16ga.com ~ View topic - English guns part 2- acquisition

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2124 Location: Hudson,Wy

Well my friends, it took a while, but I finally bought one. I called Kirby Hoyt of Vintage Doubles and committed to the Cogswell & Harrison 16 ga. on Monday. Mush to my amazement, it arrive here in Wyoming on Thursday! Now that's fast service.

The particulars:
2 1/2" chambers, 1oz. Nitro proof
27 1/2" fluid steel barrels
Sk & Mod choke combo
English grip/ splinter fore arm combo
6 lbs. 1.5 oz.

The gun has been partially refinished before, no big surprise considering its age. For the money, this is an outstanding gun for me. I will very likely make a new stock set from my favorite English walnut blank; the beautiful metal work deserves nicer wood. For now a simple recoil pad upgrade will do. The old Silver's pad is hard and slick.

Just before the gun arrived I finished trimming about 250 hulls using a simple sleeve trimming technique. I modified my Mec 650 press last night so I can reload 2 1/2" 16 ga. now (what a pain), and loaded up some 3/4 oz. ammo for test firing and clay practice. So far so good with testing. I may shoot clays this evening. The problem is, I don't own a nice set of tweeds. Hopefully Lady Cogswell will forgive me with my red and black plaid shirt!
[[URL=https://www.jpgbox.com/page/59984_1000x605/]

[/URL]]
[/[URL=https://www.jpgbox.com/page/59985_512x768/]

[/URL]]
[[URL=https://www.jpgbox.com/page/59986_1000x667/]

[/URL]]
[/[URL=https://www.jpgbox.com/page/56902_1000x667/]

[/URL]]

WyoChukar,

Congrats on the purchase of a fine 16 gauge double gun, can't wait to see the new stock on her, with the fantastic Walnut Wood.

All the best buddy,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Love great Walnut Wood on fine guns

Wyoming,
Congrats on the purchase and I know you will enjoy the Coggie. That blank will sure dress her up.

Good Hunting,
Mike

Nice gun Garhaurt , good choice sir enjoy , a just bought a Cogswell and Harrison branded gun cabinet , great historic company.
Happy hunting with your new gun WJ.

Guest

Looks really good, Wyo. Oozes quality and character which is what an English gun is all about; That and the handling. I can already see it in those beautiful pictures of yours.

Joined: 21 Mar 2019 Posts: 523 Location: Texas

That’s a beautiful double. Very fine piece of walnut you got there.

Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 684 Location: Ontario

Looks like a good choice. I know I’m repeating what everyone else has said but that is an outstanding blank.

I foolishly let slip out the door a lovely little Army & Navy boxlock with the Webley patent screw grip. One more dumb move in a long series.

Enjoy it.

Very nice gun. It should provide great service.

Are the barrels 27 1/8 or 27 1/2 (many Coggies were 27 1/2 - the odd barrel length was one of many of Cog’s eccentricities)?

About what year is it from?

Joined: 01 Mar 2017 Posts: 52

Congratulations. Looks a nice gun and a good shooter.
My concern for you fitting it with that highly figured walnut will cause a certain amount of angst as you clamber and scramble through that rugged terrain as seen on your posts. I guess that your concentration is better directed at your footing and the sudden flush of birds than preoccupation with scratches and dings? The current stock and fore-end look good - and appropriate - to me. Anyways, - Good Luck and Enjoy !

And looking forward to details of your 3/4 oz loads.

ATB
Harkom

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2012 Posts: 1113

Congrats on your new acquisition, should be a great gun for you. I don't imagine you'll be attempting those 45 yard shots at a Himalayan snow cock with that 2 1/2" gun or possibly even chukar before the first snow, so I see only one downside to putting that lovely piece of lumber on that gun. A couple of years ago I was in Alabama hunting bobwhite behind my two big GSP's and carrying my 16 ga Dickinson with it's nicely figured stock. It was a crisp February morning with brilliant sunshine and suddenly it dawned on me I was strolling along looking at the way the sunlight played on the wonderful figure in the stock rather than paying attention to my two dogs and the clues they give when getting birdy. I snapped out of it and had a great hunt, but it can happen.

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1308 Location: Western WA

Wyo,

Well done with the new SxS, you will most certainly enjoy it.

If I may, I might suggest that you take a second look at the existing stock. There could be something quite remarkable there. Mark Larson might be able to bring out a handsome tiger stripe effect with his ability to discover the dramatic hidden colors underneath a century of oxidation and fading.

That stock could be ideal for your purposes with straight strong grain through wrist, with nice contrasting striping all the way to the buttplate. To me it says "The birds are out there, call the dog and let's go"

Your marvelous English Walnut blank might be more suitably matched with a gold engraved pair of setters in a statuesque point with birds on the wing and others waiting to erupt nearby, or alternatively, an Italian bulino scene of a scantily clad Diana lying amongst a bed of flowers guarded by her pack of dogs and maybe a unicorn or two. However I just don't see that style of gun in your hand at 6800 ft with one of your feet on a loose rock and the other wedged into a crevice as you most likely will find yourself again at some point.

Cheers
B.

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Denver, Colorado

Very nice Coggie! Old Colonel is right, 27 1/2 a standard Coggie barrel length. I think you will be pleased. Kirby usually does a nice job with his guns.

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2124 Location: Hudson,Wy

I will go back and correct the typo. It's 27 1/2" barrels (actually measures a touch under).

Not worried about taking nice stock in the nasty and rough. You've seen pictures of the ornate Lefever 12 ga. here a time or two, and it has bagged two snowcock and countless chukars.

The original stock? Well folks, the way I see it, I can keep it as a spare "just in case". I too know some stock enhancing techniques, but if it's going to be a back up, I might not bother.