Of Shotgunners and Pitchmen..

I was surprised to see an old Shotgunner pitching investments in pure silver on TV the other night..
Who was it? None other than International Trapshooter from the U.K., Derek Partridge!
Mr. Partridge is quite the salesman, not to mention a highly skilled bunker shooter for the U.K., having been involved in bring the Perazzi knockoff, Kemen from Spain many years ago. The Kemen was a dead ringer for the bulletproof Italian target gun... dropout trigger and all, and Mr. Partridge pushed them heavily!
He used to call me at work trying to put a Kemen in my hands. I'll never know where he got my number or how, but he was offering an attractive price. But, it was a Spanish shotgun, and an unknown quantity, so i passed, but derek was very persistent and not easily dissuaded!
And now, trying to get folks to buy silver as an investment on TV. He's not involved with Kemen anymore, and I haven't heard his name mentioned in shotgunning circles in some time, but he's still a relentless salesman.
He sounds oh so British, and oh so convincing in his pitch...

But, just ass I was not looking for a Kemen shotgun years ago, I'm not looking for silver now, but all the same, I wish derek Partridge the best of luck in his endeavors... Obviously, P.T. Barnum knew something that the rest of us don't!
As an aside, I've yet to see a Kemen to this day!

A visit to Connecticut Shotgun

My daughter lived in New Britain, Connecticut for a few years. She and her family are in the process of moving, so we picked up my grandson for a trip to the Adirondacks with just the grandparents.
The RBL needed a refinement, so I killed two birds with one stone by dropping it off at CSMC while on the way up, and picking it up once again on the way home.
First... This place is hard to find, and if one were to forget the street number, they would most certainly be out of luck! Once at the factory, however, things could not go more smoothly.
The folks at CSMC are fantastic, from the girls in the office to the guys on the floor... Friendly and courteous!
The gunroom? In a word, simply unbelievable! More high grade guns in one place than I've ever seen anywhere... BY FAR! From the Galazan O/U, to rows of RBL's, Parkers, CSMC Fox's, the new A-10 American, the lockwork on this one has to be seen to be believed, to Perazzi, and the list goes on and on!
Further, my RBL was ready to be picked up as promised, with no charge and no questions asked.
For anyone within driving distance of New Britain, Connecticut, the gunroom at CSMC and a chance to interact with the staff, is certainly worth the trip!

Some days 'ya shouldn't get outta' bed!

Went out to the gun club yesterday, as is my habit, for a few rounds of clay targets and to try out a new Green Dot load for the Sixteen. I was immediately made conscious of yet another "new rule." You know, the ones that pop up with sickening regularity that no one ever pays any attention to (and often with good reason).
We always hung the release cord over the gun racks... Been that way for eons. Never been a rule... just what everyone did.
Yesterday, I went to hang the release over the gunrack.. As I've done a thousand times in the past... "We don't do that anymore," I was informed, "New rule. You have to hang the button in the garbage can from now on." Possessing the inquisitive mind that I do, always seeking knowledge, I had the audacity to question why this new edict was passed down to us by the ruling class. After all, we had been doing things the same way for decades. Seemed like it made sense. The cord was out of the way where people couldn't trip over it. Putting it in the garbage can meant laying the wire across the entrance to the field. Seemed counterintuitive to me, but I admit I often am closed minded, and don't see the "big picture" that those with much more intelligence than I seem to see with regularity!
Well, it seems that while grabbing the pull cord to shoot another round, a member of the club's "intelligencia" tore a fella's K-80 off the rack onto the concrete. A bad day I'm sure for the K gun's owner, and the cord puller himself in a mad rush to shoot another round.
Sounds like a new rule is in order to me! A rule to make idiots less able to foist their idiocy amongst those unable to defend themselves from said idiocy...
What a stroke of genius! From now on we'll hang the release cord in the garbage can! Problem solved! Careless individuals will no longer be able to pull fine target guns off the rack... A vision from on high!

But, what happens when a guy yanks the cord and dumps the garbage??? Sounds like me might have another "new rule" in store..
In the meantime, in the immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge, and in keeping with the season... I'll retire to bedlam!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving... And watch your K-80!!

