Show THE THERE THEirE irE REEL RE E EL L LA DOPE By BILL COLTRIN A customer walked into the theoffice theoffice theoffice office the other day and wanted some ome advice ice on a 8 shotgun what shotgun wha Would be the best kind and what wha recommendations did we C have fo for pheasant hunting Naturally he left himself wide open for if there is any anyone one thing that we e delight in doing it is offerIng offer oHer- Ing advice ad The only trouble i is that most of the time it is no not only unasked for but uncalled fu for I If this question asker is not a confirmed gauge 12 man h by now nou it t is not our fault From the time when years ago we wc trudged along behind Pop in the fields of In Indiana Indiana Indiana In- In diana trying to scare up a cottontail cottontail cottontail cotton cotton- tail or a quail we have been firm believers in the gauge 12 e as the only fit shotgun for a man This has led to a number of arguments arguments arguments ar ar- ar- ar around various arious coffee hangouts during pheasant season but we e still insist that we are right There is a guy U we know who says anyone who hunts with anything but a is using unfair tactics on the pheasants Excellent Shot But this gU guy is an exception He hunts behind a good do dog He HeI Heis Heis I is an excellent shot All of his shots are in close-in affairs and he centers that old pattern right on the bird practically every ery time But if the ordinary hunter without without without with with- out a dog and hence havin having a alot alot lot Jot longer shots would try to turn th the trick with a he would just leave some little shot in a alot alot alot lot of pheasants We e figure that in hunting an anything thing the most sporting thing to do is to kill kin the game clean One Is most likely to do that with ith a gauge 12 shotgun for the obvious ob rea reason on that he hc is throwIng throwIng throwing throw throw- ing A 3 lot of lead and throwing it harder than with an any other gun fun And theres there's something about the good solid kick and the wham of a gauge 12 that pleases liSe us liS We e are something like the kid kidon kidon kidon on the Fourth of July July we ue want a R lot of noise and action for our money and for that reason if for no other we cant can't see the and to a 3 lesser extent the 20 gauge or the 16 Okeh you are sold on the 12 gauge Now how about the type of gun and the load At the present time we are shooting an old pump gun but when the time comes when we weare weare weare are a little flush with dough there is no question about one thin thing thing thing- we are going to purchase a double barrel Lots of Arguments The magazine gun boys are quick to point out that they have ha three shots to the double barrels barrel's two that they have a single trigger which eliminates the change of hand position between shots that the they can if it they wish install a multiple choke attachment that will give gi them a wide selection of oC pattern densities and then they claim that the single barrel gives ives ivesa a better line lane of oC sight and increased accuracy racy Ax Ac to the three shots hots instead of two tuo this department could never ne get et in three shots at a pheasant with a machine gun JUn As to the single trigger instead o of the two on the double barrel that is merc merely a matter of getting getting get get- ting used to it Phooey on the tho multiple choke business With Witha a double barrel you ou can have instant choice between two tuo pattern pattern pattern pat pat- tern densities e We have ha never ne seen an anyone one fast enough to change chanc the choke on a single barrel after a pheasant pheasant pheasant pheas pheas- ant jumped up And as for that last business about better sighting it is only an argument We Ve insist and a lot lotof lotof lotof of pheasant hunters go alon along with the thern argument that you dont don't aim at a pheasant you point at it something like pointing your fin fin- in- in ger er I If your our gun f fits ts you jou ou this pointing is a lot more successful than tr trying ng aim at the bird One of oC our hunting buddIes buddIes- s- s the little fat man that sits across the desk from us here at the theoffice theoffice office in fact fact is is a heck of a shot if he shoots quick before he has time to think He wheels up a little old double barrel loaded on one side with a skeet load and blasts awa away just as the cock jumps You Point It ItHe ItHe I He doesn't aim the gun gun he he doesn't have time But he hc hits em And despite the fact that he has the other barrel loaded with No 55 if he has a long shot with plenty of time he cant can't hit any any- thing And our theory is that he tries to aim and that throws him The best bet it would seem would be to have a double barrel with the first barrel loaded with witha a No 7 2 field Held load and then put puta a No 6 in the second barrel Ma Magazine azine gun addicts addict point out that the they can do practically the same thing only get Jet three 8 sizes eS instead o of two The They can put a No o. o 7 7 in first then a No 6 and then a n. No 5 True thc they can Rut Hut Just supposing supposing sup sup- posing that instead of jumping a pheasant right out from rom under their feet the they get et a t chance for fora a long tong shot instead What Shat hat are they going to do with the first fir two shells to get down to the one they want Maybe that answers a question that has always puzzled us What is all that shooting you hear hea in any f field eld when a lone pheasant jumps Dumps up Possibly it is the magazine magazine maga maga- zine zinc gun boys firing their first firs two light shot shells to get down downto to the h heavy avy load that ma may go cut out there and get a bird Or it could be Coltrin emptyIng emptying empty empty- Ing his old Remington pump in a valiant effort to at least scare that screaming cock |