I was influenced by Evans' "Upland Shooting Life" while living in Morocco (of all places . . . but where the upland hunting was pretty darned good. I acquired a Brittany from a Moroccan hunting partner at about the same time, and that pretty much sealed the deal.) The book came to me via the old Outdoor Life Book Club. Bought my first sxs (Ithaca SKB 150 12ga) at the Navy Rod & Gun Club in Rota, Spain 1972. My other choice was a Winchester 101. I credit Evans with influencing me to go horizontal rather than vertical. But that might not have happened if the Beretta OU I ordered previously from the Gun Club at Torrejon Air Force Base hadn't arrived with a cracked forend.

Other Flatwater veterans may chime in, but I believe the first shoot was 2004. The first UP SxS Classic was a few years prior to that. Expect someone here will remember. The only one I missed was the very first one.

My first classic sxs was a fairly basic between the wars 16ga Sauer. Bought it for myself as a graduation present when I completed my M.A, summer 1974. Had the short chambers lengthened, which I wouldn't do today. And I'd hate to count how many Iowa ringnecks died from lead poisoning administered via high brass 1 1/8 oz loads of 6's. The only failure that gun experienced was when the link between the top lever and the Greener crossbolt broke. Those Sauers are pretty tough guns!

McIntosh's "The Best Shotguns Ever Made in America: Seven Vintage Doubles to Shoot and to Treasure" (1981) certainly stoked an interest in classic American sxs. Before it was published as a book, I believe it appeared as a series of articles in "The Missouri Conservationist" magazine".

By the late 50's, choices in new American sxs were limited to the Savage/Stevens doubles. I'd been hunting with a Stevens single shot .410 handed down to me by my older brother. I wanted one of those Savage/Stevens guns. The only other American-made sxs at that time was the Winchester 21, but it was only available from the custom shop. Additional interest in modern sxs was stoked as Americans came around to accepting that shotguns made in Japan were not cheap junk. Once American makers put their names on those guns (Ithaca on the SKB, Browning on the BSS, and Winchester on the Model 23) that gave those who wanted to buy "American" a choice of solid modern products as well as the vintage guns, which hadn't attracted much interest for a long time.