, especially when the guns have different dimensions, but, hey, it makes for great excuses when you miss...and for a memorable day (like yours) when things work. The clean left barrel and a decent bag is a day to remember for sure!

Except on desert quail. They have two shot and reload timing down to an art. Lone bird flushes. Bang bang - empty - then the birds start flying, with the easiest shots timed with an empty gun. Seen it too many times.
Quail can count to two ; )

Yeah, that excuse works both ways. If you're at a big shoot, and one of the vendors hands you a nice (read expensive) gun, and says "try this one for a couple a rounds" You're in trouble! Chances are, you will shoot that gun lights-out, at least until you actually own it. Then the "new gun" thing can double back on you, especially if you're trying to impress someone with your shooting prowess. Then you can claim the "new gun" excuse for missing.
Ask me how I know all this.

Brett on your to or from Wisconsin stop by and we can do a hunt.

I'm just over a week away from heading to camp for a month or so. I have the guns picked out....well sort of but this I know for sure my first trip to the coverts will be with hunting buddies old and new. It will be Ike's debut for grouse and I'll have Gunner's gun along to guide the way.

Rich

Many Thanks!!! It's on my list of must do things. Hope you and Ike cerebrated his birthday the 13th. Just like you and Ike, I am looking forward to this first season with Buzz. Weather has been hot and making it a little tuff to get as much work in as I would like. Those footsteps in the leafs you are certain to hear at some point, our boys never leave us so long as we take our memories of them along. Something we never have to worry about forgetting in the truck. Good Luck.

Brett you have the cell number just give a call Ike and I will be there.