Well, I'm back from Vegas and am the one guilty of giving Terry another project with the high grade crossbolt he got from me. I had planned to restock it and make it my hunting gun with my 15 1/2" pull on the new stock. A thin place in the barrel made me rethink the shooter thing. After seeing the wonderful restorations Terry had done, I told him about my thoughts on the gun and I am now very glad he has it and will look forward to seeing it's completion. It is in the right place.
On the Baker Elite above, that is a nice example. Over the years I may have owned a couple dozen Baker traps and unmolested ones are hard to find. If the gun is pristine , I try to keep it that way. I have a few that have warts and don't mind shooting them, but in a trap gun, use every week at the trap range might be left to a more modern gun. About 3 or 4 hundred Elites of that mechanical model were made.
All of the thoughts above are on shotguns. The summary is that I might shoot each and everyone of mine, some just a few shells at clay targets, sometimes sharing shooting with friends so they get the "feel". I take many different "old" shotguns bird hunting. Lots of fun, but for rifle hunting, where the terrain is rougher and game is bigger, I have used only three guns for 40 years. The vintage "collector" rifles stay home, but sometimes get a few shots in friendly Sunday get togethers.
Just have to add one more thing. On a Texas quail hunt this fall, I loaned a friend , a 16 ga. nut, a three barrel 16 ga by Morian with three triggers. He in turn, loaned me his 20 bore Purdey. I smiled as he took the first two birds out of a rise with the Morian, but could not "find" the third trigger for a tripple, birds for which were available. I am sure my friend did not smile as he watched a fence post break as I was crossing it. I kept the Purdey safe as I tumbled. Both instances give us reason to "shoot or not to shoot".
Good post SDH
Last edited by Daryl Hallquist; 01/25/09 11:53 AM.
