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I usually take a long weekend to hunt the northwest part of the state of MN. with a fellow BBSer for a long weekend in the fall. The last few seasons I have brought a single gun, a recent to me Darne 20 gauge R10 in 20 gauge. I prefer to bring only a single gun, to lessen the "kludge" factor, not having so much to pack/unpack, and any double with two triggers is a good choice, and a Darne is a great choice, there are few examples of broken Darnes. The gun is sub 6 lbs, nicely balanced, typical left lever safety that works well for me. Nice gun for a longish weekend of grouse hunting.
I had never patterned it at the typical grouse shot yardage I've noted in that part of the world, prior to today. Never thought too much about it, I had gotten some birds, and missed some birds, about par for me for early season.
This is the open choked pattern at about 23 yards, a run of the mill range up there in the first few months of the season:



Wow. Thats a bit tight.

Second, tighter barrel, which, I don't think I have ever fired at a grouse:




The patterns don't say early season grouse gun to me. They say later season pheasant gun. A use I had never considered with this piece, which practically screams "take me GROUSE hunting, please!" I would be a bit loath to move this gun on, it has sweet handling, and light, crisp, trigger pulls, something one doesn't always get with a Darne R model. I don't have the equipment to measure 20 and 28 gauge gun bores that I have for 12 and 16, but, this may be a wakeup call. I would have had a pretty good idea how a 12 would have patterned before I shot it.



At any rate, I'm not poor in grouse capable guns, not even poor in specific Darne capable grouse guns, either the V19 in 28 and a different R10 in 12 gauge, both with much more open chokes, will suffice this fall. Nice to have choices. And, slings, which both guns have.

I hadn't considered this little 20 to be a pheasant gun, up until today. But, it might just end up that way.

Best,
Ted



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Ted,
How is the gun choked? Really looks awfully tight. Would spreaders make it useful? I sometimes loosen up my IC barrel using 1 oz. of 8's or 8 1/2's in my light 12 ga. You perhaps don't want to alter the chokes, and I can't blame you.
Have to say though, chokes like that really anchor the bird! I'm alraedy looking forward to next "Grousemas" up here in Michigan.
Karl

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At 23 yards is about where skeet guns are patterned. Unless you want a skeet gun, it looks ok to me, likely ic/mod (assuming that's a large piece of paper like butcher paper). You can probably tell more about what choke it is patterning at 40 yards.


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Karl,
I vaguely remember sticking a dial caliper into both bores when I got the gun, and not thinking the chokes were much different than IC and Mod. But, there was a horsefly in that yogurt:



The proofhouse noted that the bore measurment, 9" from the breech face was 16.0mm, in both barrels. This is actually a good bit bigger than standard, 20 gauge bore. Backbored, in today speak.

Since I got the gun, I have noted that many Darne 20s are bored this way. I'm guessing it lends more actual constriction than it at first appears there is to this gun and others like it.

All of my other Darnes are much closer in an industry standard measurement, or, a bit undersize.

Not a huge fan of spreaders, and, besides, I have guns choked in a configuration more useful for earlier season use on ruffies and woodcock. But, it was eye opening out there today, to say the least.

Best,
Ted

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Originally Posted By: buzz
At 23 yards is about where skeet guns are patterned. Unless you want a skeet gun, it looks ok to me, likely ic/mod (assuming that's a large piece of paper like butcher paper). You can probably tell more about what choke it is patterning at 40 yards.


Do you shoot a lot of grouse and woodcock, in September/October, at 40 yards?

Rhetorical, Buzz, everyone already knows the answer.


Best,
Ted

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Originally Posted By: Ted Schefelbein
Originally Posted By: buzz
At 23 yards is about where skeet guns are patterned. Unless you want a skeet gun, it looks ok to me, likely ic/mod (assuming that's a large piece of paper like butcher paper). You can probably tell more about what choke it is patterning at 40 yards.


Do you shoot a lot of grouse and woodcock, in September/October, at 40 yards?

Rhetorical, Buzz, everyone already knows the answer.


Best,
Ted
I'm not sure why you needed to come back with a patronizing and condescending reply there Ted. Are you always looking for a pissing match or maybe it's just your nature? All was trying to say is I don't think the chokes in your gun are all that terribly/horribly tight, even for grouse, certainly not full and extra full. But, maybe I'm wrong on the chokes?


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When you get tired of two piper a new 16ga Auto-5 inertia driven semi-auto is excellent substitute. With 26" it has low weight and excellent handling. By changing choke tube you can select pattern you like with different loads. It is modern international design with parts from all over the world assembled at a secret location.

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16mm or .630 is a tad overbore, but not excessively and not uncommonly for other brands.

Polywad to the rescue.

Pack a box of their 20ga spread loads and hit the early grouse woods.

No worries.



"The price of good shotgunnery is constant practice" - Fred Kimble
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Hi, Ted

It's a good idea to end rhetorical questions with a period instead of a question mark.

Maybe something in the cause of shot dispersion thread can help(?) (.)

(I was hoping to find out where the galaxy of 7 of 9's was in that thread. No luck)


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Billions and billions...


"The price of good shotgunnery is constant practice" - Fred Kimble
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