doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Purpose of 12 ga. Mod/Full SXS from 1920's?

Hard hitting was an often cited feature of makers and tight chokes filled the bill. Hard hitting equated to killing power and ability to kill game at long distance. I have three Bakers which were made as waterfowl guns I suspect. All are heavy barreled doubles with chokes of .050-.055. The barrels are so stout that if we had a proof house I alter one to 3" and use it for all my waterfowl needs. Two are steel and one Damascus. If I ever retire they will give me years of work to do and should make a great trio of waterfowl guns to share with my sons.

I think a lot of the mod/full chokes was the economy of the times. I think most all 12 ga were used for Ducks, Pheasants and larger birds.A lot of hunters used them with Buckshot for Deer. Rabbits were sometimes likely and Squirrels in tall trees. When I was a kid I was told NEVER shoot a shotgun shell at one Dove or Quail as it was too expensive. My instructions were to catch several Dove on a fence or several Quail on the ground. I would have had a few stern words if I had brought one bird home from one shotshell. I was usually allowed to buy 3-4 shotgun shells ( Peters Victor )at a time-- 60 years ago.

I can't wait for bushman's next question. There is a pattern here. Post an elementary question that sounds like it's coming from a newbie, then sit back to see how many will take bait and spend their time answering. -CB

When it comes to doubles I am a newbie.

We get people from all across the doublegun spectrum on this BB. Unless they're obviously trolling, most of us treat their questions with respect, no matter how "elementary" they may seem to the "experts" among us.

It was a fair question and one I am often asked when shooting my tight choked Parker SxS's at the local Skeet Range.

Boats

Bushmaster, while Boats appropriately defends your question, it may be encouraging to know that cherry bomb regularly posts this kind of critique of others' posts. Not helpful and with little purpose or information to add. That characterization is easy to confirm by examining his post history, which I was prompted to do last year by similar posts from cherry bomb.

I guess your right, Mr Brown,about the field grade thing,but I have heard it said of other countries guns, but I think weight, bbl & chamber length would help to perhaps narrow down what it might have been made for.
Another answer could be ,Anything, how good a shot are you?, and hows your shoulder, lol
no harm meant..
franc

As a matter of interest, I shot at an event a few weeks ago with my side x side with IC chokes and alternated with an Side x side with full chokes (.030) . I could not tell any difference in hitting the clays at normal distances with the full chokes except they did break the long birds better. As I have heard, we miss by feet and not by inches.

One advantage of a more open choke we sometimes forget: In addition to allowing more compensation for aiming errors, it also keeps you from blowing birds to pieces on close shots. While it can put a smile on your face to see a 10 yard clay disappear in a puff of smoke, it's not so pleasant to see a 10 yard woodcock disappear in a cloud of blood, guts, and feathers.