doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com how do you compete with these british s/s

Roy,
Please explain how "Excessive head space is a common cause of heavy recoil."

Woodie shooting in Europe is a great sport anybody can enjoy and w/o having "deep pockets". Fav recipes are 'Spagetti Pigeonnaise' and 'Pigeons Napoleon'. Please note French and Italian culinary lineage.

Steve,I should have said,"excessive head space is a possible cause for excessive recoil."
In answer to your question; I would refer you to the, "Gun Book,"by Gough Thomas, pages 243 --247.The chapter is entitled ,"shotgun head space and excessive recoil." Thomas states that the maximum clearance between the head surface of the shell and the breech face of a British gun shoud not exceed.016 inches. Higher amounts lead to increased recoil due to the release of kinetic energy as the shell moves to contact the breech face; this resultant force translates into an increase in recoil.The article details a simple experiment,that eliminated the excessive recoil on a problem gun. Aluminum foil was glued to the heads of 10 cartridges to reduce head clearance to the allowed limit.These shells were test fired in the problem gun.The result being; recoil reduced to acceptable levels.

Lesse if we can translate "The King's/Queen's speech here" 5 hours and about 1 dead bird for every three shells fired in an Eggbeater Limey hammer gun. Back when John Olin tested his new M21 with those 2000 blue pill over loads, assuming 1000 rds. per each tube- which of all the fine doubles made in the World was the first to "give up the ghost"-- Not a Parker, not a AH Fox, not an Ithaca NID-- British guns are made for light loads, when I go after barn pigeons and crows, I use AA 12 Trap loads of 1 & 1/8" oz. no. 8 shot-- and I can shoot 'em all day long in 7 lb. 4 to 12 ounce weight American shotguns- But would not want to try that with the lightweight Limey guns often with overhoned and extra thin walled tubes--But, if you go with Nash Buckingham's "The Dove" taking one bird for three shells pass shooting with a wind factoring in, not too shabby a performance. Pip[ Pip and Cheerios, Olde Boy!!!

Far from the madding Crowd, Trafalgar Square 1937 perhaps? Sure ain't Dublin in front of Davey Bryne's waterhole.

Nice photo. Don't tell me, Madison, Wisconsin, Circa 2/20/2011?

I think I need some rubber on the butt of the stock. The wood has no give and I am tinder today. I can't imagine shooting 300 rounds for two or three days.I do think the the 7/8 oz loads were 1200 fps.Of course I could always get a precision fit stock with the Hydraulic recoil reducer.I am sure that that would be a first.

Roy,
Can someone explain to me how that notion is consistent with Newton's Third Law of Motion?

It's a G.T Garwood thing. He spreads it kinda thick in places.

Run with the Fox, that Winchester test was fine and he stated how good the Winchester 21 was because it didn't give up the ghost when a Purdey soon did. Bit like testing a John Deere tractor against an Aston Martin by driving them both across a ploughed field to see which went farthest and the tractor coming out tops in the test therefore being acclaimed the better vehicle.

I would go with the bad fit and headspace being the likely problem. Curiously though, a change of cartridge may be a solution. I can recall the old Gevelot Club cartridge. No matter what gun I used after six shots I had a throbbing headache and ten shots would have had me done. That was with a 1 1/8th. ounce load. I put it down to the frequency of the vibrations they caused which was not compatible with whatever was inside my head.

Wood pigeon shooting is just about the best and most testing sport. A good consistant shot with those will find everything else easy. I'm crow shooting tonight, then wood pigeon Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and will hope to squeeze another day in between if I can. Lagopus.....