08-02-2017, 06:25 PM
Tom, that's a real beauty !
I haven't hunted in decades but I'm an avid skeet shooter and I shoot trap if I can't shoot skeet, ha-ha-ha. I used to burn up at least four boxes every Saturday afternoon at the skeet range on the bay in Palo Alto.
One time I had the opportunity to see the U.S. Olympic team practicing at that range. They were so awesome that I felt like selling my shotguns. Those guys were shooting entire rounds from the HIP and going straight, every single one of them !
In the S.F. bay area now, lead shot is prohibited so skeet and trap have become sports for well-to-do people. However I moved and in this obscure county you can shoot as much lead as you can load ! BUT there is only one skeet range and it is open only on Sundays so you can infer how often I shoot.
My boy and I occasionally go to the beach to shoot and throw birds with a hand trap but it is FAR from the real deal. I have progressive reloaders for both 12 and 20 gauge and shotguns in both gauges. Here are my shotguns:
My favorite is the old 12 ga Ruger Red Label on the far left in the first photo (wish I could find an old 20 ga model). It's difficult to see but the stock has almost as much character as burl.
The middle one is a Spanish-made 20 and the Valmet (made in Finland) has both 12 and 20 gauge barrels. Because those barrels are several inches longer than the other two, for me they are much better for trap. I prefer, for skeet, a crisp swinging, lighter gun but muzzle heavy for follow through. The Red Label works best for me.
The Valmet also has an interesting feature. If you can see the butt, the recoil pad assembly is adjustable for both length of pull (using spacers) and angle (to get one's cheek down on the stock properly)).
Handmade shotguns are over-rated in my opinion, unless one can shoot straight rounds 100 times in a row, LOL.
I used to see the same guys at the range every Saturday and one of the consistently best shooters was a guy wearing a John Deere cap, using re-loads from every brand made, and toting a Winchester pump. I can't imagine shooting doubles with a pump but he made it look effortless.
Congratulations, you have a work of beauty and precision that can be passed along for several generations !!!
randyc
I haven't hunted in decades but I'm an avid skeet shooter and I shoot trap if I can't shoot skeet, ha-ha-ha. I used to burn up at least four boxes every Saturday afternoon at the skeet range on the bay in Palo Alto.
One time I had the opportunity to see the U.S. Olympic team practicing at that range. They were so awesome that I felt like selling my shotguns. Those guys were shooting entire rounds from the HIP and going straight, every single one of them !
In the S.F. bay area now, lead shot is prohibited so skeet and trap have become sports for well-to-do people. However I moved and in this obscure county you can shoot as much lead as you can load ! BUT there is only one skeet range and it is open only on Sundays so you can infer how often I shoot.
My boy and I occasionally go to the beach to shoot and throw birds with a hand trap but it is FAR from the real deal. I have progressive reloaders for both 12 and 20 gauge and shotguns in both gauges. Here are my shotguns:
My favorite is the old 12 ga Ruger Red Label on the far left in the first photo (wish I could find an old 20 ga model). It's difficult to see but the stock has almost as much character as burl.
The middle one is a Spanish-made 20 and the Valmet (made in Finland) has both 12 and 20 gauge barrels. Because those barrels are several inches longer than the other two, for me they are much better for trap. I prefer, for skeet, a crisp swinging, lighter gun but muzzle heavy for follow through. The Red Label works best for me.
The Valmet also has an interesting feature. If you can see the butt, the recoil pad assembly is adjustable for both length of pull (using spacers) and angle (to get one's cheek down on the stock properly)).
Handmade shotguns are over-rated in my opinion, unless one can shoot straight rounds 100 times in a row, LOL.
I used to see the same guys at the range every Saturday and one of the consistently best shooters was a guy wearing a John Deere cap, using re-loads from every brand made, and toting a Winchester pump. I can't imagine shooting doubles with a pump but he made it look effortless.
Congratulations, you have a work of beauty and precision that can be passed along for several generations !!!
randyc