Shotguns and rationalization...

I need another shotgun! A .410 for messin' with the dogs... I don't really need it, but that inner voice that talks to us, has been telling me for so long that I need a .410 for working puppies that I have myself convinced.
A little explanation is in order. Back in the mid seventies, I crossed paths with a beautiful little Remington 11-48 Skeet gun in .410. It was in perfect condition, and every time I stopped in for a visit, I asked to have it handed to me from the rack to fondle it. The proprietor always obliged, because he could see in my eyes that he was within a hair's breadth of a sale.. But, it was not to be! Finances and a youngish family prevented it. But I never forgot the call of that siren.. And she still calls to this day.
While perusing Gunbroker recently, I spied a beautiful little .410 11-48 in pristine condition. I weighed entering the fray, but didn't, and the little Remington went for over $800.
Eventually I'll come across a little .410 auto to mess with, and maybe the siren song will stop replaying in my head....
Or, maybe it won't!

If I were King...

and the changes I'd make!

Not in how I'd rule the serfs, but in how I'd produce the RBL-16 I've come to like pretty well..

There's not much I would change. The gun has been about as reliable as a Swiss watch with reloads and factories.. Now, where is that block of wood?? But there are some improvements I would make to make an already nice shotgun just a little bit nicer.
First and formost, I'd add a touch of scallop to the rear of the receiver where it meets the cheeks of the stock.. SKB did a nice job of this, but I'd reverse the pattern so as not to create a stock splitting steel wedge as SKB did.. Other makers have carried this off well also, such as the Upland Extra from Poli, pictured here, that I've always admired.. A little bit of enhancement in this area would have made an already pretty gun much more attractive.. but obviously, at a cost!
The fixed choke, 29 inch platform lump barrels are just perfect as-is.. Except, I would substitute a nickle silver or ivory front bead, and add a matching mid bead. Now, beads in an of themselves are completely superfluous on a shotgun, and completely unneccessary for a tool that fits, but tradition demands them, and they do look good..
Next, I would ditch some of the laser engraving.. A small amount of tasteful scroll is far preferable, in my humble opinion, to poorly rendered dogs or game scenes.. A Setter on point that looks like a dreaded "Pointing Lab" is the height of poor taste!

I guess it's no secret why these changes are not part of the RBL package. It's a production gun made to a price, and every little nicety adds to the cost. When you're trying to buld a gun for everyman, sometimes we need to cut corners.. But, not in my kingdom!

Enjoy the weekend!

RBL's are TOUGH!

Had the RBL-16 out at a local range this past week. Met, and enjoyed the pleasure of shooting with a gentleman I've gotten to know fairly well over the past couple of years. Obviously a very experienced guy around guns and clay targets in general, and as we discussed on numerous previous outings, the proud owner of an early RBL Launch Edition.
He was shooting reloads, as was I... I don't have a gun in the cabinet that has not been fed a steady diet of reloads.. Shooting "factories" only to obtain usable hulls when none are available for scrounging!
Well, this gent had a round that wouldn't fully chamber, and consequently the RBL wouldn't close. No amount of opening and slamming shut would cause the gun to go into battery and latch shut! And numerous attempts were made! All I could do was stand behind and cringe at every attempt..
The gun was taken down with thoughts of a return trip to CSMC for repairs. I looked at the receiver and all appeared normal.. What else could cause the gun to keep from closing completely?? I picked up the barrels, looked under the ejectors and sure enough, a sliver of brass from a broken head on a AA-20, probably from a previous trip through an autoloader... Doubled over onto itself, no less as if a single thickness would not have been bad enough.. Upon removal and closer inspection, the two plies of brass looked as if they had been squeezed in a vise, obviously hammered with some force.
The gun was re-assembled and finished the round flawlessly!
I don't know how many other guns would have taken that abuse without damaging an ejector.. A testament to the toughness that Connecticut Shotgun has engineered into the design of the RBL..

The RBL design, in spite of all the polarizing reports by the all-knowing on the ubiquitous "innanet," earned my respect that day...

