doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hunting with a hammergun?

Flychamps: This gun was dated to just a bit earlier than mine (I'd have to read the article again, but something like 1864-65):




Your gun looks (at least to me) to be centerfire all the way (the "coves" on the standing breech are a dead give-a-way). In 1866, things were clearly in a flux, with Lang producing guns on a variety of actions. From what I've read, guns were also being converted from muzzleloading to breechloading there concurrently. Mine dates to 1866 as well (in "the book") but it's clearly been converted from a pinfire. You can't see them here (very cleverly done), but there are filled holes on the tops of the tubes.



If I hadn't shot it so-well on clays I'd likely not bother, but it'll be fun to try it out on wild birds. It is so-thin and lively (for it's type), it should be a pleasure to carry. All I need is a few "dumb" ones to cooperate, or have them "go" in predictable places (which does happen up there on occasion).

When I am alone in a blind I hunt waterfowl with cocked hammers but never when someone else is nearby. In clays, I find that cocking them is a great pre-shot ritual before calling pull.

I grew up hunting with a hammer SxS, never knew better than to be intimidated by hammer and flushing birds. I killed my first grouse on the wing with one near Stevens Point and my first pheasant near Racine and pretty much everything I killed was with a hammer gun. Reach pulled the right hammer as I was bringing tthe gun to my shoulder. IF I needed another round it wasn't that slow to reach up and pull the second hammer. Wish I had some pictures from the 50's and 60's. I hunted a number of years with a Beretta O/U percussion shotgun and it worked on grouse and ducks in MN and N. WI.. I still rely on a hammer shotgun for ducks. I used a hammer drilling doing control work in southern WI in the 1960's and still kill some coyotes with it.



Mine aren't fancy but still do the job



The hammer shotgun from my youth, it hung in my BinL's country grocery store with my old-time ice harvesting gear and some of my collectable trapping gear until he sold the place, now it all adorns his livingroom and entry way with his big bass and antler collection.


I did gothrough a period of modern equipment but 20 yrs ago started to phase them out again.

Got any pics of a limit of wild Chukar, Huns or sharptails with a hammergun?

Here’s a George Daw with Huns and a Webley with ruffed grouse…

Cazar con armas de martillos o perrillos es algo muy especial. Se puede cazar al salto siempre que tengamos cuidado y precaución. Yo cacé con una escopeta belga del 16. Llevaba un martillo montado y mi dedo pulgar en el otro preparado por si arrancaba una pieza, siempre con los cañones hacia arriba.

Ahora cazo con una escopeta monotiro del 28 con martillo. Lo hago sin problema cazando al salto y en puesto. Sólo monto el martillo antes de disparar; y si no lo hago lo desmonto con cuidado y fácilmente.

Cazar y tirar con escopetas o rifles de martillos nos da sensaciones muy especiales y distintas.

Saludos y buena caza.

It must be remembered that most hammerless guns are carried cocked. On most, if there are no intercepting sears, the safety only blocks the triggers and are no different to a cocked hammer gun being carried. Lagopus.....

Many of us are a bit anal about hammer guns and their safety and their cocking. Simply put, a hammer gun shouldn't be carried cocked, that solving the safety problem. Next is the cocking. When your dog is on point, cock both barrels. If a bird flushes unexpectedly, a right handed shooter should mount and cock the left hammer at the same time. When the mount is complete, the right hammer is cocked and firing commences. It sounds like it takes a lot of time, but really it doesn't.

Exactly. I know people who hunt with old pigeons guns, no safeties. Manufrance Ideals (terrible safety design, better to not use it at all in most instances), Darnes, etc. Muzzle control, safe handling, unloading, opening the action, lowering the hammers or putting on the safety when crossing obstacles, etc and above all, using the safety between your ears is vastly more important than putting your faith into a mechanical safety. Like you said…most safeties block the triggers from being pulled, they don’t do anything to prevent a sear from being accidentally jarred or knocked out of bent.

I'd say they are quite different. Remarkably so.