Defining the "Perfect Grouse Gun"
 

Alright, there are a great number of opinions of what defines the "Perfect Grouse Gun" so let's get some of those opinions here but let's limit it to Parkers.

Good idea. I have never been grouse hunting but want to go someday.

Not to be wise, the perfect grouse gun is one I can hit them with with any sense of regularity

Electrical tape or not:rolleyes:

Light but not too light and and it fits, everything else is extra

Dean, You already know my definition of the perfect grouse gun. For now...:rolleyes: The problem is we always find a gun that we think will be just a bit better.

I have not shot a rough grouse since I was about 15 or 16. So, since I got one, my perfect grouse gun is a VH 32" M/F DHBP CPG - also the gun that got me involved with PGCA trying to find new barrels. Also my Dad's gun so, all in all, it is the perfect Parker.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1...s/HPIM6768.JPG
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1...s/HPIM6795.JPG

Ok, I'll play:

16 ga
28" or 30" barrels
choke (Parker chokes) IC/Mod
straight stock from a nice stick of dark walnut
splinter fe
relatively light, around 6-lb, 4-oz
V or higher grade
NO ejectors
double triggers

Simple as that.

This is an easy one for me. My straight grip, 28 VH, IC/M at 5.5lb. Can carry it all day one handed while pushing limbs and brush aside with the other. Deadly little wand it is.

First off there is no perfect Grouse gun. Ok now that thats cleared up it depends on the time of the season. Early on when the leaves are thick I like a DHE 20 straight grip and choked cyl/cyl. Early October when the Woodcock are available a VHE 28 also straight grip choked skt/skt sees the coverts. This year a certain AA 28 w/ball grip will make it's debut:) When the leaves begin to fall and visability increases then the 28 inch damascuss GH 16 comes out to play with the ic/m chokes.

In reality the perfect Grouse gun is the one I'm carrying at the time I'm hunting Mr. Grouse:rotf:

mine is a 1 frame DH 12 ga 28 in. Damascus barrels choke Lt..004 rt .009 weight 6 lbs 10 oz, with 7/8th oz 7's at 1050 fps:)now all i need is to see some grouse, scott

I think you left out a letter... we'll just call it a typo. Didn't you mean to type AyA ?

NO!

Rich,
You are on target with those gun and especially choke choices. We differ only slightly with gauge preferences. I love those open chokes for the early season alders.....there's nothing like ruining the resale by opening chokes to make a gun perfect!
Best Fishes,
Steve Kleist Ely, MN

This particular Day ,This One !:)

Of course it is!

Steve I haven't opened the chokes on any of the guns mentioned. I'm sure the chokes were opened on the DHE 20 at CYL/CYL but I didn't do it.

Ok, I'll weigh in on a subject that is as difficult to nail down as what to look for in the perfect woman.

I will not use the term balance because it is misleading. To me, the most important aspect is the dynamics of the gun. I like a piece with a bit of weight but with most of it between the hands. The weight smooths the swing and tames muzzle jump. A dynamic gun will feel much lighter than it actually is. It will come to the target smoothly and smooth equates to fast. And, since I like to practice quite a bit with my grouse gun, weight very much tames recoil.

I've had the pleasure of shooting many different so called grouse guns. Very few have qualified. Passable yes, but ideal no. I have no bone to pick with the 28 ga except the cost and availability of ammo and their excessively light weight. Most I've shot had more perceived recoil than my 12's. The 12 is just overkill for grouse but if I had one with the right dynamics I would not hesitate to use it. The 20 has everything going for it. Ammo , reloading components, and empty hulls are easy to find. There is enough weight but not so much that an old guy like me cannot carry it all day.

After many years of looking and trying different guns I found what I consider ideal. It is a Parker repro 20 with 26 inch barrels that weighs 6-12. It has double triggers which I consider ideal for skittish grouse over dogs. Switching barrels is instant and without thought. I had the ckokes opened to .004 and .008. The tight barrel will break clays hard to 30 plus yards, about the max I will shoot at a grouse. The factory Q1/Q2 would make an ideal combination but I could not find one when I was in the market to buy.

This is my dedicated grouse gun and my only wish is that I had it 40 years ago. While it is, in my opinion, an ideal grouse gun I have used it quite a bit for doves as well. I've shot more doubles on doves with this gun than any other. Two years ago I managed 3 doubles in a row. There is no amount of money that would get me to part with it.

At the end of the day all that I can say is I am glad it's easier to find the perfect woman than the perfect grouse gun and it's a hell of a lot less expensive (relatively speaking, of course).

I've beeen watching this thread with interest. I have many good grouse guns, but not the perfect one yet. I have Setterman's perfect gun-- an O frame 16 DHE w/ cyl/mod chokes, and st. grip, but the damn thing is too short (13 7/8 lop) with about 3" of drop. This year I am going to shoot a VH 20 w/ 26" cyl/m @ 6 lbs even. It hasnt been carried since 1990 when I tripped on the only piece of barbed wire I have ever seen in the woods in the UP, and broke the stock. My Vh 1 frame 16 has been my goto grouse getter for many years-just wish it was a few ounces lighter. Also have some Sterlingworth 16's and 20's that have to be carried a few days a year.
Not a Parker, but a little grade 2 Ugartechea 20 at 5 1/2 lbs went 11 out of 15 during my last 3 days in the UP last year.
Truth told, I would hunt with my old Iver Johnson single shot 30' full choke 12 as long as I could hunt over my dogs(setters).

