doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com An urban legend gun.

Ted, that's a great find. Curious as to specs--barrel length, chokes, weight...Gil

Barrel length is 25 1/2 inches. Chokes, marked on the barrel flats, are MOD/FULL. My postal scale says just under 6 lbs, but, it is not that accurate a scale. The gun has a raised rib and no under rib, and was not equipped with a sling, contrary to the ad copy in the 1965 Shooter's Bible. It is marked "QHS" on the rib, which stood for quail hunter supreme in Stoeger jargon, which was a 20 or 28 gauge V19. The LOP is about 14 5/8ths.
Thats all I can think of at the moment.

Best,
Ted

They are odd guns, IMO, interesting, but not worth the money because of the way they feel and handle. I could never shoot one well - just didn't feel right in my hands.

Perhaps the last design of gun that should be sold "off the rack" is a Darne. Fit is critical. So critical that I quit selling used Darnes early on when I was importing them. But, to those that have gone to the trouble to get one in their measurements, I assure you, they feel wonderful in the hand. And I shoot my fitted R10 just fine, thank you very much.

Best,
Ted

I'm sure they're fine guns, but they just look funny. They're like McPherson guitars - no matter how good they sound, I could never see owning one.

Everyone has their likes, and, dislikes. I guess I'm glad the people who think their opinion on this particular design is important have weighed in to share that with us. I do wish, however, they could have seen the post for what it actually was, the illustration of something we all hear about, but seldom get the chance to see.
An unused, unfired, 50 year old gun, that has spent it's entire life in the box it came home in. With it's papers and hang tags and certificate of proof all waiting for the day it was opened up for interested parties to see.
How often does a good double gun get put away and forgotten about, to surface half a century into the future as a time capsule from the day it was sold? I had never seen that stapled paper envelope marked "DOCUMENTS" in all the years I have been fooling with Darnes, so, I learned something when I opened that box. I also learned that I won't bet on quality level of early production Stoeger imports. And, that inspite of the 1965 Shooter's Bible saying so, not all QHS guns were fitted with the Darne sling.
My history lesson for the month, I guess.
I'm not in love with the guns dimensions, but, I could make do with a slip on recoil pad. I haven't decided exactly what I'll do with it. I am thrilled to have had the chance to see exactly how the gun left Stoeger, however, and to share that with a few folks here.


Best,
Ted

Hello Ted,

Great find, thanks for sharing an event that is often talked about but never really
documented.

Best,

JC

You are correct Ted; in retrospect maybe this wasn't the place for such opinions and I certainly I didn't mean for mine to detract from what is a very unusual find. I appreciate your sharing it.

Could you share a little more of the backstory Ted? Was the elderly owner the original buyer? How did it happen that the gun was untouched all those years?

Jay

Ted, I appreciate the thread in the spirit you started it. It is indeed an rare find. It reminds me of the news of the retired car dealer in Nebraska who is auctioning off some cars he hung onto over a 50 year career. 500 cars in fact, including about 50 with odometer readings under 10 miles. You hear stories like this but it is in fact rare to see the real deal.

Like Jay, I'd like to hear a little of the back story.