Terry Schraner

[Drew Hause]

The first 'long range' 20?

Dec. 21, 1895
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2613012.pdf

Lieutenant A. W. Du Bray, of Dayton, Ky.. shooting at Shreveport, La., on November 28 as the guest of Mr. Samuel Enders, and using a 20-gauge Parker gun, made an excellent bag of 77 ducks, 45 of them being mallards, 25 teals and the rest pintails and wood ducks. He writes his friends, regarding the outing, that it was one of the finest day's sport he ever enjoyed.

[Bill Murphy]

Drew, Capt. DuBray was probably not using a "long range" Parker 20 if they shot that many ducks. By the way, all of the known smallbore Parker long barrel guns ordered by sportswriter Edwin Hedderly were chambered at 2 1/2". Three inch shells go way back, but not all shooters of long barrelled guns used them.

[Bill Murphy]

Around 1913 or 1914, The Small Bore Shot Gun pamphlet put out by Parker Brothers stated that the 2 3/4 dram, 7/8 ounce load was tested for velocity, but "It is not recommended by us, or loaded by the loading companies." However, the order for 20 gauge #149,975 states that the buyer wished to have the gun patterned with one ounce of #6 and three full drams of powder in three inch shells. I assume that my old 20 gauge #153,333 was patterned and ordered for the same shells. Hedderly's old 20 gauge A-1 Special 32" gun was ordered to be chambered 2 3/8". Hedderly's 16 gauge A-1 Special 32" gun was chambered at 2 7/16".