doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com American Double Guns RE: Rabbits

Growing up I was introduced to hunting, with my Dad, Grandpap, and Uncles, while following beagles chasing rabbits around Allegheny Co PA. It holds a special place in my memories. I am curious if anyone has any insight about the lack of rabbits on American doubles. I assume it is directly related to class and social status.
Does anyone have photos of a rabbit gun?
I have seen exactly 4
1.) Early Crass Ithaca Grade 6 with a "peter cottontail style head"
2.) The Ithaca 20ga grade 3 I have attached a photo of.
3.) DGJ article about an Ithaca embellished AH Fox with the exact same rabbit as this 20
4.) A Baker Sterling Grade single barrel with what may have been this exact same (McGraw??) rabbit.

That is a great question. I don't know why I never thought about it. Hear in Cambria County PA, small game hunting was rabbit hunting. I think every house in my neighborhood had a dog house house in the back yard with a beagle in it. When someone asked how a hunt went the standard answer was four and a bird. I think an old double with a few beagles chasing a rabbit engraving on it would be way cool.
terc

There is a back issue of DGJ that has a story and pictures of a 16 gauge LC Smith with rabbit engraving.Bobby

I love it! Very nice

I'm engraving an L.C. Smith 20 now with rabbits on one side.

It makes sense to me ,since moving here to NH 30 years ago from England/Ireland I have seen just 3 rabbits.
Back home you'd have to drive round them on the back roads.Some people used to "Road hunt" them, & there was no gun involved :),just Dunlops.
I'd love to shoot n eat a nice brace o' coney
franc

Not a double gun, but a Baker Superba single barrel trap by Rudolph Kornbrath ca. 1913.

Nice topic, I'm also a beagler.

Thanks for posting pics of the guns. Mr. Kornbrath was a genius.

Sam, please share when you finish your work.

Bobby, any idea of an approximate year of DGJ on that Smith with rabbit engraving?

Thanks for the replies.. Daryl thanks for the pic. I would still love to see some more from anyone! I will be hunting for that LC DGJ article as well... it escapes my memory at this time, but I am happy to have en excuse to flip through them all again.

Great topic.

Daryl,

Is that moon & star a Turkish emblem? Any thoughts on it?

Pete