doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Western vs. eastern

yup

had a farmer friend tell me he had turned the fence off. ZAP

later - his son said he had noticed Dad had left the fence off so he turned it back on for him - yeah thanks


one thing that did once did damage guns was those once ubiquitous gun racks in pickups. just the right distance between the hooks to get the both forend and the grip checkering

They just weren't properly installed in the truck if they hurt the checkering. Mine only rubbed the bluing off the barrel and the finish off the grip.

SRH

On one occasion I was Zapped 1-time by an electric fence which was not even connected to the charger. We had a spring loaded insulated handle for use as a gap through one. I was driving the old Two-Cylinder John Deere through & had stopped & taken down the gap, just dropping it on the ground. As it was on the side away from the charger I thought it would be easier to just grab the wire as it left the post & follow it out, rather than lean over to pick up the handle. Little did I realize at that point in time that wire could act as a capacitor & it gave me one fierce jolt as it discharged. The ground was extremely dry so it apparently had not made sufficient contact to ground, But I Did.

I've also heard barbed wire fences were a primary cause of bottom side wood damage around the receiver. Another common place for damage on an LC Smith is right behind the trigger guard, supposedly from using the trigger guard as a slip guard to keep the wire from jumping around as the hunter pushed down and stepped over the fence.

Yes, I have noticed guns from out West tend to be in better shape. Less rust, which I've attributed to the humidity levels as compared to the South.

I can confirm that one, due to experience. I guarantee that if it ever happens, you'll remember to be careful the rest of your life when crossing electric fences.

Smith hammergun



00



Probably a home made wood guard

I expect the Iowa of my youth had about as much barbed wire per square mile as any state. Intensively farmed, but fields were a lot smaller back then, and all separated by wire fences. Pheasants were the main game, so we were basically hunting ag ground.

My dad's shotgun, which I still have, is an old, beat-up Eastern Arms .410 single shot. Wouldn't have hurt that gun to use it to hold down wire, but I never saw him do that. He used his hand, which I still do. But I'm short enough that holding down the top wire doesn't work in a lot of cases. If I'm with someone else, we take turns stepping on the 2nd strand and pulling up on the 3rd strand while the other guy slides through.

I misjudged the height of one fence this year. Looked like a push down, step over from the road side, but after I'd swung my left leg over and reached for the ground with my foot, I realized there was a depression on the other side, hidden in the grass. So I'm "crotched" on the top strand, and not having slid my gun under the fence, I still have it in my hand. I unload, look for a safe place to drop it so I can use both hands to disentangle myself. I see a big rock partly covered by grass, avoid that. Another nice looking clump of grass, gentle landing for the gun I think. Put the butt down, let it fall . . . clunk. Another big rock hiding in the grass. Untangled, I look for stock damage. Looks like I'm in luck. Reload, continue hunting. About 15 minutes later, I happen to glance at the barrels. Yeah . . . that rock missed the stock, but it caught the barrels a pretty good lick. Nasty dent in the L tube. Didn't have a spare gun with me. Unloaded the L tube, hunted with it as a single shot the rest of the morning. Turned out I only had one chance at a rooster, and I didn't need the L barrel.

Lefever



Better design on the Baker without exposed wood forward of the guard

Most barb wire fence I encounter while chasing uplands around here is usually in dire need of repair, so crossing usually isn't a big deal by holding down the top wire with one hand with the shotgun held in the other as I step over.

I usually hunt with a good friend and if the fence is in good shape, I usually walk over to where he is and hand him the shotgun while I either crawl under, over or through the strands.

There are however many ways to muck up a good shotgun in the area, particularly while chasing chukar, where no fences may be encountered.

Being fairly short (5'8") and not too flexible, I've caught my crotch numerous times on the top wire over the years. Only one time, that I remember, did I actually hurt myself. I crossed a good tight fence by climbing up the strands along the post, when stepping over my pants leg caught on a barb and I tumbled to the ground on the other side. I was able to protect the shotgun, but I put some nice gouges on my hand and arm from the metal post and barbs.

We had an pulsing electric fence around about 10 acres of our property growing up, so I know how to deal with those, particularly after trying to devise ways to shock my 3 other siblings and vice versa!

I was hunting pheasants in Nebraska several years ago with a friend who brought his son along. His son decided to take a leak. Right: You guessed it! He peed right on an electric fence. Boy was that an uplifting experience for him!
Jim