doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A raining day sxs

Stan
Do you run steel through your sxs ?

I'm with Keith on this one. Lots of us can't choose when we hunt, so hunting upland in the rain is necessary if it is raining on "the day you've got." Beats the crap out of a day sitting at a computer or on the phone working, whether you score any birds or not. And I usually have got something, even in the rain.

Just make sure your "rain gun" fits and functions as well as your purty ones! You need to choose it just as carefully as those!

Some of them. The one that has seen the most is the 12 ga. BSS with 30" barrels. I've shot that sucker off face on the right barrel with heavy steel loads, shimmed the hook, and keep on. Never a problem with the barrels. I did have the left barrel opened to the same constriction as the right was originally, .018". That's tight enough for steel in my book. I've got a Ithaca SKB 200E that can handle steel, too.

I load bismuth for my vintage S x Ss.

Been toying with the idea of seeing if I can get Dickinson to build me a "bespoke" duck/pigeon gun ......................32" barrels, pistol grip, flat file cut rib, with really dense wood to get it up to about 8 1/4 - 8 1/2 lbs. With the chrome lined barrels it would be a steel worthy double duckgun.

Best, SRH

Never ran steel through any of my doubles, hate to say but when steel became mandatory I feed steel through a auto loader 390 super mag.

I've got a 390, too. It got the nod in the most extreme conditions, such as boating into the Bayou Meto in icy, bad weather. But, so rarely anymore, that I did not mention it at first. The BSS has become my bad weather gun for ducks, 95% of the time. Once I faced the fact that it can be replaced with another just like it, I quit babying it. I don't abuse it, but I don't baby it either. I always wanted a 32" one, but they never made them. Tried for several years to find one with junked barrels that I could get sleeved to 32", but finally realized I'd have as much money in it as I could have a Dickinson built for. And, I really am fond of my one Dickinson. Probably the greatest bargain in a new S x S out there ..................from any country.

SRH

I try not to hunt in the rain anymore (or any inclement weather for that matter), unless I just perchance get caught in it. I guess I�m just not that mad at the birds anymore, so I don�t really need a �rain gun�.

I shot doves in the rain the last Saturday of our early season. I don't relish it, either. But, when I drive 9 or 10 hours and have limited time to hunt while there I will duck hunt in the rain. Just hardheaded I guess.

SRH

I took the Greener out for ducks and geese today. It was misty early on but mostly it was just sopping wet everywhere so mud was the rule and gun butts sat in mud and water. But all is well now. We did okay with 3 canadas and 5 blue wings.

I don't really have a rainy day gun. I really dislike upland hunting in the rain, so for me, a rainy day gun would be a nasty weather duck gun. I recently bought a 30" steel barreled Lefever FE, that I'm having the action worked on (one trigger not working correctly). I hunt ducks out of a layout boat, so I'm planning on using that as my semi-nice all weather duck gun. If I hunt in the salt, it will get a good coat of wax. Or, I might use my new Charles Daly sxs. Regardless, I've made it a goal in life to wear out a good gun, and I've not come even close yet. But there's still time!

My rainy day guns are a 16 ga. Ithaca Flues for birds and for waterfowl in the rain an old magnum 870 Wingmaster. The Flues is well worn and the 870 can be broken down in minutes to dry out. That being said if I get caught in the rain with nicer stuff I don't stop hunting. I'm careful to dry and oil everything after it gets wet. Beater or not.