16ga.com ~ View topic

FANTASTIC

THE 27.5" barrels began in the 1930s

good shooting
sbs470

...what a gorgeous little Coggy, should serve you well.....is it a self opener? (at least until you pull the trigger, then self opening springs divert to ejection...) is it one of those that springs open on the break if it hasn't been fired?

Britgun, it does have assisted opening. I wasn't aware that it did until I started to assemble it. The ejectors were out fully and when I went to push them in I noticed that they were under spring tension. I would like to know everything I can about the gun. The serial number is 47020. Is there an online database where I can get the information like manufacture date and possible name and location of original owner? Truthfully, any information or opinions from anyone on this gun would be greatly appreciated.

Skip

snipe hunter
your serial number appears to the last gun produced in 1914.
the action frame looks so much like a Cosmos which is the bore gun but I think it is an Avon Tout but what quality I dont know.you can go to C& H web page and order a historical sheet of your gun www.cogswell.co.uk.

good shooting
sbs470

....incidently, those springs are housed in that long rectangular box on the underside of the barrels themselves, rather than in the forend.... it is the same with the French guns that do the partial self open job, the springs are on the barrels.

I appreciate all of that information. I requested information from Cogswell & Harrison.

I got my reply from C & H. The only information they gave was that the gun was completed January 21, 1914. They stated that there are full original records in their archive section for that year. They also mention a second record in a later year. It was mentioned in one post that the gun would not have come with 27.5" barrels until the 30's so maybe the second entry is for the fitting of the current barrels. If I want to get the full records the fee is $88. I'm not sure if knowing original owner, measurements, price paid, and a certificate registering me as the current owner is worth that to me. Sometime down the road it might be and if so I will do it then. Now I can focus my attention to finding a light load to shoot in it.

Skip

Snipe? Ya boy! We have them up here in Ma in the borderlands just above Cape Cod. Season opens the first Monday in September and goes through to the end of November. It is the longest non-waterfowl migratory bird season we have. The other thing is I'm probably the only one who hunts them regularly in the whole state.

Snipe are both challenging and fun. I find them in good numbers around partly inundated cow pastures, abandoned cranberry bogs, and wet grassy areas bordering woody swamps and river bottoms. That's just about anywhere these birds can find semi-aquatic snails, slugs, worms, and crustaceans like tiny crawfish, grass shrimp, and pill bugs yet have dry areas to rest up in.

A good low nosed versitile breed pointing dog like a brit or shorthair who is exposed to them early on is always an asset. My old Hiedi dog lived to hunt them. She would rather hunt snipe than anything else and she was good at it too. The first bird I ever shot over her was a snipe. Once she mouthed one, that was all it took. She'd work them from then on and soon learned not to crowd them like a quail. They are touchy.

Since you have a 16 now, and it looks like a beauty I wish to add, here is a load recipe I use that works like death on wheels for these little speedsters. I load a Remington GL16 or SP16 reprimed case with 16 grains of Green dot, one R16 Remington one ounce wad, two 28 ga. .135" thick card wads in the shotcup under 3/4 ounce of Number 9 or Number 8.5 shot. any standard primer will do. I use an STS or a CCI 209 interchagably.

These little poppers do not kick at all, pattern well, and drop these little birds perfectly. Your gun chokes will work fine for just about any shot you will get from low outgoers to those high overhead fly bys they always seem to do after being flushed. Snipe are fun, and about the best kept secret in my neck of the woods. I think because they are not so easy to hit unless you can shoot well, it thins out the ranks pretty much. Works for me. Welcome to this zany little ship. I think you will fit right in.

Guest

Welcome Snipe! Beautiful gun. Question: Who makes the bird straps that you show in your pics? My new hunting coat does not have a game pouch, and those look like just what I need when I don't feel like wearing a vest over the coat. Thanks.

Birdswatter, I have a few different straps. The first one below is from Dunn's. I haven't looked through their catalog in years and don't know if they sell them anymore. The second one I made myself before this past season. It is from soft deerhide which draws up better than cow leather. I put a clip on it so it is easy to put on or remove from a cartridge bag. The one in the bottom picture was given to me by a snipe hunting friend from the Phillipines. It is made from para cord and also has a clip so it is easy to disconnect. With the clip in the middle instead of the end the birds don't hang to the ground. However, for a photo op the clip is better at the end.

Skip

Guest

Thank you Skip. I will check Dunn's. Haven't researched it much, this is the only one I've looked at........

http://www.theduckstrap.com/sys-tmpl/door/

By the way...so sorry to see you don't get many of those Snipe!!! LOL