doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Browning Lightning 20/28/410???

I have a friend who owns an early small frame three barrel set that is probably not in the three barrel serial number range. His gun was sold in Kingston via UK, never touched base in the US. I will try to find out what his serial number is. His gun has the sculpted European style A-1 Grade receiver, very rare in the US, unheard of in the smallbore here. His gun also has the very skinny lightweight style forends. Yes, these guns exist but are rare. Rodale probably got his in the UK, one of very few countries other than the US where American skeet is shot. My International Skeet shooting friends in PA and DEL used to tell of Bob Rodale doing extreme warmup exercises before shooting. My friend who hosted the Rodale Olympic Tryouts for many years still shoots a short barrel Browning Superposed in competition years after his competition has switched to more modern long barrel guns. He is an Olympic team coach who shot with Rodale at Holmesburg for years, even back in their NSSA skeet days. My Silver Medal from the 1991 Rodale shoot is a great silver bowl displayed on my decoy shelf. We want to see pictures of your Browning.

I checked in Schwing and could not find evidence that there was a separate serial number range for the three barrel sets, but I will keep looking. I may have been absolutely wrong about that. Your gun is in the 20 gauge serial number range for 1959, the first year that the 28 and .410 barrels were made. In 1960, the first full NSSA skeet year that Bob Rodale would have shot this gun, he had a .945 average in 20 gauge, .943 in 28 gauge, .878 in the .410. Those averages don't sound too impressive in today's world, but in 1959, they were quite respectable.

Dick,

I finally found Mr. Jenson's phone number and the answer is: Shipped to Buffalo Gun Center on the 5th of Feb, 1959 as a 26" 20ga. Lightning with a VR and IC & M chokes. He felt it was made into a three bbl set sometime soon thereafter. So, now we have the rest of the story. Thanks to all who responded.

Congratulations on having a shotgun used by a great shooter.