Gil's photo of his French 16 today and, surprising to me, numerous mentions of the 16 lately on the board has me wondering if there's renewed interest in 16 gauges and why if there is.
Geez King, if you had been paying attention to the intended subject matter here instead of posting so much of your anti-gun, anti-NRA, and anti-2nd Amendment rhetoric and support for anti-gun politicians here, perhaps you could see that interest in 16 gauge doubles has been steady and consistent for many years:
Ed, historically the individual "right" to bear arms is relatively new. I believe John Ashcroft in 2002 became the first federal attorney-general to proclaim that individuals should be able to own guns. The Supreme Court in 2008 overturned all mainstream legal and historical scholarship by ruling that there is an individual right to own firearms although with some limits. Obama said it again last week.
I believe that during the previous 218 years the Second meant what it said: firearms shall be held by "the People"---a collective and not individual right---insofar they are in the service of "a well-regulated militia." Was an individual right even mentioned at the Constitutional Convention or in the House when it ratified the Amendment or when debated in state legislatures? I don't think so.
But considering your past history here, this feigned interest in the 16 gauge was rather predictable because you have pretended to be a gun guy numerous times in the past whenever a lot of people began to notice your real agenda here.
If you were at all serious about doubles, you would have noted the strong and steady demand for smaller bore doubles by many upland game hunters. You would also notice the premium the 16 gauge guns get on the open market despite the more limited ammunition availability and choices. You and your little brother Larry would also understand that choosing a 16 or smaller bore shotgun is more often simply a choice of using a gun that intentionally handicaps oneself to make hunting and shooting even more sporting. I have one hunting buddy who looks down his nose at me when I bring a 16 gauge for grouse, because he uses a .410 double almost exclusively. I doubt if he'd even hunt with me if I brought a 12, or heaven forbid, my light 10 gauge Syracuse Lefever.
And if you were truly interested in vintage doubles, you certainly wouldn't be making arguments in favor of lead ammunition bans that would place a much greater damper on all vintage doubles and especially the 16 gauge. Here's a quick and concise summation of many of your anti-lead ammunition diatribes:
A couple days ago, you accused me of being malicious in another thread. I wasn't able to respond in a timely manner because I just went without internet access for a couple days while flintlock deer hunting. I can understand why you might say that I am malicious when I replay your own words and give my opinion of your motives and veracity. But don't you think that staunch support for an extreme anti-gunner like Barack Obama like these statements are malicious and trolling when posted on a firearms related forum??? Apparently not:
It's hardly mean-spirited to note that I'm an Obama supporter. I'm proud of it, apparent here as long as he's been around. He's anti-gun but has kept his legislative gun in his holster to position his party for '16.
C'mon, mc, I'm just like you, admiring some presidents, less so others, just as I do our prime ministers. Some members are tired of my praising Obama as one who will go down in history as one of the best. What's malicious in that? Just an opinion on an international board, no better than yours.
I guess I could use the words of old colonel and surmise that your intentions here are "specious" at best. In other words, misleading, deceptive, false, spurious, or fallacious. He seems to think that referring to statements by you as "specious" is preferable to calling you dishonest. That's funny. He also apparently is too dense to understand sarcasm, so I've made a mental note to avoid it with him in the future. Specious... hahahaha.... it does have a nice ring to it.... almost like pathological prevaricator, don't you think?
