I grew up in a kitchen with the guns in the corner by the back door. No one used the "front" rooms except at Christmas or to see who was going up or down the road. The kitchen, never steamy, was the only warm room in the house.
Rifles were stacked on the outside of the corner because it cost cartridges to sight them in. We were more careful with sights than best dishes because when the big one appeared it was needed for the pot. A miss from an errant sight was no joke.
Most gunners in my fishing village kept their guns in the outside porch or shed to ease condensation. For all the salt water they were exposed to, I've never seen rust on barrels inside or out. They were lubricated with SAE30 and 3-in-1 "sewing machine oil."
Rust got into the action, of course, and the annual cleaning there was a sight to see. Off came the shotgun stock and gasoline was poured over the action until the run-off was no longer orange. Then, scoured with steel wool and toothbrush, oiled and made ready for eiders, scoters, oldsquaw and blacks the next year.
My guess, from the looks of the clothing of these gunners, is that they used their heads more than their hands. The inch-thick ice they're examining would be commonplace to most rural North Americans. It's wonderful to have the snap, though, to boot up memories of how it was long ago.
Last edited by King Brown; 11/18/06 01:52 PM.
