doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How much can I shoot?

I've put several thousand through a 1924 vintage Webley & Scott Model 400. Mostly 7/8 oz low pressure at targets; some 1 oz; now a few 1 1/16 oz British (Gamebore) hunting loads. Recently replaced the strikers. But, as noted above, I have no idea how much it had been shot before I bought it.

Vern: you are making good choices. Don't worry...shoot a lot...be happy...and have great and safe bird season

J.F. Kerman "Let's Get Going"

If it weighs just 6 lbs, your shoulder may break before the gun. I like 3/4oz reloads through my 8 lb Parker hammer gun with Damascus barrels - no recoil. It got shot three times a week at the club until I bought other SxS's. Good luck, and I wouldn't worry about anything breaking.

Top 3 vintage american doubles prone to crack the stock if u shoot a lot. Psi has little todo with it.

1. L C Smith
2. LC Smith
3. L.C. Smith

Now THAT, made me laugh!


Best,
Ted

Yeah, that's true. But I still love'em...Geo

Thanks guys. At six pounds it is a pleasure to carry, but a couple of boxes of 1 oz loads make me remember my physics lessons. The 3/4 oz loads are easy on the shoulder.

Jim

I've shot a pile of 1 oz loads from 6lb guns with no problems at all. Shot a bundle of them from a 6lb 20 ga Ithaca flues before I learned the model was prone to cracking the frame. They were for the most part the 2�-1 loads so velocity a bit under 1200 fps. I've also shot 1oz loads from a 5lb 14oz Darne/Halifax with no discomfort at all. The old "Rule of Thumb" of gun weight = 96 times the shot weight is dead on for a 6lb gun for an ounce of shot. This is supposed to be good for steady shooting, i have used heavier loads on numerous occasions than this ration where only a few shots would be involved. I have fired some 20 ga 3" magnum loads of 1�oz from a 6� lb gun. It wasn't that Flues, it was a gun chambered & proofed for them, a Richland 707. This gives a ratio of only 80:1. You knew the recoil was there & would would not have wanted to have shot a lot of them in real rapid succession but for hunting use when I was fairly heavily clothed they were not at all bothersome.
It did of course have new wood on it, the biggest danger in a lot of use to an old gun is the wood I believe.
The L C Smith is not the only gun which will crack stocks either, many will do so.

Piper I follow you for years here and respect agree with most of your writings but I believe that old wood danger is some thing come up by owners of Elsies and wrongly applyed with broad brush to all vintage guns. Kind of like misery loves company. I agree some box locks will get stock cracks from recoil or what ever but it is FACt that cracked stocks are the rule with LC rather than exception. You shoot sweet Elsie a lot with any thing but low recoil target type loads it's goimng to crack and not if but when. Many advise to glassbed the side plates and back of top tang to help with cracking. Yah right you got a classic vintage double gun and have to slobber its insides with modern epoxy. Or for hunting youd better not use what your buddy has in his parker , Fox or Ithica Nid. What a joke. The O.P asked which vintage guns are prone to problems when shot alot. Asked and answered for american doubles.

Me and my shooting buddies shoot reguraly with vintage English guns. One has a 1909 Purdey and another has a 1880 Purdey hammer gun. I have another friend who shows up with something new about every week.
I and my bud's have had our break downs. My Atkin broke a cocking spring. It is an "Spring Opener" much like a Purdey.
Now that was an expensive repair.
Shooting low pressure loads work great and you should enjoy your gun while you can.