The Maiden Voyage

of the good ship RBL.. And I have to say that it was a complete success!
I don't know if I've ever shot a gun straight out of the box as well. I only dropped a pair of targets out of a couple rounds of low gun skeet.. That's pretty good for me!
The ammo was an ounce of 7 1/2's in Remington Game Loads... This junk promo load provides one of the premier junk hulls for sixteen gauge reloading. A couple of rounds shooting these loads left me longing for my light reloads, but that will come soon enough.
I must say that the RBL-16 is very impressive. It comes to my shoulder beautifully, and swings and points naturally. I looks good, and functioned flawlessly! It also can draw a crowd for the Kreighoff and Perazzi shooters who have never heard of Antony Galazan or CSMC..
Now, this is not my first rodeo, and I'm not naive enough to believe that this blissful Niagara Falls honeymoon will automatically turn into a lifelong happy marriage with no effort on my part, but it does bode well for the future...
I did cheat a little, in calling for a Low 1 for my first target out to assure a dead bird on the grand opening, especially since High 1 has been giving me fits lately from a low gun hold... Other than that, we went by the book..

So, all in all, at this point in time, I'm still enjoying the afterglow. But, success can be fleeting..

Check back next week!

The RBL-16 has arrived!

And I'm about as pleased as I can be with it!
The laser engraving is far superior in hand than it appears in pictures or advertising. Same goes for the laser checkering. If I didn't know that it was applied by laser, I wouldn't have guessed. The slight darkening adds to the appearance, in my opinion.
I ordered 4X wood, was prepared to be disappointed, but was pleasantly surprised. The "money side" for a righty is better than the side showing in the case.. Both sides nice and smoky.
Chokes have been opened to Skeet/Light Modified and the abominable auto safety converted to manual, which is far safer where I come from! Onme applies the safety as habit, without coming to depend on a mechanical assembly to do it for us.. Anything mechanical is subject to wear and failure, so I'd much rather attend to this important detail myself to be sure it's done!
The stock was ordered pistol grip, with a splinter forend. The RBL splinter is rather large for a true splinter anyway, so I thought it a good choice over the more bulbous, but very attractive beavertail..
The new shotgun has only been here a few hours, so I still in the "fondling stage.." There will be more pictures and updates to come as I go over the new edition with a fine tooth comb, and soon put it through it's paces..

It's been a long time comin'...

But I finally got the call I've been waiting over 9 months for, and I can finally type the words I've been waiting so long to type.. For those that are not into "RBLspeak," those infamous words are "Carol called!" Every soul who has waited and waited on a CSMC RBL will recognize that phrase.
I got the call about 2:30 yesterday afternoon. My wife, who answered the phone, stuck her head oput the door and said "Connecticut Shotgun is on the phone.."
Now, I may be a bit arthritic, but those words got me movin' in pretty good shape!

So, the long awaited RBL-16 will be here next week, and at the moment, I feel like a kid in a candy store... Let's hope the 16 gauige RBL leads me to shotgunning nirvava..

Fancy wood, and its appropriate use

I'll be the first to admit it.. I'm a sucker for a fancy piece of walnut!
That said, pretty wood never grassed a bird, but I've yet to meet anyone that doesn't drool when they see it..
But, should wood be commensurate with the relative value of the gun it's applied to?
I think it should! In my opinion, a shotgun marketed to the serfs, like myself, looks a bit out of place wearing the highest grades of walnut. I often prefer a more subdued stick.. Something that looks like a working gun instead of a showpiece.
Can wood be too fancy? I think it can! A friend once had a Beretta ASE with fantastic wood. I shot that gun well the first, and only, time I picked up, and marveled at the figure in the buttstock. The figure was so pronounced and beautiful, that it almost did not look real... Like a piece of plastic!
Some of the wood that is today marketed as "high grade" also shows flaws that would have never passed muster in years past. Knots, and areas that were obviously the remnants of the start of branches. But, as full figured walnut becomes more and more scarce, and more in demand, second quality pieces will also get the nod on the guns of some folks.

So, I like nice wood. But I also like wood with pleasing figure, but an understated elegance..

We'll soon see what shows up on a new gun!

The good ole days...

