doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Traits of a pigeon gun?

In the realm of an A&D boxlock, what traits does a pigeon gun have that differ from "regular" guns i.e. size, weight, barrel wall thickness, bolting mechanism, etc.? I get the idea from hearing people talk about pigeon guns, that they are somehow better, or more rare, so I am trying to learn about the pigeon gun variant. Thanks.

Many pigeon guns have NO SAFETY

That�s like asking what a beautifully woman looks like. Taste differ but he goes my list.

32� preferred but 30� might work, heavy proofs.
Full and Full chokes
Two triggers
Weight 8 plus pounds, 81/2+ even better
I like a stock with 1 1/4� drop at comb. 1 1/2� the max.
POW or pistol grip. I just don�t shoot straight grips as well.

Some have long chambers and side clips.

Capt. A.W. Money (aka Bluerock) went on at great lengths to make the case for 30-inch barrels. For many years the max weight allowed was eight pounds, so many are in the 7 pound 12 to 15 ounce range. Seven pounds thirteen ounce, straight grip, no safety, 32-inch full and full, chambered for 3-inch shells, 14 7/16" x 1 7/16" x 2 3/8" --







On English/European guns most likely a third fastener, and side-clips.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=24472
The Sporting Life links no longer work

https://www.remingtonsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26290

Modern pigeon guns I�ve seen are O/U. Perazzi for us �PO folk, and rich people like Fabbri shotguns. A 32� Perazzi with tight chokes and relatively light barrels makes a pretty awesome live bird gun, imho. In terms of the old guns, they were heavier than the game guns and many had a raised rib, sometimes hand-filed. I have a 20 ga #2 Holland with a raised rib; I�m pretty sure it�s an old pigeon gun. It�s a heavy gun, built like a tank. If you use your imagination, you would almost say it was a 20 built on a 12 ha frame. It has no side clips, but it does have a 3rd bite, proofed for 2 3/4� shells and stamped LC.

Vintage pigeon guns, as differentiated from those that sellers call pigeon guns to attract attention from potential buyers, are heavy guns (8 lbs. +, in England), to absorb the recoil of the 3 3/4-1 1/4 oz. loads used by serious shooters (even heavier loads were common in earlier days). They are long barreled, 30" being the minimum, and going to 34" at the extreme ......... with 30"-32" being very common. They are often single triggered, usually pistol gripped, often side-clipped, always tightly choked (if original), often proofed for 1 1/4 oz., often chambered for longer shells (3" +)and stocked high in the comb to help with the rise of the flyer out of the trap. Boxlocks and hammerless sidelocks are often built without a safety.

They're purpose built guns, with no effort spared to please the buyer, who may have certain eccentricities. They're not the same as a waterfowler, which may weigh in upwards of 10 lbs., but often found with many of the same attributes, other than being stocked high in the comb.

Oh, one more thing ............... they are mesmerizing to a few of us.

SRH

Remington's Pigeon Gun from the two 1902 Remington Arms Co. catalogs --





Husqvarna --



W & C Scot & Son --





James Woodward --

Thanks All. What prompted the question was a gun I have from a barter with a good friend:

Skimin & Wood BLNE
12ga
30� f/f steel
Raised rib
8 lbs 3 oz
Hidden third fastener
Clipped fences
Nitro proof to 1 1/4 oz
2 3/4�
LOP 14 1/4�
DAC 1 1/2�
DAH 2 1/8�
POW grip

I wondered about this because of its weight, and how much heftier it is than the other boxlocks in the house right now. It�s neat. I like it and am blessed. Sounds like a pigeon gun to me.