This past Sat 19th-- I attended our pheasant club's tower (aka- Euro) shoot. I shot Dad's (mine since 1981) M12 -30" full solid rib field gun- my "money gun" with the Winchester grey AA Handicap Trap shells- 7&1/2 size shot. But for the apres lunch pick-up, I had the great pleasure to partner with a member, just working with a 2 year old male Drattharr (Blitz) he adopted- and he is a straight-up double gun man. He offered me a T. Bland 12 bore hammer gun- Nitro proof barrels choked 1/4 and 3/4- 29" file cut rib, double triggers and straight handed grip. And it is a hammer gun. He showed me the drill- you carry the gun un-breached, with either the right hand or both hammers cocked back, and you only close it when the bird flushes in front of the dog. I did get a shot, last bird of the five the 3 of us shot over rock-solid points- a left to right, flushed a bit early, I never recalled closing the gun, mounting it and swinging the muzzles ahead of the rooster-it dropped in heavy cover, not quite deceased, but no longer airborne either, and Blitz was on it like down-town Charlie Brown. Wow--I had to re-read my copy of Gene Hill's book- Shotgunner's Notebook. I have searched both GI and Gunz'and Roses websites, no listing at for a Bland- London maker. My friend bought it a few years ago at the Vintager's shootfest.
It would be very gauche to ask what he paid for it, I doubt if he would wish to sell it- he also has a no. 2 of a matched pair of 12 bore Woodwards-which I have also shot while in his company afield at the club. But I fell in love with it. The only aspect of such a field carry might be, that when you bring the muzzles upward toward the sky with the gun opened, the shells can drop out. Oh-- this Bland has 2.5" chambers, so I was shooting RST 1 ounce. 7&1/2 shot- I love RST shells.
