Go-To Guns

Bruce Day · 09-11-2009, 12:31 PM

Photo Friday here and I thought I would show a few pictures of my everyday grab and go gun, a PHE 16ga. Nothing special except it is a family gun. I've had it since the 70's and I suppose well more more than 50,000 rounds have been run through it. Its still tight. I had DelGrego reblue the barrels and I steamed out dents and put some finish back on the wood long ago. It is now getting a new set of dents.

Its nothing special, its what got me membership in the Bottomfeeders Asso., but it always shoots well and is an all around gun. I've shot about everything with it, from ducks and geese in North Dakota to quail in Arizona. That's what I am holding in my whatever you call it picture at the left of me holding a prairie chicken in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Its shown with the ammo I use. All the discussion about chamber length made me think I should check, but then I thought better about it and nah, I'll just fire away.

Maybe others have everyday guns they could post?

Carl Beers · 09-11-2009, 12:56 PM

Bruce....your every day gun is better than my best gun. Thanks for sharing and posting the pictures. Always fun to see what others are doing with their Parkers. Hope Foto Fridays will get more action now that we're approaching the various hunting seasons....Best always, Carl Beers

Bruce Day · 09-11-2009, 02:41 PM

I don't know about that Carl, you have some nice Parkers and I know you are pursuing a 410. But thats all right. I have a personal in with the president of Minnesota Bottomfeeders and I can get you a membership recommendation.

Dave Miles · 09-11-2009, 03:16 PM

Bruce, at least the go to gun is of the proper gauge.

Bruce Day · 09-11-2009, 03:35 PM

True, Dave. And I also own a BB gun and a 10ga so I have the Michigan boys covered from micro bore to big bore.

I'm going ruffed grouse hunting in October in Minnesota. Are there any secret grouse hunting tips from the Michigan boys I should know about or should I stay right by the truck, scratch myself with thorns and tree branches, trip and bark my shins, and pretend I was grouse hunting? That way I wouldn't get lost and I could drink a beer.

Dave Miles · 09-11-2009, 04:18 PM

Just keep the dogs close, I hear the wolves are pretty hungry in October.

Autumn Daze · 09-11-2009, 06:57 PM

"Go to" grouse gun.PH 16ga.26" Titanic barrels(it in a back issue of the PP)Started out as a 12ga. gun.

C.O.B. · 09-13-2009, 07:52 PM

My go to Grouse gun is a 26 inch DHE 20 with little or no choke, straight grip, splinter forarm. The next is of the same configuration but a VHE 28 with 28 inch bbls choked skt in/skt out

After these its what ever I feel like at the time. My goal this year is to shoot either a Grouse or a Pheasant with the 12 and 16ga lifter's.

Bruce take some light clothes, short barreled guns with little or no choke, some bandaids, mercurochrome (?sp..where is that spell check feature?) a box of 8's no Ive seen you shoot two boxes of 8's

and have a great time. After a little close order drill in the Grouse woods those big open praries will be a piece of cake.

Rod N. Gunn · 09-16-2009, 04:08 PM

I too am heading for MN in October to grouse hunt with my go-to Parker gun (20 ga Repro). I would suggest the following training regime: Get on a tread mill at about 2 mph and have your wife repeatedly smack you in the face with a 1/2" thick willow switch for several hours per day. To cool down, sit under a tick infested cedar tree until 30 or 40 ticks have had a chance to set up shop. To practice shooting... try hitting some bottle rockets. Truth be known I love to grouse hunt, they are the king of all game birds, but the training is hell. Have fun Bruce and everyone else who is headed to the grouse woods soon.

Dean Romig · 09-16-2009, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Fuller

Get on a tread mill at about 2 mph and have your wife repeatedly smack you in the face with a 1/2" thick willow switch for several hours per day. To cool down, sit under a tick infested cedar tree until 30 or 40 ticks have had a chance to set up shop. To practice shooting... try hitting some bottle rockets. .

Truer words were never spoken!

But you will need someone to toss a log or branch in your way every ten steps to simulate some of the slash and blowdowns we encounter. Also, alternating with the willow switch should be some healthy blackberry vives and hawthorne branches. We need to get accustomed to bleeding a bit.