Great thread.
Mom's Dad died at age 47 and if he hunted I am not aware of it. Dad's dad must of hunted and fished ... raised 9 kids on the farm and all the boys and 3 of the girls hunted and fished til the end.
Dad hunted with a 20ga Western Arms Long Range (Ithaca). Deluxe model with ventilated red rubber pad and ivory bead sites. Everybody said it shot close ... meaning a tight pattern. Hunted rabbits with it from his youth and doves thru his last year at age 87 with my son, my Boykin Spaniel and me. He had it reblued right over the pits, and the wood sanded smooth & refinished. Remember them saying the guy that blue it used blued roofing nails that somehow transfered the blue to bbls. Never did understand that one. I know now that the guns didn't get much care back then. End of the season they went in the closet in the basement... they were cleaned at the first of the next season. My brother got his truck and I got his double. You know who won that one.
One Uncle was a trader, but he did keep a stevens 410 around long enough for me to cut my teeth on it. Would love to have it back.
I'm told another uncle had a Parker 20ga ... He worked at a clothing store that has a sister hardware store where he paid on it along. The youngest had a double bbl 12 with wire & tape wrapped around the grip to hold it together. His wife bought him a Browning Light 12 in 1957, and he still has it. It was $125.00 and that was like $10,000 today. It came from the same hardware store on time.
Charlie
