Found VH 20 ga 32" BB I need help

[Double Lab]

Great photos Frank. You know you are preaching to the choir here touting the beauty of long barreled smallbores. I just wish I could afford a 32" 20 Fox let alone find one. I did find a real clean 20ga., 28" Sterly with killer dimensions at the UP shoot last week. Probably paid a little too much for it but what the hell. She's got great triggers and IM/F chokes. The search goes on.

[Cold Spring]

Thanks all for your kind comments.

Daryl, yep I too have been chasing 32" smallbore Foxes forever, without any luck. I slobber all over a friend's 32"/20 gauge Sterlingworth every time I'm in his gun room. I shot it on a sporting course a few times - and that's not helping any. Sounds like you had a good time at the UP shoot. I just couldn't make it this year but Mark's pictures made me feel like I'd been there. Good deal on your 16 Sterlingworth find. A little more cash paid for a nice gun, reverses in the long run when you're handing, shooting and hunting with her. But I'm sure all us in the choir know that. Can you make the Hidden Hollow & Rock Mtn S x S Challenge on August 18-19? If so maybe we can shoot together = warmup of sorts for the AHF Championship at the VC. Frank

[Double Play]

Originally Posted by Frank Srebro

Can you make the Hidden Hollow & Rock Mtn S x S Challenge on August 18-19?

Frank,
I had not heard of this August shoot. Is it new or is it an annual event?

[Bill Murphy]

Annual shoot over two courses a few miles apart. Ernie's site should explain the particulars. hiddenhollowsportingclays.com

[Cold Spring]

Bill is correct on the annual shoot. See Events tab on Ernie's website which is here:

http://www.hhhsc.net/

In the past it's been 100 birds each at Hidden Hollow and at Rock Mountain Sporting Clays, both in northeastern PA. Rock Mtn. is hosting this year's PA SC Championship held over 4 days in July. (The Side by Side combo shoot is August 18 & 19. Or, I should say the 18th OR the 19th.) You can shoot both courses in one day and in fact, that's what many shooters do. The two clubs are about 20 minutes or so apart. Mike, who along with his wife Susan are owners of Rock Mtn, is a SxS shooter himself and he sets great targets. I hope this is helpful. Frank

Link to the Rock Mountain website is here:

http://www.rockmountainclays.com/index.html

A wonderful day or days out with the SxS's and our friends. What could be nicer? Frank

[Setter Man]

Curious what a 90% condition, 20 ga., VHE, straight stock, Silvers Pad, #1-frame, 32" barrels and 3' chambers would be worth if it lettered that way?

[Double Lab]

Frank,
A 32" 20ga Sterly! Heart please be still. I bet she is sweet. Does anyone know how many 32" 16's and 20's were produced? I picked up a 20 at the UP shoot not a 16. Already have a couple 16's. This is my first 20 Fox. This shoot sounds like fun so I might be in touch to plan a trip. Ernie's is only 4 hrs. from here- a piece of cake compared to the UP trip. If you say It's worth the trip I trust you. Any one else interested? Larry, Dave, Dean, or any of the other Hollow Boys. Could be a fun weekend.

[10ga Hammer]

Daryl, Last year Jent ,JD,and I shot the Hollow/Rock Mt. Challenge, we had a great time. You've shot the hollow so you know what thats about,the Rock is just as much fun/challenging. We shot the Hollow on Sat. and the Rock on Sunday. It's worth the trip.

[Double Play]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

Any one else interested? Larry, Dave, Dean, or any of the other Hollow Boys. Could be a fun weekend.

I just noted it on my calendar. If nothing else comes up between now and then I will likely be there. While shooting clays with Dave S. this weekend he expressed an interest in attending as well.

[Researcher]

The 3-inch Magnum 20-gauge was a 1950s item. I think the first commercial listing was the Magnum Model 21 in the January 2, 1954, Winchester catalogue. However, there are no 3-inch 20-gauge shells listed in the January 2, 1954, Winchester Ammunition catalogue and price list!?! The Olin brothers and their buddies had been playing around with 3-inch 20-gauge Model 21s for some time before that. In the 1955 Winchester ammunition catalogue the 20-gauge 3-inch Mag. is offered with 1 1/8 ounce of Lubaloy #6 or 1 3/16 ounce of Lubaloy #4. That same year the 2 3/4 inch "magnum" shells were introduced with the 1 1/2 ounce in 12-gauge, 1 1/4 ounce in 16-gauge and 1 1/8 ounce in 20-gauge. The 3-inch 20-gauge Mag. offerings remained the same throught the 1959 price list. For 1960 the 3-inch 20-gauge magnum with 1 1/4 ounce of chilled shot was added to the offereings, while the Lubaloy loads were still 1 1/8 and 1 3/16. The Winchester/Western offerings in 3-inch 20-gauge shells remained the same thru 1968 where my old catalogues play out.

Three-inch shells have been around just about as long as cartridge shotguns have been around. In my 1903 UMC catalogue there were 12-gauge paper shells 2 5/8, 2 3/4, 2 7/8, 3 and 3 1/4 inch. The 16-gauge was available 2 9/16, 2 3/4, 2 7/8, and 3 inch. The 20-gauge was offered in 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 2 7/8, and 3 inch. In those days the "standard" 2 5/8 inch 12-gauge, 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge and 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shells carried a slightly milder maximum load than the 2 3/4 inch and longer shells. The advantage of the 2 7/8, 3 and 3 1/4 inch shells was more and better wadding for a better gas seal which many serious Pigeon shooters thought to be an advantage. The heaviest loads offered in the 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shells were 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder pushing 7/8 ounce of shot, or 18 grains of Ballistite or Infallible dense smokeless powder pushing the same 7/8 ounce of shot. In the 2 3/4 inch 20-gauge case, one could get 2 1/2 drams bulk smokeless powder or 20 grains of Infallible or Ballistite dense smokeless powder, but still pushing 7/8 ounce of shot. The 3-inch 20-gauge for the famous Widgeon Duck Club Parker Bros. guns and the J. Stevens A & T Co. pump gun carried these 7/8 ounce loads, but more wadding.

These are the shells a Parker Bros. 20-gauge chambered for 3-inch shells with serial number 131424 would have been made for --



Same load in a 2 7/8 inch shell --



And, the same load from Peters Cartridge Co. --



When Western Cartridge Co. showed the way to high velocity by introducing progressive burning smokeless powder loads as their new Super-X load about 1922, the 1 1/4 ounce 12- and the 1 ounce 20-gauge Super-X loads were put up in their 2 3/4 inch Field shell. It doesn't appear from my research that Winchester, Western or Remington offered their progressive burning powder 20-gauge shells in longer cases, but in the 1920s and 30s Peters Cartridge Co. did --