16ga.com ~ View topic - For Sale: Citori Lightening shot once LNIB.....

Member Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Utah

If God meant for us to shoot over and unders,
he wouldn't have placed our eyes Side x Side.

Bud

Help yourself to the thread, I'm pretty sure the gun is sold.... Very Happy

I think shotguns and wingshooting evolved something like this. First came the single barrel. Those that could shoot one well praised it. Those that could not named it an abomination in the eyes of their God and went back to knives and clubs.

Then some self proclaimed expert gun collector and inveterate tinkerer, who could not hit a bull in the ass from 3 feet with a single, decided two barrels doubled his chances. Hence the SxS was born.

The folks who could shoot well with a single barrel learned to shoot well with a double. Those that could not shoot a single well learned they could miss twice, twice as fast with a double.

Then came the O/U. Those who could hit well with the single and the double began to break records on the clay fields all over the world with the O/U. Those that still couldn't hit a bull in the butt could now blame it on God for the way he put their eyes in their heads. And so it goes. Wink

yeah, something like that.

There is a mystique or aura that encompasses the correct gun, gear, attire, ad nauseum, that many fall in love with over and above the gun's actual incredible pointing and handling capabilities in the field, where it really matters, and where few ever see you! They start out, having been smitten by this seductive mystique that's just all the rage with the IN crowd "somebodys", buying all the right, trendy garb and gear: Barbour shirts, Holland leather cartidge bags (I thumb through all these catalogues wondering, who buys this stuff?? How can these outfits stay in business?), and finally, some sweet little Anglo or Euro side by side, and THEN and only THEN, all suited up..... they go, all tricked out and squeaky clean, and shoot at the club and the game preserve with Biff, Skip, Chip and Lord Barton of Kent comes over the pond and instructs, and then let's all have tea! Tomorrow, it's golf at ten, and the regatta at 2!! Where's Muffy?? (with Lord Byron perhaps?)

Then there are those who battled their way in by trial and error in the lonely places called "high plains" or "grouse thickets" or "rooster swamps", far from the trend-setting wannabe's, oblivious of image, only wanting to find the right tool for the job...... alone, maybe in pairs, the actual ancestral hunting NEED driving them..... these primordial "throwbacks" just gotta hunt, period, like they need a drink of water or a breath of air. Otherwise, they'll die! Their off-season shooting is more private than public, more of an effort to "stay in shape" so they can maintain their instinctive predatory shooting skill and fill the bag. Sure, they love their dogs and their life long huntin pals, and the glorious, vast country where they pursue their game......and yes, they love their guns...... but that right gun is the product of in many cases, YEARS of trial and error in the field.... it has become a part of them, a treasured implement that simply works better than any other for their relentless need to be afield in pursuit of the feathered wonders...... they know that gun is the end of the line for them, as they've tried them ALL over the years....... BUT, the point is, the powerful drive to hunt came first, the right gun and dog for the job came way later, frequently far down the line....... no audience, nobody to impress, an invisible transiton without hype, fanfare or grandiosity...... just a part of the evolution of an unpretentious way of life.......

You oughta submit that last post to the Upland Journal, Gray's Sporting Journal, and the likes. The shooting sports need more spokespeople rooted in, as you eloquently stated, "...an unpretentious way of life...".

Bravo!

To most of us who just love to hunt and shoot, the right gun is the one we happen to have in our cold and bramble raked, bleeding hands. we love the gun, the dog we are with, and the time we get to spend under God's blue skies.

Our hunting duds are often muddy and torn. they smell of stale tobacco, dead birds, wet dogs, and swamp mud. Our old hats are sweat stained and sun faded beyond all recognition of what the emblem on them used to say.

We do not always say the right thing at club socials, gun shows, or around the shops. We don't really fit there. We do not speak much in the field, and never when a bird's in the offing. We are focused on what we came for. It's why we are breathing and why our hearts pump our blood through our veins.

Folks like us would learn to hit the mark well enough with a two by four and a length of pipe lashed to it. Single, double, up/downer, its all the same. Bird goes up, bird goes down. Shooter is happy. Dog is happy. All's right with the world.

Guest

Nobody's stringing you up, 16gg, just calling you out when your BS gets too deep. Stop being a dramatist.

16gg, don't go changin'.... I for one, feel ye...

brit

The only thing I change much are my socks and my underwear every month or so. I also bathe regularly... twice a year. More if really needed. Everything else will remain pretty much as is. Rest assured of it.