Shooting hammer guns

[Stepmac]

I love those Sherman Bell articles in DGJ that detail his testing of damascus barrels. He did his best to blow them up. He honed an L.C. Smith barrel to "paper thin" and loaded it with proof shells and it still would not let go. I shoot several damascus barreled guns and like them. BTW: I was reading my copy of "Parker Guns" today. I read a story saying that Americans in the 19th Century liked heavy guns overloaded when compared to English guns, saying that the Brits preferred light loads and light guns. My antique American double guns are HEAVY.

[Lloyd McKissick]

Stepmac: There's a place for a wide range of weights in my battery of hammer guns.

Upland bird guns need to be light enough to carry all day and still be able to respond to a flush quickly. My Lang sidelever hammer is 6 1/4lbs and that's where it mostly gets used. This recent #1 framed Parker hammer should serve well on prairie birds at 7 1/4lbs, and my almost 9lb Ithaca NIG is nearly perfect for sporting clays.

American guns usually had to do it all for their mostly 1-gun owners (upland, waterfowl, & target) and "heavy" was the default position for so many of those makers.

[Harry Collins]

when I lived in Italy 53 years ago, I purchased a hammered 20 gauge Bernadelli Brescia. I shot several flats of shells a week at skeet. I wanted to improve my field hunting. At every station that presented doubles I would cock the right barrel coming to my shoulder and drop the gun a bit to cock the left barrel for the second shot. I never broke 100, but I got pretty handy with the little gun. I took my first double ever on Pheasant in the mountains of Italy. It's one hell of a lot of fun. You can't go wrong.

[Stepmac]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

when I lived in Italy 53 years ago, I purchased a hammered 20 gauge Bernadelli Brescia. I shot several flats of shells a week at skeet. I wanted to improve my field hunting. At every station that presented doubles I would cock the right barrel coming to my shoulder and drop the gun a bit to cock the left barrel for the second shot. I never broke 100, but I got pretty handy with the little gun. I took my first double ever on Pheasant in the mountains of Italy. It's one hell of a lot of fun. You can't go wrong.

I lived in London in 19fifty seven. I was 13. It was wonderful. I learned to ride the buses and the underground and the world of London was my oyster. Wonderful museums. Great movie theatres. Blitz damage all over the place. Funny money. Today the Blitz damage is fixed and the money is different and I'm 80! Different.

[Stepmac]

I just received my new very old Hammer Gun. It is a W.C. Scott made in 18eighty-five (My five key is broken). Wood is very nice. The damascus is a little hard to make out, but not too bad. "C" hammers that rebound. Mint bores a little ding on the outside of one barrel 8inches from the bore. Think I'll ignore it. 28 inch barrels, not too heavy. Not too much fine engraving, but what is there is nice. Gun mounts well, should be fun to shoot and easy to carry. Im 80 for goodness sakes! It's F&F. I'm going to try it at trap for grins.

[Lloyd McKissick]

Shoot it in good health Sir.

[Stepmac]

Originally Posted by Lloyd McKissick

Shoot it in good health Sir.

I wish I could shoot/hunt with some of you guys. I am an experienced hunter/shooter. I was a drill sergeant for years and then a commander of drill sergeants. I hunted for a generation in western Kansas. I've been to Africa, but only shot a camera. It was interesting, however. South Africa was a mess. Not safe folks. Cape Buffalo scared my poor wife to death! It was close to her, we are talking five feet. Those critters STINK.

[Lloyd McKissick]

Killed my 1st duck with a '97. It had been my great-grandfathers.

[Dean Romig]

My first deer rifle, a Winchester 94 in .30-30 was the same wat regarding the hammer and half-cock.





.

[Dean Romig]

The first big buck I ever shot at, a heavy 8-pt. Was with my 94. I was 14 and the buck ran out in the field in front of me and stopped broadside. I never even thought to cock the hammer but with what must have been super human strength I pulled it right through half-cock…. “CLICK!” And he took off running. My next four shots went all over the place and I never saw him again despite tracking him for the next hour when he went through a swamp.

I never thought it would have been possible but it happened.





.