In my long impatient wait for my 16 ga. RBL to arrive, I've made some observations.. Nothing new there... I observe alot, or try to, on a more or less daily basis..
But, I've been struck by the thought... I wonder how we ever became happy with a shotgun purchase before the advent of "the information superhighway," as the infamous Al Gore loves to call it..
I guess I miss the days when a shotgun was just a shotgun... It either looked good or it didn't.. Handled well or it didn't.. Had that "between the hands" feel or it didn't.. Folded birds cleanly or it didn't. The days before we got out our gram scales and vernier calipers to measure actions and stocks, and to pontificate on what esoteric qualities make a game gun, and which do not.
The days before we could pick apart a man's proud new purchase from the safety of our computer keyboard.. The days before we all became experts and critics.

I suppose a lot of good has come from the internet, but the detachment and disconnect has also made us colder and harder from our little computer rooms... As foe me, I'm just gonna' carry what feels good and gives me an ounce of pleasure. What more can a person ask?

Just an observation...on a gloomy, rainy day.

The word is out

Well, RBL-16's have begun to hit the streets and the proud owners have been posting pics..
Meanwhile, here I sit with bated breath...

This just whet's my appetite..

A Tale of Two Shotguns

And this tale, decidedly not by Dickens, but a little story of how two fine shotguns for a specialized purpose can fall out of favor, and into disuse.. And how Yin and Yang applies to all.. about how one man's meat can be another man's poison...

The first... A Beretta ASE 90.
A friend used a Beretta 682 for many years for virtually all his shooting. Trap, Skeep, Sporting, not to mention walk-up birds and tower shoots. The gun served him well, and had many thousand rounds through it, but the 68X series are nice guns, but in my opinion, are compromised by a questionable lock-up.
My friend is a self made man, in commercial real estate. While I wouldn't call him rich, he's well off and wants for nothing, but to his credit, he does not spend his money wastefully, at least not until he consumes too much alcohol.. but that is a story for another day.
So, the time came when he wanted a gun more durable, and a bit more fitting to his station in life. I recommended the ASE 90, a shotgun that I had always admired for it's strength, beauty and utility. He bought one. A beautiful piece with two drop-out trigger groups. A 28 inch gun, when all the rage in Sporting was 30 inch tubes and heading for 32".
At the guns unveiling at the club, everyone gathered around for oooh's and aaah's.. all except for another of our group that holds alot of sway with our new owner.. He immediately proclaimed the gun would be sold off within the month!
His words were somewhat prophetic, as I knew they would be after putting such a hex on a brand new gun.
My friend shot his new gun.. not well. He being left handed, needed some cast-on, and the gun was sent to a prominent NY gunsmith for bending. Upon it's return, it was still not producing the scores it's owner would have liked, but there was a big difference in between the hands feel between the ASE and the 682, so my advice was give it some time..
The gun got sporadic use, never really given the chance to see what it could actually do, and after about a year, went down the road to another buddy... A right handed shooter who proceeded to shoot it with a stock bent for a leftie... The gun moved to another home. Another right hander who doesn't shoot it, and may not even be aware that it is cast for a southpaw!
So, it's a closet queen, resigned to a life of darkness in a gun cae.. and all because of some bad breaks, and owners that wouldn't give it a chance.

The second.. A Perazzi MX-3 set.

The original MX-3 I might add. The gun without the side lugs of today's MX-3 Special.. The gun without the trademark bank vault lock-up (to borrow a term from our friends at Cold Duck)
A little background.. This gun, a 12 and 20 gauge set with, again, two trigger groups because the MX-3's were set to fire the top barrel first for cost concessions, was owned by the same gentleman as Tale #1, and also was unused for similar reasons... He just didn't like it and felt he couldn't shoot it.
I had always lusted after a Perazzi Comp 1 (Competezion #1) Light Game gun from the Ithaca era, but they're about as rare as hen's teeth, and due to much "fudging" with Perazzi's, one is never really sure he has found an original "Light Game" or a modified Comp 1.
So, I lusted after this set for many years, but the owner any I could never arrive and a price... mainly because he paid too much for it at the outset, and it was never worth it. I took the set for a period of months to get the feel of it. Even with light 20 ga. loads, the gun would "pop open." The old MX-3's were noted for their weakness, but with light twenty gauge loads, it would be a nice little upland gun. But, tthe owner had better have comparably kight 12 gauge loads also!
So, this gun languishes in ambiguity. Unused, and probably will remain so. The "red headed stepchild" of a proud name. A gun that may never find it's "niche"..

