doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Just one gun?

Having thought about your question, Lloyd, “If you had to do all your shotgunning with just one gun“ and reviewed what’s in the safe and what I’d still like to have in the safe, my answer has surprised me. It would be my 1899 16g, 32” barreled NIG with Ithaca’s briefly offered “double thick breech.” It’s all original inside and out and has a “bank vault” smoothness to the action that no other of my Ithaca’s have including earlier and later NIG’s. I don’t have an explanation for that but there is a sweetness to it that brings a satisfying nostalgia and I think that has a lot to do with my choice. And with loads that I’ve developed to both open and tighten the original choking it will do anything I can still do.

In my mid 70’s now I find myself thinking more often about Faulkner’s insight, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” This gun with its “real” hammers, serious heft and 16 bores, brings that truth alive for me like no other. Plus, as I slow down those long barrels simply refuse to let me miss behind. 😉

NIG ?

New Ithaca Gun -- applied to later hammer guns I believe.

Yes, the Ithaca hammer doubles made from 1887-1915.

And just remember guys, the question was "one gun to do it all". So if you chose an old english hammer gun or some broken down damascus, just remember , we're going to want to see you to shoot a round of sporting clays and probably a round of singles and handicap trap and probably a round of skeet. and we're going to ask you to break 20-25 targets. Or at least 15-20. Not just 3 or 4 broken birds in each event. That just doesn't qualify "One gun to do it all". We're going to want to see you shoot decently in all the events. Some of us made our choices with that criteria in mind. Ha-ha!!

Fall Creek: Sounds like a very satisfying gun to use (and with tons of "charm"). I was unaware of Falkner's little missive, but... I like it. I live in both the future and the past now too.

I suppose it's how you define "just one gun". I didn't restrict myself to the shooting sports. My criteria was different, I picked a gun that could be used to hunt deer & another animals with and even protect myself from people wishing me harm. Not just a gun for the shooting sports.

Chantry has a valid point. A do it all gun that offers maximum reliability and versatility should do more than just shoot skeet.

I would go for an inboard hammer SXS (I designed one a while ago) with coil springs, and it would have to be ribless so there are no hidden rust traps. The weight saved from the ribs can be used for barrel wall thickness. If only I could get someone to build the design then it could be the one to do it all.

Failing that, a side pedal ribless hammer gunwith steel barrels would suit me fine.

"One gun" because of regulation, economics, or the wife found out how many you have?

"One gun" out of pure curiosity. As a practical matter, we all started out with just "one". Most of us here took that a little bit further and for many (I suppose) it was a voyage of discovery. I'm simply asking "where are you now?" in that voyage. Guns for some are merely "tools" and for others, they are also very-much "art". Some will speak to you differently than others and that can be from "nostalgia" as well as it is from "function". You can be drawn to an old English hammergun and still own (& use) an 870 Express. Both can (& usually do) have their place in your battery of guns, but which one is "the one", at least at this moment?

Self-defense can be a factor here too, I suppose, but I really wasn't thinking about that. Economics and "regulations" certainly play a role as well, in this changing world of ours. Read back into the beginning of this post, the spirit of my question was explained there (I hope).