Well first, barrels don’t need to be shortened for gouse, or for any birds for that matter. But I will say that I have been lucky a few times. The first time it was close but I sent the job to Russ Bickel and he did an absolutely perfect job and then I sent the barrels to Brad for a beautiful Damascus refinish. Unfortunately both of these perfectionists are no longer with us today.
Then I have been able to do a pretty good job on a couple of others - just not as perfect. I’ve tried others but they weren’t even close. It’s definitely a crap shoot to have a set of orphan barrels fit another gun without considerable smoking/filing/stoning/polishing.
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"I'm a Setter man.
Not because I think they're better than the other breeds,
but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture."
George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic.
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