doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com FUBAR spotted in Winter Issue 2011

JDW, you were correct about the PA pheasant harvest. I wrote my first outdoor article back in 1977. By 78-79, I was "Iowa editor" of the old Fins & Feathers magazine. One issue, in my column, I ran a little quiz: "Name the two states that recorded a million bird plus pheasant harvest last season. Hint: South Dakota is not one of them." The correct answer was IA and PA. Starting in 1963, the IA pheasant harvest never dropped below a million until 1982, then wobbled a bit for a few years before recovering in 1987, with the establishment of CRP. SD's last million plus year was 1974, with their harvest remaining below a million for the next 5 years.

Eight, I actually do find five minutes to be plenty. My overall knowledge of the subject is admittedly pretty thin when compared to others, but... there's a point where I might as well be studying the various models of Rolls Royce or admiring a Learjet. Girly magazines ceased to appeal some time ago also... pity, but the pictured goodies are out of reach.

RWF
Thanks for reading and proofing my Smith article published in the latest DGJ; and my sincere apologies for the incorrect date on the sinking of the Lusitania. And for that "fubar", I make no excuses; but will offer a brief insight. First of all I wrote piece months ago and did not save my manuscript, so I take full responsibility for the error; and will not attempt to blame same on editing or typesetting. Since I'm old and my memory is not what it once was, I couldn't recall exactly when the Lusitania sank; si I looked up that fact on-line. And since old age has also robbed me of visual clarity, I must have thought that the number "7" was the number "1"; but I assure you, and all readers here, that I would never attempt to re-write history; and in fact, always do my best to insure the historical facts I recount are correct. In spite of those efforts however, I do make mistakes; and failed to catch another serious mistake I made in relating some information Dave Noreen had shared with me in a recent Fox Gun article I wrote; so I'm human, whether I wish to admit that fact or not, and therefore not infallible. But, as you know, the intent of the article was to relate the story and facts of this last A-2 Smith gun ever manufactured; and if anyone has discovered other obvious factual mistakes relating to the gun/article; please let me know.
As to the DGJ staff and editing, although those folks seldom mess with my script, this article did receive some editing; the article title was not used as I had suggested, and the opening paragraph was modified. I've had other DGJ articles edited; one change was done in the spirit of political correctness when a Biblical quote I had used was removed. I had attempted to emphasize the short life span of the Syracuse Arms Co and used this quote from the book of James "But what is life..it is but a vapor that appeareth for a short time then vanisheth away". That edit ticked me to no end, as I had worked on that opening paragraph for weeks in an effort to insure I set the desired tone. I have also been bitterly disappointed in some of the photo editing, the fact that too much black ink is consistently used in published photos so that many times details I am trying to high light are obscured, or lost; and there have been too many times when photo captions are either not used, or were used with the wrong photo.
That said, I love the magazine; and if I couldn't read, I'd subscribe to the danged thing just to see those pictures of the amazing double guns I'd not know existed otherwise! When you consider that Dan and Joanna put each issue of the DGJ together straight off their kitchen table with only a little help from family members, the finished piece is an amazing creation; so I give them all the credit. And for what we have collectively learned thru that magazine over the past 20 years I am more than willing to forgive the mistakes I've noted, as well as several instances of really poor judgement.
And although I have no idea what sort of efforts others may put into their DGJ contributions, I put hours and hours and hours of effort into each piece I submit. Not counting the time I spend at Terry Allen's studio setting up the pics I wish to feature, I spend many hours in research before writing anything. And since I have no gift, or talent as a writer; once I write the first draft, I always find it totally pathetic, disgusting, and sub-standard. So I write and re-write, and proof and edit until I am absolutely sick of the whole thing; and question why I would ever subject myself to such torture? Well, the truthful answer to that question is my passion and love for these wonderful old double guns; and the respect I have for the skill and talent their creators exhibited in their design and artistry. And while most forum members here have forgotten more than I'll ever know about doublegun stocking and repair techniques; I've been blessed to see, handle, and own some extraordinary examples of the best in American double guns. The study of these guns fascinates me personally; and thru that study I've learned many things of interest that I though others might also enjoy knowing, which is why I wish to make that knowledge public. After all, I won't live forever; so why not share the things I've learned with others? It is with that thought in mind that I express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the opportunity the good folks at the DGJ have afforded me accomplish as much of this personal goal as time will permit. And I make that comment with the knowledge that many members here don't share my, or similar interests; I understand and appreciate that fact, as this world would be a terribly boring place if everyone held views identical to mine. For those members who wrote here that they enjoyed/appreciated the piece in spite of the date fubar; then many thanks for the kind words, and especially the encouragement. And for those who think my DGJ contributions are a waste of their time; then I appreciate those comments also, as even negative press is better than no press at all. And barring some unforeseen circumstance, I will continue to contribute to the DGJ, as I currently have several projects underway to include two extraordinary high-grade SAC guns, a CE Lefever 20-bore, a LC Smith hammer to hammerless conversion done by Hunter Arms, a rare A-2 Smith 16-bore, another unfinished high-grade LC Smith employee gun, and several others. So as long as Terry Allen continues to make photos, and the DGJ accepts manuscripts; whether appreciated or not, expect more stuff from "Top Gun".