Sad in a way, that some otherwise good guns, like people, just never make the cut...

RBL, RBL, Wherefore art thou, RBL?

I'm starting to lose it waiting for delivery!

The closer it gets, the more antsy I get!

I don't know if I can hold on much longer.... HELP!

Overshot cards

Do they blow patterns?

A question I've been considering for some time, and there's obviously no answer without a visit to the dreaded and much despised pattern board for some hands on tests.
But, is it really necessary, or can some "down home" common sense enter the picture? There's no question that modern shotshells outperform their counterparts from yesteryear by a fairly large degree. Plasic wads that contain and protect the shot, as well as form a better gas seal for the propellant to do it's job are obvious advantages, but what about the star crimp? No overshot card to catch air upon leaving the muzzle and forcing the shot charge around? Or, is the cardboard card just shredded to pieces. Old roll crimped shotshells had to deal with this problem.
But, I'm dealing with it again today in my search for lighter loads. Fillers of various kinds added to the bottom of the shotcup are a major pain in the butt! A thin overshot card under the star crimp works well and is far easier to boot, but for other than close range work, is my pattern suffering?
A question that has had my head spinning of late... I'm interested in hearing from folks that have bitten the bullet, spent time at the pattern board and found out for themselves..
I've said many times that I'd rather watch paint dry than pattern shotshells ever again, but I may be forced to that dreaded end.. Seeing is , unfortunately believing!

Parkers in a bad economy

I must admit to having a huge soft spot for Parkers.. The lines of the action, are to me, just "right"...By reading the latest post at Dogs and Doubles, it would appear that there are others who feel the same as I. Take a look at what was purchased at the latest Julia auction, and see if you don't agree...

Nostalgic Reloading

What type of person saves this stuff?
And not only saves it, but takes on more from people clearing their reloading benches of items they'll never likely use again! But, for me at least, never is a loooooong time, and who knows what I'll ever reload in the future!
These Alcan and Winchester cards, and the Alcan overpowder gas seals are all 12 gauge, so in reality, I'll probably never use them as my current intention is to finish out with the 16 ga.
Call it nostalgia from my youth, contrarianism (is that a word?) or whatever you'd like, but that is my plan for the moment.
Now, truth be told, I've never reloaded shells by building up a wad column by traditional means such as this, but all the components are still available from various sources, such as Circle Fly. In all likelihood, I'll continue to bow to modern convention and worship at the altar of modern chemistry by using plastic wads.. But, that one iota of doubt never leaves my mind, and so I continue to stockpile...

For the sake of your marriage and sanity.. do not ever expose yourselves to this dreaded disease!

Click the pic to enlarge...

The Order of Edwardian Gunners

or... The Vintagers.

Like many things in my life, I guess I have a Love/Hate relationship with these folks. We've hosted numbers of their shoots at the club, and I've been in close contact with them. I know some members personally, and consider a few friends.
I've taken an awful lot of shots (sometimes cheap ones) at these folks in the past because of the costumes and upscale attitudes.
While I still consider the "dress up" to be a bit over the top, and the fact that they often recoil at dirty Setter paw prints in the back of their detailed Range Rovers, my current foray into the esoteric world of the Side-by-Side shotgun has softened my judgemental attitude toward these folks to a degree. I'm still a ways off from procuring my first hammergun, so I won't be a member anytime soon (I also lack the financial "wherewithall"), but, the ice is melting. Further, they do put on, by all accounts, a helluva show every year, with doubleguns, books, and accoutrements of all kinds. Just be sure to buy the little woman a Victorian dress if you plan to attend!
While it's undeniable that the Vintagers lean a bit toward the "artsy-fartsy" side, and all that entails (you fill in the blanks), my age is creeping up and I'm mellowing... Besides, they're just like the rest of us, to a degree only moreso, aren't they? So, why not give the benefit of the doubt in the name of inclusiveness...

