Special Day in the Coverts of northern NH

[Chris Pope]

Originally Posted by Harold Lee Pickens

Good thing you didn't leave your Parker back at camp. Nice gun is that a VH 20, cant enlarge it enough to tell. I enjoy hunting with good friends, but also greatly enjoy hunting by myself.
Leaving tomorrow for a 3 week grouse hunting trip, usually go for 2 weeks, hope I can hold up for 3.

Yes- a VH 20, 26" barrels, skeet and imp. No PGCA info available and reportedly worked on by DelGrego many years ago. Just love the fit and it's perfect for early season woodcock and grouse. Like an old Lacrosse coach used to say about his Lacrosse stick- "If I wern't happily married I sleep with her."

It's not early season anymore because 90% of leaves are down here but I just can't put the 20 away yet. Typically by now I would have switched to my 28 repro (26" w Imp and Mod.) Probably will switch in next few days.

Please keep us posted on your grouse trip, birds or not. I really enjoy folks hunting pictures and stories of their experiences. Best of luck, have fun!

[Chris Pope]

Originally Posted by William Woods

Glad to hear that you had a good hunt in spite of getting some bad shells. I am sure that several of us have had some bad shells from various makers.

Ha! I can't blame the RST shells for the misses! It was the sun in my eyes! I've consistently had good performance from RST and appreciate their availability.

On the other hand, I did pull out a new box of factory 28's the other day from a different manufacturer in anticpation of using my 28 repro and low and behold found this nasty little bugger. See photo. Anyone else have this problem?

[Kevin McCormack]

Chris, yes I have encountered this same issue on a couple of occasions with 28 ga. ammo from a manufacturer in MN

[Bill Murphy]

Chris, I have a flat of those same 28 gauge AAs. I'll send them to Winchester one of these days. I have an address around here somewhere. Maybe they'll send me a case of uncracked shells.

[Dean Romig]

Sheesh - that looks like a reload that found its way into that case. The brass looks pretty dingy too.





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[Woodcock survey]

Dean that is a factory primer. I have a friend i shoot clays with who gave me once fired 28 hulls probably 20 years ago that when i loaded them 1 in a hundred would be split ,although not that bad. Winchester had a bad run of 28' s and there are still questions on them on the reloading forum at shotgun world. I still have around a thousand of them and they sometimes will split on the first loading and some times go until the end of hull life. I am seeing much less quality control in the factory ammo shot at my clubs.