Thanks, Tom. Shotgunjones, the negativity of your attitude about shotgun knowledge is only exceeded by the incorrectness of your assumption that the goodies in DGJ are out of the realistic reach of its readers. The availability of great double shotguns to the working stiff is one of the great joys of our hobby.

Thanks "Top"-- Anybody who lives in my favorite State South of the mason-Dixon line (you can thank Hoagie Carmichael for that if you;d care to) is Aces with me. I make all kinds of typos, but as I am not a writer nor looking to be one, and I don't understand the spell-checky-checky thing on my daughter's Dell anyway- so that's water under the bridge.

A few of the "nattering Nabobs of NumbNuttedNess" here ripped me a new one, or tried to anyway, they quoted Teddy Roosevelt and his acerbic comments on being a critic instead of a 'doer"- Wrong- I was NOT criticizing your splendid article, one of the best I have ever read yet on my beloved "Elsies"- But as a former friend from the Pregnant Gophers Conservation Affliction one wrote me in a private e-mail, and I quote: "Francis, you have a mind like a steel trap" and I took that as a great compliment, knowing full well that if my highly observant granddad and also my father were amongst the living, they'd give me a pat on the back for that-

I learned a great deal from your first rate article- as I had carefully examined a nice unaltered O grade 12- DT EXT- 28" M&F- a basic "Nuts and Bolts" field Smith 12 bore- but saw NO dimples on the muzzles, as evident on both my Grade 2, grade 2E and Grade 3E 12 Smiths- But the barrels taped at 28" even- now I know why that is so, and the fotos showing that were worth the high price of the magazine, at least to me.

I bought it for two reasons, as I am usually a bit 'tight" with my dinero-- Your article, and also the one about the French Greener and the fotos and details of Ernest Hemingway in Paris were the raison d'etre!! My gals gave me a new book about Hemingway's early years in Paris with new bride Hadley Elisabeth Richardson-- I have an extensive Hemingway library, including many personal family letters and photos and articles- a neighbor lady is related to the Dillard family, the ones who owned the Blacksmith shop and Livery in Horton's Bay, MI near Walloon Lake and the Windemeer cottage- I also 'lucked into" two bits of Hemingway "treasure perhaps" (1) A signed copy of his prize winning novel "The Old Man and The Sea" enscribed To Bumby- With Love as Ever- Papa- and I also have a framed picture of Lady Duff Twesden and Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald (the later a Southern belle) sitting outside at a small cafe table in Paris 1924-- Lady Duff was the protagonist for "Lady Brett" in his first novel "The Sun Also Rises"--, just as socialite Jane mason was the protagonist for the character Margot Macomber- in what i consider to have been his best ever short story--

Anyway, this was my first purchase and reading of DGJ-- lotsa great fotos and stuff I can't afford- the Optomist grade Uncle Dan leFever with the single trigger shown in the Steve Barnett is also as desirable as the A-2 with the Monogram barrels you described so well- Both are, indeed, "Crown jewels of doublegundom"!!

The six day error in the ninety-seven year old sinking of the Lusitania in a double gun article hardly equals Fooked Up Beyond All Recognition

It is not like Mr. Archer stated that Ansley Fox never owned or worked at the Baltimore Arms Company. Sit down Researcher, just kidding.

Best,


Mike

Runs at the Mouth just wants to bad mouth one of the Smith faithful because they've got him blocked from posting on their BBS.

DLH

Wonder if your old pal Ed Muderlak would also have been banned from posting on the Loose Change Sidewinders Collection Agency?? He was known to be somewhat "outspoken"- a trait I tend to admire in honest men, present company excluded from that classification of course.

Being banned from a minuscule segment of a shooting/hunting/collecting Gruppen is NOT the end of the world, and from the Gent'man from Jawja's kind reply to my posting about "finding a FUBAR" I don't sense any resentment from him, his explanation about hitting a 1 instead of a 7 works for me--

I can enjoy my LC Smiths without the blessing of some fat boy proctologist from the Cornholer State, just as I can enjoy my Parkers without the blessing of the Eastern Seaboarded mafiaso-

Saw something that you might want to check out, Market-Basket-Boy, might have been on E-Bay, someone else is trying to cut into your market on counterfeited pocket watches- a "Head's Up" 4-U, as it were!! RWTF

Geez; can I have my fifteen minutes back?

Runs,

I don't deal in pocket watches much, I think you've got me confused with somebody else. I'm sure that happens to you a lot, being confused I mean......

DLH