doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The perfect ruffed grouse gun.

There were more grouse killed with a classic american made sxs shotgun then we could ever imagine. AH Fox/Sterly's, Parkers, Elsies, Ithacas, or Lefevers to name the most well known. My vote for you Lloyd, would be for an AH Fox or a Sterlingworth in 16 with 3 or 4 weight 28" barrels that will come in around 6 pounds give or take depending on the barrel. Most of them have a LOP around 14" so if that fits you, your all set on that end but be aware a lot were stocked very deeply with a 3" or more drop at the heel. My go to grouse getter is a Sterly 16 gauge brush model. It had a 3 inch drop until I had a new stock made for it to my dimensions, now I hit much better with it.

Here are my grouse sticks
Fox A grade 16ga 28"
Sterly 16ga 28"


XE 16ga 26"

I use about a dozen SxS's each year(I've never shot an O/U)and hunt about 85 days/yr. Britt and American ~100 year old classics 12's, 16's and 20ga, 5.5 lbs to 6.75 lbs.It doesn't seem to matter which gun I use, it still takes about 5 miles of walking to get one bird based on my records over the last 20 years.The journey is the reward. My wife says I would hit more if I only had one gun;I can't see the logic in that.This year I'm going to use a 5.0 lb Jeffery 12 1895 hammer that has a single 29in barrel.It's light but long so maybe it will swing nicely and I can learn to stop taking a rushed first shot?

For me here in the mountains of Utah a side by side, with open chokes and weighing about 6 to 6 1/2 pounds, fits the bill. I find when the weight drops much below six pounds my shooting suffers.

These days my go to shotgun is a H&H badged Webley & Scott 700 12 gauge with 28 inch barrels. It is choked quarter and half. It weighs right at 6 1/2 lbs. It feels and handles like a gun lighter than that.

My favorite grouse/wc gun is a 1907 W&S screw-grip A&N 16ga SLE with 28" barrels. The balance and handling is excellent and at 5 lbs 15 oz it's a joy to carry all day long in the MN woods. Simple engraving but still a beautiful old SxS.



Before the A&N this AyA #2 16ga with 28" barrels was my favorite upland gun. Barrel #1 is choked for grouse/wc while #2 is choked for the open prairies chasing pheasants/sharpies/huns. At 6 lbs 3 oz it's about as heavy as I care to handle in the uplands.



Another popular option is a SxS I've had for a long time. The Arrieta 871 16ga has 27" barrels. At a little over 6 lbs it's a nice gun for long days in the woods or field. It doesn't get used as often as it once did but certainly an excellent example of a Spanish light weight upland gun with excellent balance and handling.

Back in the 70's before I was really onto doubles, I hunted some grouse and used a 20 ga. Winchester 101, imp.cyl/mod. My favorite for quail and woodcock was a Rem. .410, 11-48 with 25" imp. cyl. barrel vent rib, which I still have. It has shot 10 lb.+ hares and Hungarian Partridge in Germany, woodcock, quail and pheasants here.

I love what you did with that Parker, just a lovely gun.

Best grouse gun for me has been a 28 ga. Parker Repro, 26", straight grip/splinter. Single trigger has been free of trouble. Added a Galco leather/velcro pad for more LOP. It was muzzle light for me at first, but settled down really well with 3 strips of golfer's lead tape added to the underside of the barrels.

Jay

I forgot to mention the one gun I had and sold that I wish I had kept, an Arrieta 2" chambered gun weighing 5 pounds 14 ounces with 27" barrels and choked cylinder and IC. With 7/8 of #8's it threw the best pattern I've ever seen. The only problem with it was because there was no shot cup in the shells you got a lot of lead build up in the barrels and it was a bear to clean. Other than that I would have to say you would go a long way before you found a better grouse gun.

My first post on the DG forum. I see a lot of good info being exchanged by friendly folks.

My current grouse guns are an A.H. Fox 12 ga 28" A grade 2-5/8" chambers (IM/IC) 6lb 14oz and a Browning Lightning Feather Combo 20 ga 27" O/U 3" chambers 6lb 3oz. I also have a Sterlingworth 20 ga 28" 2.5" chambers 6lb 8oz I'm rehabbing and hope to have in service by October. It's currently choked F/M but I'm going to change it to IM/IC.

Best guns & best times,

Dave

1953 20 ga Model 409 Beretta 28" with Briley chokes. 5# 10oz