KK, uh oh! You've gone and done it, now! You are exposing youself to a "bug" that does not respond well to antibiotics! Your other guns might well become lonely! (V. M. warned about this, incidentally!)
FWIW, my hackles are down and my feathers are smoothed out. Thank you for your kind comments. They are appreciated.
I suspect that you might find that the m/l shotgun comes closest to being "the essential gun". Properly loaded, there are very few jobs that it can't do reasonably well. The gun is easy to maintain and use. Components are relatively easy to get or, worst possible case, to improvise. (Push coming to shove, wads, shot, and even powder and caps can be made by individuals who have the requisite skills.) I can think of no better long-term "bug out/survival gun".
You might be surprised, too, at just how much fun these old "smokers" are to shoot...and how well you do shooting it. "Handicapped" by using a "front feeder"? I have never thought so.
Smooth bores of all types, but especially d/bs, have largely been treated like stepchildren by the "buckskin and long rifle crowd". I suppose that it has been more "romantic" to think if our hardy pioneers, mountain men, etc. using rifles instead of the smooth bores that so many of those folks actually used. Perhaps the Double Gun Crowd can rectify this and give these old guns the honor and respect that they deserve.
It sounds like you have acquired a fine old piece. Please keep us updated about your progress and adventures with her.