Harold ,Nice picture , isn't it amazing how much a Dogs ear will bleed when stuck with a Heavy Briar or crab apple !

yeah Harold

I am glad to see other setters that are as thrilled to pose as much as mine :rotf:

It's tough to chose sometimes but it's always good to have choices.:) Both these DHE's have 26" barrels and are choked IC/Full. The 0 frame 16 gauge (right) weights 6 pounds even while the 1 frame 12 gauge weights in at 6 pounds 4 ounces.

I must admit I have never understood the reasoning behind choking a gun IC/F. IMHO the full choke bbl is to tight for a second shot at Grouse or Pheasant for that matter. The second shot is usually immediately following the first and the bird hasn't put enough real estate between itself and the hunter to warrant such constriction.

Probably for the bird that flushes 'wild' at 30 yards and gets out to 45 by the time you shoot. It would be useless to use the more open choke on such a shot

Rich,
Having hunted with flushing dogs for many years I really appreciate those chokes. Unlike hunting over pointers you never really know when a bird will get up. If a bird gets up close I automatically grab the front trigger and can shoot without destroying the bird. If he gets up at a distance or on the rare occasion I miss the first shot :shock: I go for the back trigger and have enough pattern to get a good kill. Both guns have what I would call light full or even improved mod for the left barrels. The 16 is at .020 and the 12 is at .025. I know some think a 12 gauge is overkill but I shoot very light 7/8 oz loads and actually have a box of 2 1/2" x 3/4oz RST's in #10 shot that Morris gave me to try out on woodcock this year.

Mine loves to pose:):)

Haveing hunted with a pointing dog most of my adult life :rotf: I have been spoiled I guess.

I have used Morris's #10 shot in a 28ga for Quail and Woodcock and like them alot.

Hard to beat that combination for late season but if I were to build a gun from scratch it would be choked Skeet and Improved Mod. Never seen a grouse stick around long enough for a quick second shot so I prefer a little extra choke and it gives me time to recover and re-aquire my target.

My late season gun is a GH 16 0 frame choked .004 & .010. By late season I'm talking the end of October and the first two weeks of November the rest of the time I use primarly skt/skt chokes with the occasional gun thats IC/M.

Only 5 months to go!

I have a DHE 16 that has accounted for a good number of grouse. Weighs 6lbs 6 oz with 28 in barrels and just seems to find the birds when I shoot. Luckily it fits me really well. Never happy to leave well enough alone I just acquired a VH 20 with similar dimensions. The big difference is that it has a straight stock. My plan is to use the 20 in the early season when the woodcock are still here and switch to the 16 later in the year and for pheasants. At least that is the rationale I used to convince my wife I needed another gun :)

See this is the reason why I say there is no prefect grouse gun :rotf: if there was a perfect grouse gun I would be limited to "one" and that ain't going to happen.........:eek:

An old timer once told me the perfect grouse\woodcock gun is one that is more comfortable and balanced when carried to the front (port arms) than when carried on the shoulder. Moving into a point without having to swing the gun off ones shoulder seems to make the shot second nature. He reasoned when a gun is rested on the shoulder it is done so to relieve an uncomfortable arm due to a over and\or unbalanced weight. All of my ( short barrel, small bore, pistol grip) grouse guns do not ride well on the shoulder. (unless open). The Parker 0 frames,and featherweight Brownings are second to none, "for me", as far as carry and swing are concerned.

My most used "grouse gun" is an old cut barreled VH 2 frame 12, resleeved by K. M. after I burst a barrel. The barrels are 26" and choked .007 and .015. It's a little heavy so I am going to have to try my "new" 5&1/4 pound Fox SW 16 this year. First pic is five years ago with Ringo; second is two years ago with Archie.

I did a quick "tally" and have eleven "perfect grouse guns" from 28 through 16, no 12's for me:nono:

Only 11, Rich? Did you forget to look under the bed and in the garage rafters? Yeah, I probably have around a dozen of what could be considered bonifide grouse getters. I,d have to start with a VH16, with a Sterlingworth 16 running a close second. I usually bring 4-6 with me on my fall trip and enjoy using them all
.

I am currently in Switzerland with my wife, staying with a couple of her friends. Just yesterday I managed to drag them in to a hunting store so I could look at their shotguns. After leaving, there was conversation regarding how many guns a hunter needs. I already knew my wife thinks I have too many guns, but they both remarked that it would seem a hunter only needs one gun. I quickly corrected them, carrying on for far longer then either of them were interested regarding the different types of cover, species of bird, distance of anticipated shooting, etc which might prompt a serious hunter to seek out and own many different guns for different hunting conditions. I tried my best to conceal my emerging smile after the Mrs. conceded, "Oh, well I guess that makes sense. I didn't realize they were so specialized."

I said, "Yes, bird hunting is a very complicated sport."

To some (my wife doesn't know exact numbers:) ) it may seem excessive but there are early season guns and late season guns and the in between guns. 11 Grouse guns doesn't sound like much compared to the deer/big game rifles. Don't tell anybody but there are 33 of them....:eek:

Rich'
my lips are sealed

I'm hoping to add a Grouse gun...or two to the stable while at the Southern:)

Only a good bottle of Buffalo Trace will seal my lips. Other than that I can't promise your secret is safe with me. Audrey, are you listening?:rotf:

After 40 years of grouse hunting I must say my 26 inch 20ga VH at just under 6 lb's comes in real close to the perfect grouse gun, but I have used 12ga auto"s down to 28ga side by sides. I think the perfect grouse gun must be 6 lb"s or under and a 16 or a 20 ga, I have no problem with a 12 but it's hard to get a 6 lb one unless its a 2 inch ,which is on my want list, and by the way just over 5 months till grouse season.