Hunting with hammers

[TxHuntermn]

My vertfirst gun was an Iver Johnson Cycle Works .410 hammer. It had been my great grandfathers, and passed down the line to me. By the time i got it, it had had many homemade repairs, including my dad’s homemade mainspring craftes from an acme jaw trap spring. That sucker was STRONG. And an additional issue was that the hammer spur checking was worn smooth. When i first got the gun, it took both thumbs to cock the gun!! The gun was marked for 2 1/2” shells only, but I must have shot 2,000 rounds of 3” shells out of that gun! I always had to be equipped with my “barlow” knife to pry the hulls out.

[Paul Mazan]

I don't know if this pertains to hunting but I've shot a hammer double in Cowboy action for several years.The gun starts off cocked so the first shots are no problem but reloading on the clock takes some practice if you want to do it quickly. I'm a lefty so you will have to revers my procedure if you are not so blessed/ After the second shot I drop the gun from my shoulder push the top lever to the right and as soon as the barrels open , still holding the gun in both hands, I flick the gun back and then forward (Keeping the barrels pointed downrange at all times. That ejects the shells I then retrieve two shells from ny belt loops and at the same tine reach forward with my thumb and coack rge far (in my case the right hammer) Thew barrels should now be pointing forward and down. Drop the two new shells into the chambers move your hand to the forend closing the gun as it comes up to the shoulder, At the same time the dun is closing and being presented the hand on the grip cocks the near hammer and as soon as the butt touches the shoulder you should be ready to fire. It sounds more complicated than it is and with practice you can do it all by feel while you are looking at the next target. Of course the targets are normally steel and not moving so your shooting your shotgun more like a rifle than a shotgun but in the field I've been asked several times how the heck I got that old double cocked and reloaded so fast.