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I own a Super Fox that I duck hunt with. I also know about the Sterlingworth Wildfowl.

What other "famous" side by side duck guns were there? I would love to research some other models/makers.

Thank you all.

Not so famous, but really works well. Husqvarna 51

Desert waterfowl



PNW waterfowl

Our little gathering in June, the Upper Canada Double Gun Classic, produced a W W Greener 4 bore hammerless with 34" barrels (if I remember correctly). We had a scale, so weighed it. Just a hair under 18 pounds. So light and lively in hand!

First one that comes to mind is Nash Buckingham's Bo Whoop. If there was ever a storied firearm, that would be at or near the top! Great reading, too. Gil

GE Lewis Wildfowler

Watson Bros. Fowler

Thomas Bland `The Brent`
Gallyon & Sons Magnum.

Many of Edwin Hedderly's articles are digitized

Forest Stream, Nov. 13, 1909, “Small-bore Guns”
https://books.google.com/books?id=l0kcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA790&lpg
Arms & The Man 1915, “Loading Small-Bores”
https://books.google.com/books?id=BX07AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA158&lpg
Recreation 1917, “Handloading for Small-Bore Guns”
https://books.google.com/books?id=4uVQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA97&lpg
Outdoor Recreation 1919, “Loading Small-Bores”
https://books.google.com/books?id=BX07AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA158&lpg
Field & Stream, Nov. 1921, “Sixteen” – Or “Twenty” Which
https://books.google.com/books?id=UPtAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA704&lpg


On introduction in 1923, Hunter Arms referred to their gun as the "Long Range Wild Fowl", but shortly thereafter the gun was advertised and cataloged only as the "Long Range". Hunter Arms records show that one was made in 1921 and an Eagle Grade Long Range in 1922. Only 14 were made in 1923. Total production of Long Range shotguns (1921-41) was 2,606. The "Wild Fowl" name was used 1940-1942 and 98 were made.
Additional information may be found in the Spring 2013 Double Gun Journal Volume 24, Issue 1, p. 137.



Not all LRWF had 3" chambers and if so, had the football "CHAMBERS 3 INCHES" mark on the barrel flats. The top gun has the "reinforcing wedge"

#3 frame 32" Parkers, 3" chamber 1 1/2 ounce proofed Purdeys, 32" 3" chamber boxlock Dicksons, heavy frame long barrel Prussian Dalys, and a few others that I can't think of right now. How about 3" Ithaca NID 12s?

California Duck Club long barreled Parker 20gauge

The Fox Supers, in 12 and also in 20 gauge, were designed as long range waterfowlers. The "penultimate" 12 ga. Supers are the ones marked as originally having 3" chambers. The chambers are reamed in a certain manner, with a certain taper that is unlike other 3" chambered guns, and require sophisticated measuring to determine originality. There are also 2 3/4" chambered Supers that are original. Supers are unique in that they were designed for a particular waterfowl load that was developed by Western as a long range waterfowl load. If I am not mistaken the HE grade Super Fox is the only gun ever designed and built for a particular duck load. It has a different frame size than other 12 ga. Fox guns, and has specially bored bores and chokes to hold tight patterns at longer ranges.

The L C Smith that was designed as a long range waterfowler is the 'LONG RANGE', and so marked on the underside on the through lump. However, the first year they were offered for sale (1924) the Smith LONG RANGE was SUPPOSEDLY not marked as such.

There are many, many iterations of American made shotguns that are effective long(ish) range waterfowlers, but the two I mentioned were designed and advertised as long range duck guns. As mentioned above, there was a small area of dedicated small bore duck hunters in California, and there are examples of guns having been ordered for members of those duck clubs. I have a Parker DHE that was originally sold to that area. It has 32" 16 ga. barrels, and another set of 32" 20 ga. ones. I have no proof that it was ordered for, or by, a member of one of those clubs, but it is a sweetie on the dove field.

The Steel Shot Special by Parker Reproductions.

Such a nice trophy

If somebody was to look closely enough there's bound to be an O'Connor in his ancestry somewhere. Dang he resembles Jack.

Just like the 12- and 20-gauges, the 16-gauge was offered in several lengths. The "Standard" 16-gauge shell was 2 9/16 inch, but they were also offered in 2 3/4, 2 7/8 and 3-inch lengths.







Back in the day, these longer shells didn't offer heavier loads, but more/better wadding, which many gun cranks believed important.

My canned 16-gauge history lesson --

16-Gauge History lesson --

From the late 1890s until after WW-I, the heaviest 16-gauge loads our North American ammunition companies offered were 2 3/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 22 grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite, pushing 1 ounce of shot. Those loads could be had in the "standard" 2 9/16 inch case or any of the longer 2 3/4, 2 7/8 or 3-inch cases. In late 1922 or early 1923, Western Cartridge Co. added the 16-gauge to their progressive burning powder, high velocity loads called Super-X, but unlike the 1 1/4 ounce 12-gauge and 1 ounce 20-gauge Super-X loads which were put up in Western's 2 3/4 inch FIELD shells, the 1 1/8 ounce 16-gauge Super-X load was put up in their 2 9/16 inch FIELD shell. When the Lubaloy shot Super-X loads were introduced in July 1929, they were put up in Western's high brass RECORD shell, but the 16-gauge still in a 2 9/16 inch length case. The other ammunition companies followed suit, Peters' High Velocity and Remington's Nitro Express 16-gauge loads were put up in 2 9/16 cases.

The 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge shell really began to get some traction when Remington Arms Co., Inc. introduced their Model 11 and "Sportsman" autoloaders in 16-gauge in 1931, chambered for 2 3/4 inch shells. While Remington's regular Nitro Express 16-gauge progressive burning powder load was put up in a 2 9/16 inch hull with a load of 3 drams equiv. pushing 1 1/8 ounce of shot, for their new 16-gauge autoloaders they introduced the slightly faster Auto-Express with a 3 1/4 drams equiv. charge pushing 1 1/8 ounce of shot --



I'm thin on Winchester ammo catalogues, but for sure by 1934, they were offering a similar 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge load.

The 2 3/4 inch Magnum shells with 1 1/2 ounce in 12-gauge, 1 1/4 ounce in 16-gauge and 1 1/8 ounce in 20-gauge first appear in the December 15, 1954, Western Cartridge Co. catalogues.

Western Cartridge Co. added a 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge to their Super-X offerings for 1938. From 1938 through 1942 they called this 16-gauge 2 3/4 inch Super-X shell "Magnum", even though it was still a 1 1/8 ounce payload. By Western Cartridge Co.'s March 7, 1946, catalogue the term "Magnum" was gone from this 2 3/4 inch 16-gauge Super-X shell. In Western's January 2, 1947, catalogue, the 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge Super-X shell was gone from both the chilled shot and the Lubaloy offerings, and their only 2 9/16 inch shells being offered were Xpert. This may have been an oversight, as the 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge Super-X shell with chilled shot is back in Western Cartridge Co.'s April 8, 1948, catalogue and price list, and the 2 9/16 inch 16-gauge Super-X loads remained until their last appearance on Western Cartridge Co.'s January 2, 1962, catalogue and price lists, where it is "available until stocks depleted." By Western Cartridge Co.’s January 2, 1963, catalogue and price lists the new Mark 5 was introduced and all the 16-gauge Super-X offerings are 2 3/4 inch. By the January 2, 1964, Western Cartridge Co. catalogue and price list the 16-gauge 2 9/16 inch Xpert shell is gone as well.

Ok, maybe a "semi-punt" then. But I would argue that a 28 1/2 lb. 4 gauge with 38" barrels is unwieldable for wingshooting.
JR