16 gauge Ithaca Flues Field Grade, barrels had been cut to 25" with no choke....It was 1966 and I saw its owner trying to trade it at the Gun counter at the big Gibson's Discount Center in Abilene.
Sporting goods manager, Mr. Littleton, was not interested in it so I followed the old chap out the front door and asked about his gun.... He said he needed to buy a used .22 for the squirrels in his pecans, could not shoot the shotgun in town and needed cheaper shells...
I wound giving him $15.00 for a sawed off loose stock wobbly barrel double....
I ran by the shop of the renowned Freeman A. Davis, a world class gunsmith who lived in town, and showed him my prize.... he was unimpressed by it to say the least. He told me to leave it and he would put it in order...He was a cantankerous old cuss who had no patience for anyone who thought they knew more about guns than him...I had not contemplated having him do any work on it. I had an after school job, but dreaded going broke on this gun...
I returned in a week to find the stock tight on the action, correct screws in the butt plate, the rough end of the barrels smoothed out and proper solder covering the end of the ribs where the hacksaw left its mark, a front bead in place and the safety working correctly...I paid the 12.00 and left with my prize....
The next hurdle was my old man, he could not imagine why in the Hell I would waste money on that piece of junk when I had use of a perfectly fine A5 Solid rib 26" Sweet 16.
I was already a pretty seasoned bird hunter at 16 years and was going to take to the fields with my 2 Pointers with a gun like the famous writers that I spent my school hours reading about...It was pretty effective , but I did not bag near as many birds as I did with repeaters.....Remember trading it off in College , and it was quite a few years before I got serious with another SxS...