So, please consider this my peace offering to "The Order of Edwardian Gunners", and while I haven't placed my order for breeks and brogues just yet, I'll applaud their efforts of bring classic side by's out of the oak cabinets and into the fields where they belong...

So, please peruse the Vintagers website, and form your own opinions. Pay particular attention to the area "What to Wear", as it will offer some tips on how to dress for a shoot, and where to find appropriate "togs".. I must admit that the ladies look rather "appealing" in their oh so prim and proper Victorian garb.. I better sign off now before my much too fertile imagination runs away with itself....

Enjoy

What's New in Reloaderland?

To further our discussion of reloading the sixteen, and try to get back on the topic of reloading (I'd much prefer to talk dogs), there is news of new components... Particularly on the wad scene.
Downrange is in the process of producing their first run of the long awaited 3/4 to 7/8 ounce wad, which I believe was, at least in part, privately funded.. Pieces are in production as we speak, so I hope to be shooting some this summer.
Claybuster has also introduced a WWAA-16 clone, and this also is a welcome addition to the 16 ga. reloader's bag of tricks. I've always been somewhat dissatisfied with the Gualandi wads offered by Ballistic Products and Precision Reloading, because the shotcups are short for their intended payload, leaving some shot to scrub the bore. Now, this can be good or not so good, depending on one's point of view, but I'd much rather attempt to control my patterns by other means than intentionally deforming shot.
On another bright note, the rumor mill reports that a new 16 ga. hull is in the works.. Wouldn't that be good news to reloaders that have had to deal with promotional quality junk and call it good? With hulls that reload well only once or twice, particularly in cold weather..
There's much to look forward to on the horizon for gunners with the "Queen of the Uplands"... I just hope I'm around long enough to see it all!

When I have some 3/4 ounce loads whipped up with the new wads, and get a chance to break some targets with 'em, I'll be back to report..
Till then, keep the faith, baby!

An Essential Part of being a 16 gauge Fanatic

And that part is being a reloader!

I've been reloading as long as I've been seriously shotgunning, which is only about 35 years, since there was no one in the family who shot, other than in world wars at other people, or hunted.. So, I was left without mentors. But the Sporting Life ran in my blood as a young boy. Some of my early recollections were sitting in the back seat of a car and passing an uncut field in Fall, daydreaming of following a Setter through the tall grass, gun in hand. Even then, it was in my blood...
Now, back to the subject at hand.. It is my firm, considered belief that to realize the most from the nearly forgotten Sixteen, one must also be a reloader. Sixteen gauge shooters have never had the luxury of wading through the wealth of offerings available to the devotees of the Twelve and Twenty. A few basic loads, in generally antiquated hulls assembled with promotional quality components is generally the norm. How to improve on this dearth of choices? Reload!!
I've got a couple of large bins full of Federal Purples... de rigeur in reloadability and "upland chic" with the uncommon purple hue, just begging to be stuffed with powder and shot, and slid into the waiting tubes of a nice new SxS... and their day is rapidly approaching!
Any 16 ga. reloader worth his salt also needs to belong to Russ Gray's 16 gauge Low Pressure Reloading Group.. It cost me an astounding $15 to join this group years back, and it was probably the best money I ever spent! Today, I believe the freight is twenty bucks.. An incredibly small price to pay for the almost limitless reloading data that is so hard to come by for the Sixteen.
Truth be told, if given my druthers, I'd buy all my ammo at this stage of my career.. I've spent many hours pulling the handles of reloading machines to keep myself supplied with ammo. Certainly not as much in recent years, but all those years, often toiling on a single stage machine before obtaining progressives, served to wear off the novelty of "rolling my own".. But, the Sixteen is a whole different "ball o' wax" and to satisfy my yen for unique and different loads, my only option is "pullin' the handle" once again!
I'll admit that my frugality also plays a role.. I'm not cheap... Just "thrifty!"

I've got some loads planned that should be pretty sweet to feed the "Queen of The Uplands" this coming season...

More coming soon...After the RBL-16's grand arrival and some shooting...