doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Decline of the Side-by-Side

Decline of the side x side sales of new guns started before or just about when I started shooting in the early 60s.
However, put a small bore or high grade double on your table at a gun show and watch the vultures gather. They almost all have grey hair, though.

I have seen 1100s function pretty well done below zero.

It is -23 here right now. It is cold, but it has been much colder. Winds are supposed to come up to 25 mph with gusts in the 40s so windchills are expected in the -50 to -60 range.

Indiana sounds pretty balmy.

Who gives a damn Charlotte...

LOL, then you haven't spent a winter in Manitoba.

A lot more people on this site are interested in what Stan has to say than pay much attention to the verbal diarrhea you constantly spew, spelling/grammer mistakes and all. As I have pointed out before, Keith's defense of your obnoxiousness has emboldened you to pollute every thread possible with your drivel.

Count me in that group. Stan lives in Deep Dixie-- he shares his many years of shotgunning with all of us-- as a "Shootinist Gent'man. And he endures, the "Trolls that seem to invade websites.

Other Southern Gents that share their knowledge with us, are Raimey Ellenberg, GLS, and George Newbern, among many others. When I read "Homeless Joe's" replies I can only wonder what he is really like??

I bought a 12 A-5 28" mod. VR barrel from the base PX in Quantico ($135.00) and still have it. When steel shot came out, I had Briley stainless chokes installed, used it for years for divers and other ducks from layout boats. Setting the friction ring and having the bevel set properly, along with some spray lube, is a key to proper function, in the nasty weather of waterfowling.

I use my 12 bore M-12's (and a M'berg 835 Ulti-Mag pump now, and I don't shoot from layout boats, nor use waders either, for my duck hunts today- it's all land based pass shooting. But I would use the A-5 again, in preference to the autoloaders offered on today's gun market.

Remember what the late Ernest Hemingway once said: "A gun is to shoot!" RWTF

Just the same in person fOx...I like how you came back with such a wonderful attitude after your prior go round here.

All my guns get meticulous care and maintenance. I would say that most people I know who hunt, don�t fall into that category. I only know one other guy who regularly shoots a double, my friend Lloyd3, and he will mix it up with pump guns as well, same as me.
We have -30 here today, I have hunted in mid 20s below, but, I was a younger dude when I did it, and might not have it in me anymore. If I did attempt it, I�d use my Browning A5, as it has been reliable for both of its owners since 1952. Dad never had a hiccup with it, and neither have I. It gets cleaned and lubed at every use, same as the other guns. My belief is that the synthetic lubes that I use on the shock in the A5, and the others guns, as well, helps keep it running. But, Dad never had those lubes, and just used lighter oil when it was cold.
If you had one that didn�t work, there was a problem with the gun, that simple. Light loads in a gun with a brand new set of springs can cause issue, but the fix is really simple-put the old springs back in, and lube the shock.
Brent, sorry you had an issue with one. Broken guns on a hunting trip suck. That said, I�d be looking at why it was acting up, instead of blaming the design. Unlike the first SBE, the A5 and model 11 run pretty well, if taken care of.

Buzz, if you lived here, the police would be notified, and your dogs would be taken away from you. It happens all the time. I have a Setter, and understand the breeds limitations in this part of the country. Sub zero temps overnight and outdoors are beyond what a field Setter is capable of. My dog lives with me, indoors.

If you hunt with Huskies, I suppose they are fine out there. You would still have issued with the law in this part of the world, right or wrong.

Best,
Ted

I know the answer to that one, Joseph-- The late Bette Davis-- "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte".. Foxey

Ted, when I owned the M11, it came to me in very good condition but unused for many years. So I stripped it down and cleaned and lubed and got it in fine shape. But it did not last the first trip to the sandbar before it jammed. Kansas sandbars are special. There is more sand flowing on the bar than there is water in the river sometimes. It may have behaved better in other environments but I wasn't about to keep a gun that needed a complete stripping and rebuilding after every morning outing. As a grad student at the time, I had other things to do and a very dependable 870 that was every bit as "attractive" as the M11 with much room to spare and I also had my grandfather's other shotgun -an 1897 Winchester. It also has never failed. At that time, the vast majority of my shotgunning was on sandbars from the beginning of the season until freeze up in January, so my guns were chosen around that environment and my wallet was VERY thin at the time.

The other thing about the M11 is that it, one time, tripled on me and dumped the entire mag on a single duck. It was cold then too, so maybe my gloves had something to do with that event. Afterwards, it stood in the closet until its time to move came. And then it went.

It might very well have been that particular gun or something I did wrong in the cleaning of it, but it was not trustable, better alternatives were at hand, and it had no cache for me at all.