Homeless Joe
Please do not stereotype me with any other Cowboy Shooters you may have met. I'm sure you don't like being stereotyped. I hear enough stereotyping every where I go as it is. My favorite one is that 'All trapshooters are snobs', and I hear nasty things said about ipsc shooters all the time too. Shooters of all disciplines need to stand together, especially now that the shooting sports are under so much political pressure. All the anti-gunners have to do is set us at each other's throats and stand back and watch us self destruct.
I came over to this board looking for some specific information because I know there is more knowledge about old shotguns on this board than anywhere else on the internet. I did not come here to be criticized for shooting some nice old guns. As for mounting old guns on the wall and never shooting them, you might be interested in the very hot discussion that has been happening over on the CAS Wire for the last couple of days. The prevailing feeling is these guns were built to be shot, they were not built to sit in a trophy case somewhere. You also might be interested to know about the controversy that has been raging regarding cutting down old shotgun barrels for CAS, and you might be interested to know I am one of the most vehement arguers against cutting down the old gems, and that I feel we are custodians of these nice old guns, they are not ours to desecrate as we see fit.
For what it's worth, the old Model 355 was already pretty beat up when I got it, I did not do a thing to it other than mend a couple of cracks in the stock. The lovely little hammer gun had already been polished and rechambered before I bought it, and I lament the fact that somebody cut the barrels to 24" every time I pick it up. I am not one of the 'slam it closed' shooters you talk about. I put nothing but light 2 1/3 dram Black Powder loads through these old Stevens guns because I do not want to subject them to Smokeless pressures, despite the fact that they were proofed for Nitro powders. I treat all my guns, especially the antiques, with the respect they deserve, I never slam them open or shut, I shoot light loads in them, and I take extra care at the loading table, at the firing line, and at the unloading table not to scratch or ding them. We are not talking about a couple of $10,000 guns here, these were workingmen's guns and they were meant to be shot, not sitting gathering dust someplace.
Sorry for the tirade, but you managed to get under my skin with what I felt were uncalled for remarks.
Last edited by Driftwood Johnson; 10/03/07 11:31 AM.
