Heavy 12 gauges

[MarketHunter]

Mine or my friends?

Mine has been in several pictures I've posted on the forum over time.

My friends was on Julia's auction a couple of years ago, I'm sure you saw it there.


Destry

[Don Kaas]

Destry is referring to the 34" #3 frame DHE that I bought from a PGCA stalwart last week. It is a straight grip with skeleton bp gun with factory 2 7/8" chambers. The barrels are marked 6/2 and it letters at 10lb 11oz. It also was ordered and sent to OK in 1913 with no dogs or birds engraved on the gun. It originally had a 15 1/4" LoP before the Miller and patterned at 75% with #5 shot before the Brileys. A tall, fundamentalist Christian or Orthodox Jewish duck hunter's gun with "no graven images"

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Patrick, the majority of the orders for #3 frame guns only specify the desired weight with no mention of frame size. However, more than a few orders that resulted in #3 frame guns actually specify "2 1/2 frame". The #3 frame was known as the 2 1/2 frame by Parker Brothers insiders. I'm not sure the customer had anything to do with the request, although some customers may have been pretty savvy about Parker terminology. Yes there are fluid steel #3 frame 12 gauge guns. A poster here owns a Del Grego #3 frame VH and a local friend has a CH #3 frame Acme steel gun which was ordered at 10 pounds. I have a nice little #3 frame Vulcan barrelled 16 that was ordered at 8 3/4 pounds, lightly choked.

I purchased a 12ga 32" VH 3 frame, built in 1900, 4 years ago. It was in rough shape. I had Larry DelGrego & Son do a full restoration shortly after. The gun has modern dimensions and shoots very well. My research letter indicated it was ordered to be 9 lbs even and that is what it weighs. It was shipped to a very small town in Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi so I assume it was ordered to be a fowler. I have been shooting some 1 1/4 oz. loads at 1220 fps and the 9 pounds really tames the recoil.

George Lander had a very high condition 3 frame VH about a year ago for sale. Ivory Beads had two of them and I think they may still have one for sale but both had some issues. There was a straight grip VHE 3 frame 12 ga sold by Safari Outfitters earlier this year.

Here is a pic of my 3 frame VH next to a 28" 1 1/2 frame 12ga VH. It's a big gun, until you put it next to a 3 frame 10ga.

[Bill Murphy]

I just looked at the letter on my friend's CH Grade 12 gauge #3. It was, sure enough, ordered at ten pounds, was sent to Baker and Hamilton in San Francisco, and oddly, was ordered with no safety. It may be the wildest and craziest #3 frame 12 gauge out there. It was used extensively and was given a rough Remington style refinish. I will have to look at it to find out whether it has any Remington Repair Codes stamped.

[John Truitt]

A friend of mine has a #3 frame VH 12 32" that is one fine shooting iron.
In his hands he is unstoppable with it.

#3 frame 12's are very cool.

[MarketHunter]

I've never "printed" mine on paper but it prints on ducks pretty good.


DLH

[J.B. Books]

I put my Delgrego 3 frame VH to good use this morning on a flock of lesser Canada's.

[MarketHunter]

It's funny, I've killed I dunno how many geese in my life, but it's in the high hundreds. And I've never killed anything except just your old standard size canada goose and a few of the giant strain. The smaller races seem to elude me for some reason. I'm impressed to say the least, and envious of course.


Destry

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Destry L. Hoffard

It's funny, I've killed I dunno how many geese in my life, but it's in the high hundreds. And I've never killed anything except just your old standard size canada goose and a few of the giant strain. The smaller races seem to elude me for some reason. I'm impressed to say the least, and envious of course.


Destry

Destry, don't be envious, smaller geese make for range estimation errors. We do not see Lesser's around here very often either. In fact we had no idea there were Lesser's until they were down. Since we are used to standards and giants we misjudged the range. What we thought was a 40 yard overhead pass was more like 25 or 30. Mine were hit really hard, one of them too hard :-( Good patterns though :-)

[MarketHunter]

I've even been in the field when lessers were killed, but my geese all ended up being standards.

Opening day I killed the largest goose I'd killed in years, I didn't weigh it but it was over 12 pounds I guarantee. Looked like a swan compared to the others we had, really a huge bird.

Nobody believes it, but Dad and I doubled up on one years ago that weighed 19 3/4 on a certified scale at the county deer check station. It's feet were nearly a big as my hands, neck big around as my forearm. I've never seen one even close to that big before or since. I should have had it mounted as it was so tough you could barely cut it when we tried to eat it.


DLH