My most effective grouse gun is one the Market Hunter might approve of if he were inclined to indulge; a 108 year old VH #2 frame 12ga with barrels sawed off at less than 26". A few years ago, before I paid attention to anything as important as barrel wall thickness, I put a couple of #5 shot Win 1&1/2 oz mags through it to "fill out the pattern" for pheasant and blew out the left barrel at the end of the forend. I took a count and still reached five. Kirk Merrington sleeved in a couple of tubes of the same length, choked skeet in and skeet out and it was back in business, though it cost me about twice what I paid for the gun. I can even use steel in it if needed. It's a little heavy for the Michigan guys (aside from Destry), but it does take out a fair amount of foliage and a bird if it happens to be in the pattern.
|