The big gun is ready.....

[MarketHunter]

I'd been doing a little trap shooting with the Swamp Angel over the summer and happened to notice when I got home one evening that the tang screws were worked loose a bit. I broke out my best screwdrivers and went to running them back in needless to say. Well the front top tang screw went back in nearly a full turn too far and like to scared me to death. The only time I've ever had this happen was with a gun that I later found out had a badly cracked stock head.

I wrung my hands over it a few days and then emailed Brian Dudley. I figured he was super backed up and he was, but he said send her on and he'd take a look. I shipped the action a few days later and he got into it post haste. Thankfully the report wasn't as scary as I feared, apparently the wood had shrunk away from the metal a bit under the tangs and somebody (years ago) had put paper under them. Well the paper had turned to dust finally and they were going back down again. He filled in the slots, cleaned the action, even waxed the stock for me, and sent her back in fine shape.

Trap shooting continued and and then I noticed the ivory front bead had apparently disintegrated. It was badly crazed so I knew this was coming, thankfully I had several new old stock ones on hand. My friend Karl took that job under his wing and I just got the barrels back this afternoon.

Duck season opens in Ontario two Saturdays from now, I guess I'm ready......