The historic doubleguns and double gunners that are best remembered, today, are what could be considered "high class". However, it is fair to say that most doubleguns and their owners were anything but "high class", especially in the Americas and the various European colonies. Perhaps these guns and shooters should "get some respect", too.
The vast "majority of the majority" of the old-time double gun shooters had at least one thing in common. Either through necessity or preference they were, shall we say, "careful" with their money. As a result, many "old-timers" very often tried to economize whenevever they could.
One common area of economizing was ammunition.
Up until the 1920's shotgun ammunition reloading was very common and the use of brass cases was the norm. These brass cases were often subjected to considerable wear. My grandmother once showed me her father's loading set from market hunting days. The shells that remained with the set were badly corroded and absolutely paper thin.
Old-time brass shotshell cases were primed with Berdan primers that were similar to, if not identical with, contemporary black powder rifle or pistol primers. Later issues of such cases often were primed with Boxer rifle or pistol primers. It was not all that common for the old-timers to try to make their own primers. Later on, however, when shells began to be loaded with battery cup primers, a number of thrifty shooters objected to paying the extra money for the new-fangled primers. As a result, a fair number of shooters took to "reloading" spent battery cup primers with replacement "caps". This practice went on for quite some time. Hornady offered caps and tools for this purpose at least though the 1960s.
At least a few intrepid cheapskates made their own blackpowder. I suspect that the quality of such homemade powder varied quite a bit and the exact rate of accidental deaths and injuries that resulted from the enterprise can never be known. However, at least a few men, such as Fred Kimble, seemed to do very well with their "home brewed" powders.
Wads were a very common area for economizing. Old reloading sets routinely came with appropriately sized arc punches for punching out wads from cardboard, felt, or what have you. In addition, some very "creative" substitutes were used for relatively expensive felt or cork filler wads. On substitute was wadded-up paper. Newspaper and paper from old catalogs that escaped "privy duty" seem to have been most commonly used but bits of "paper wasp" nests were used, too. (I suspect that a certain amount of care was used to obtain the latter form of "paper"!)
Cereals, such as corn meal seem to have been used, as well, much as they were used in muzzle loading revolvers. In shotguns, the cereal product was "sandwiched" between overpowder wads. This practice went on until quite late. In the 1950s an basement mechanic in Wisconsin came up with a measuring device for cornmeal wadding that was similar in principle to a powder measure. In practice, cereal wadding seems to have worked quite well as long as it did not get wet. In fact, at least one user justified his use of such wadding on the basis that those birds that he did not hit with his loads, he fed. One problem that arose from such loads took place when they were fired in a strong headwind. Shooters and bystanders often ended up looking like they were suffering from terminal cases of dandruff!
Shot, which was and is the most expensive component, was often "economized". Home melted "swan shot" was not uncommon but it seems like "square shot" that was cut from sheet lead was most common. I believe that FN still sells "square shot" spreader loads that work quite well. I suspect that the home made product also did a good job of "spreading" patterns, especially in cylinder bore barrels. My experience with such shot took place when I was a kid. A "hot charge" that featured such shot was pulled from and old Civil War era Prussian smooth bore musket that my friends and I had been playing with! I guess God really does watch over kids, drunks, and fools!
I guess what I am saying is that, while there is nothing wrong with honoring the equipment and practices men who were and are our "betters", there may be merit and a lot of fun in recreating some of the experiences and practices of "the other doublegunners", as well.
Last edited by Dingelfutz; 10/20/08 01:39 PM.
