Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under

[todd allen]

Approx. 8 Parkers, several Winchesters, 2 Perazzis, an absolutely stunning H&H Royal Side Lock Ejector, built in 1900, three Beretta ALs, one being a dedicated clays gun, and a few other miscellaneous guns. Ithaca, Daly, etc. Oh, and a very early LC Smith.
Sad to say I have never owned a Lefever.

[Jacob Duke]

Hopefully this admission won’t get me banned from the board. I only have one Parker, a Trojan 20, that I use for all my upland hunting. For waterfowl I use a Benelli SBE.

[Matt Buckley]

Besides Parkers I have Fox, JP Sauer, Ithaca, Browning, Winchester, Remington, and have owned other brands over time. A little variety never hurt anyone.

[Big D]

Parker, Fox, Winchester, Remington, Kreighoff, CSMC, Ruger, S&W, High Standard

[Mike Franzen]

Since joining the PGCA I haven’t wanted to buy any other make of shotgun.... with two exceptions. One was a 5 lbs 20 gauge Ithaca double that was so cheap my money hand just unconsciously reached in my pocket and pulled out the lettuce. I’ve never shot it but figured it might be nice to carry in the field when I’m 90. The other was a Lefever 16 gauge that I thought I needed. Shortly after, I realized I would never hunt with the piece. I sold it for a real good deal. Only lost $200. For me when you add it all up nothing else compares to the Parker gun.

[King Cobb]

I have 4 parkers- 2 DHs and 2 CHEs. I also have my Superposed 12 gauge pigeon and my dad's 20 gauge A5 and 12 gauge model 12.

[Stan Hillis]

I'm no more a one "gun" man than I am a one gamebird man. Doves, ducks, quail ....... all deserve allegiance. Same with my doubles. But, this new Parker DHE has been christened "Melania"....... after all, she is the first lady of my current doubles.

SRH

[Mills]

Celebrated opening day of duck season with the L C Smith Long Range

[stumpstalker]

Originally Posted by Reggie Bishop

I have learned a couple of things; I don't own nearly enough shotguns and you don't get kicked out of the club for being a cheater! Thanks for all the responses!

Reggie:

Same sentiments here.

Also, this and other recent posts have shown me that we can have folks on here that have alluded previously to having but modest collections, been self-effacing about their stature as collectors, but by my standards have an enviable number of fine guns.

I only have six shotguns now. For reasons of "downsizing" I have decided to limit my “inventory” to what can be contained where the guns are locked up. This, combined with my late-in-life predilection for using vintage side-by-sides for both clays and game, accounts for my having sold all the repeaters I have ever owned (not really many), and retaining the doubles, while opening up some space to accommodate a new gun or two.

This leaves me at present with four legacy Parkers and two more that I have acquired on my own. They are:

Trojan 12-gauge; 2-frame; 30-inch – my father’s favorite (for Ducks and Pheasants) that he bought from a patient of his

12-gauge VH; 2-frame; 30-inch -- bought from his friend and colleague -- a transitory aberration for that confirmed Model 12 man

12-gauge DHE; 1 ½-frame; 28-inch --bought from a hunting and fishing buddy who owned a sporting goods store

16-gauge VH; 1-frame; 28-inch -- bought from another buddy who had a nose for good deals in guns

12-gauge GH; 1 ½-frame; 28-inch -- bought by me so I can carry it and fall down in the woods and not feel like I had marred one of “Dad’s guns” (he died 27 years ago; but still….)

16-gauge VH; 0-frame; 26-inch -- bought by me, again for my use on terrain where the footing is bad

I have bid on doubles of other makes, both American and British, but have not had the requisite confidence nor resolve with those. Why so?

Well, I see it as missing some advantages when I cast about beyond my Parkerdom frame-of-reference. Either it’s lacking the same level of available guns (nearly ¼ million Parkers manufactured); or the bibliography (four hard-cover published works) or it's due to the manifold, on-going and readily-accessed resources of the PGCA, in comparison with the otherwise-worthy alternatives.

[Ron Scott]

1st bird taken on the wing, a passing mallard, age 16, a borrowed Trojan 12, pulled both triggers by mistake, knocked me over, bird fell too, no damage to the gun. 2nd bird, a cock pheasant, over our English setter, used Dad's LC Smith Ideal Grade 12 -- I still have and treasure that gun. Then somehow 50 years went by and the gun cabinet filled to overflowing with a variety guns and many fond memories. Only one Parker though -- just purchased it this year -- a nice 16 ga Damascus 0 frame GH. It was my go to upland bird gun this season until recently. My latest obsession is hunting with and shooting black powder out of a 9.2 lb 30" Damascus 10 gauge A grade H&R 1882. I love 'em all -- can't see myself settling down any time soon.