Ed,
Well, I'll confess to a similar sin-I shoot just about any design gun better on clay birds than a double. A few weeks past I put a new bead on a guys childhood 16 gauge Mossberg bolt action gun, and "tested" it by knocking 24 out of 25 clay pigeons out of the sky with it.
I really didn't want to shoot it that well. Yes, it was embarrasing. No, I didn't offer to buy it from him. Yes, people laughed.
My first repeater was/is a Remington model 17, purchased in 1977 for all of $50. Still have it, and, to date, it is the only gun I own that I have ever shot a Minnesota limit of grouse and woodcock with in the same outing. I own that Remington 20 (1931 vintage) with two barrels, a recent (yesterday!) new-to-me 16 Ithaca, (1957, it would seem) and a non featherlight 12 magnum (1995 King's Ferry gun) with two barrels.I recently sold an Ultra Featherlight version of the Ithaca in 16 to a guy who wanted it way more ($$$$$) than I did.
I am quite familiar with the Browning patent bottom eject/load pump. But, I feel nothing but repulsion for the BPS version of that design. I was never crazy about that diecast trigger assembly, or the way it sheads pot metal against the steel receiver every time it is removed for cleaning. The great majority of them, regardless of gauge, aren't svelte, or well balanced. Now, before anyone accuses me of snobbery, racism, or whatever, let me say, that is my opinion.
You like a BPS, fine. You keep it, too. Start a post about somewhere else about how great they are.
I still hunt birds with my doubles, but, more and more, I shoot a pumper at my local clays club. My results are consistantly better that way. I've got a variety of pumps, including Ithacas, a model 12, and others, even lowly Mossberg 500s, and they all work better than I can shoot, most days, anyway.
I'm not going to sell my doubles, just yet, But I'm not going to sell any more pumps, either!
Best,
Ted
