How are taste’s and needs change with time

[John Allen]

One thing that I have noticed over the years has been the return to longer barrels. When I started collecting and trading in doubles a 26" gun would bring a big premium. Now 26" doubles andover unders are very hard to sell. Back in the 70s, I turned down a mint 34" DHE at a VERY good price because no one wanted the long barrels. I wish I could find it now.

[6pt-Sika]

When I was growing up my first shotgun at 8 years of age was an H&R single 12 with a 32” full choke barrel . I was a pretty good sized kid when young . My second shotgun was the WW Greener D40 I still have it also was a 12 gauge . My pop was pretty adamant about not bringing pumps , any semi auto’s (excluding A-5’s) or any Jap O/U in the house . So all we had until I was in my mid 20’s were single barrels or SxS’s the transition to an O/U was an easy one for me , same could be said for semi’s mostly 1100’s or A-5’s . Never had many 870’s but over time I’ve had a covey of Model 12’s . I think I’ve said it before , but I’m equally good or bad with SxS or O/U it’s all in how you critique it . I will say I always shot an 1100 better than any pump with the exception of a circa 1938 Winchester Model 12 16 gauge with a 28” solid rib full choked barrel . At the time I had it I could walk on a skeet field and shoot a straight round then shoot 16 yard trap and shoot a straight round with great regularity . But that was a number of years ago and between competition and so called practice I’d shoot close to 800 targets every week . I still think it rather funny the number of so called “good trap shooters” that claimed 32” barrels were to long to get around quick on trap doubles , now you have many people shooting tubed skeet guns that have 32” barrels and of I’m not mistaken I’ve heard that some are looking at 34” barrels . I’m still good with 28” for an O/U tubed skeet gun , 34” unsingle for 16 yard and handicap then finally a 32” O/U for trap doubles .

[Mills]

Originally Posted by John Allen

One thing that I have noticed over the years has been the return to longer barrels. When I started collecting and trading in doubles a 26" gun would bring a big premium. Now 26" doubles andover unders are very hard to sell. Back in the 70s, I turned down a mint 34" DHE at a VERY good price because no one wanted the long barrels. I wish I could find it now.

Notice the Parker Repros are all 26 and 28 inch barrels. 26” is a perfect length for a upland bird gun

[Stan Hillis]

This is just opinion mind you, but "perfect" barrel length has a lot to do with a man's physique. A gent with long arms will naturally hold the forend farther out toward the muzzles than a shorter armed gent. Having the front hand further out increases the leverage to swing the gun. IOW, a long armed gent might be able to swing a 30" gun just as quickly as a shorter armed fellow handling a gun with 26" barrels.

I am a proponent of long barrels. They like me, and I like them. I'm 6'2", with long arms. My 28" barreled Fox 20 ga. quail gun moves as fast as I want a gun to move. I've done fine work on quail with 30" barreled guns. I really don't care for 26" barreled bird guns. Remember, doves are considered upland birds, too. I don't think I could find a gun with barrels too long for doves. Thirty to thirty-two inch barrels are perfect for me on dove guns.

[Mills]

Doves are a different animal and I have shot a wide variety on them. Physique would make a big difference.

[Bill Murphy]

I don't know what made me do it, but I once carried a 20 gauge 1100 skeet gun into the dove field and killed a limit with about one more shell than the "limit". However, it was the least fun I had ever had shooting doves. I went back to long, tight bored smallbores, and never looked back. If you shoot all your doves at 20 yards, you can't avoid picking them up yourself. Shoot them at 55 yards and someone else will pick them up for you.

[Stan Hillis]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

I don't know what made me do it, but I once carried a 20 gauge 1100 skeet gun into the dove field and killed a limit with about one more shell than the "limit". However, it was the least fun I had ever had shooting doves. I went back to long, tight bored smallbores, and never looked back. If you shoot all your doves at 20 yards, you can't avoid picking them up yourself. Shoot them at 55 yards and someone else will pick them up for you.

When you deck one at 60-70 yards, and everybody near sees it, they pick it up for you and bring it to you ............. in deference. But, you don't do that with a .410, for sure.

[Mills]

I shot doves with a Superposed skeet gun and had similar results. Won’t try that again

[Mike of the Mountain]

For $500, even if that M12 was "put together", if the gun was solid it would still be worth it. Granted, it is a Westchester and not a superior Ithaca M37 featherlite, but it's still a good gun.

A few of you mentioned what your first shotgun was. Mine was a 37 that was a Christmas present in 1974. I still have that gun. It accounted for a lot of roosters and rabbits back in the day. Every once in a while I will hunt with it and shoot the occasional pump gun event in clays. It was a far cry better than the long barreled Mossberg 12g bolt gun with the Poly-Choke my dad let me use!!

[Mills]

My first shotgun was an 870 20 gauge