Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
Long ago, our earliest ancestors may have sat around examining the new weapon one of them had just invented, the flint hand ax.
One of them may have said in a primitive language of grunts and pointing, that it needed a bit more chipping on the aft end for comfort. Another, that it might be OK for impala but a bit light for wart hog. A third may have kept silent, but admired the way the light came through the translucent stone.
Yet another, old and cranky, might have opined that this new stuff would ruin the hunting.
BTW, some of the earliest artifacts from the days of Homo Habilis are handaxes made symmetrical way past what was needed for utility. IOW, we started making things prettier not long after we started making things.
A good time later, a Mycenean princeling just back from Troy may have told his swordsmith he wanted a new sword a little longer in the blade, a bit heavier in the pommel for balance, and a hunk of Lapis Lazuli in the pommel like that showoff Achilles had.
Since time immemorial, we have wanted better weapons, more personalized weapons, and for the most part, prettier weapons.
Even old milspecs like Brown Bess muskets have graceful curves to their strikers and frizzens. Some older weapons were highly ornamented like Pennsylvania Long Rifles, while their Southern Mountain counterparts were bare of ornament but beautiful of line, graceful as a Shaker chair.
And these days, we seem to need to adapt our shotguns to our whim and will more than ever. Maybe it's just a compulsion in our homogenized and factory driven, cookie cutter world to mark something as our own.
After all, with 8 million 870s out there, maybe deep down I need to mark mine as mine for some obscure Psychological reason.
Or, maybe it's our human love of tinkering with something. Or, all of the above.
Shotguns are simply devices to direct a cloud or clouds of shot to places and times we deem, and to do it in comfort to us. Simple, but we make it so complicated.
Still, there's an allure to "Tweaking" that hits us deep below the surface,and that applies heavily to shotgunners.
Do you doubt that? Unless you're JUST starting out, chances are you've altered or had altered SOMETHING on your scattergun of choice, from a bright, shiny new choke tube to a barrel makeover or a trigger job.
And, some of us have been looking for that Magic Shotgun that shoots Golden Pellets and never, ever misses.
And the tragio-comedy is in the fact that there is NO Magic Shotgun, but some mods will improve our performance,some will do wonders for our morale, and most come with a price tag.And the Placebo Effect works,if we think a particular modification or gadget will help our shooting, it just might.
And sometimes Serendipity rules. The extra rounds in a Side Saddle on a "Serious" shotgun may or may not be a good thing, but the lb plus of weight right at the center of mass takes the sting out of kick without much downside.
So,here's a good rule about whether YOUR shotguns need modifications,addons,tuck and roll Naugahyde upholstery, fender skirts and fuzzy dice.
If a mod or accessory will help you direct that cloud or clouds of shot in an effective shot size and in a pattern of 30" or less where and when you want it,and in comfort, it will be a good thing. Anything from a long cone to a good trigger to a big soft recoil pad fits this.
If a mod or accessory doesn't aid the above, it's of doubtful virtue. Case in point, mag extensions on repeaters. These may come in handy in a given use environment, but we're talking universals here.
So, if you're contemplating mods or addons for your pet shotgun,use the above criteria. If it helps direct that shot cloud to the target while being comfortable to you, it's worthy.
If it assists in other,non essential ways, it may be worthy. That includes esthetics, which seem to be almost as deeply rooted in our psyches as sex and violence.
Example,a clean,sub 4 lb trigger is an essential. A mag extension isn't, but may be worthwhile. Marblecake Walnut sculpted to a perfect fit falls somewhere between.
Questions, Comments, Donations?...
One of them may have said in a primitive language of grunts and pointing, that it needed a bit more chipping on the aft end for comfort. Another, that it might be OK for impala but a bit light for wart hog. A third may have kept silent, but admired the way the light came through the translucent stone.
Yet another, old and cranky, might have opined that this new stuff would ruin the hunting.
BTW, some of the earliest artifacts from the days of Homo Habilis are handaxes made symmetrical way past what was needed for utility. IOW, we started making things prettier not long after we started making things.
A good time later, a Mycenean princeling just back from Troy may have told his swordsmith he wanted a new sword a little longer in the blade, a bit heavier in the pommel for balance, and a hunk of Lapis Lazuli in the pommel like that showoff Achilles had.
Since time immemorial, we have wanted better weapons, more personalized weapons, and for the most part, prettier weapons.
Even old milspecs like Brown Bess muskets have graceful curves to their strikers and frizzens. Some older weapons were highly ornamented like Pennsylvania Long Rifles, while their Southern Mountain counterparts were bare of ornament but beautiful of line, graceful as a Shaker chair.
And these days, we seem to need to adapt our shotguns to our whim and will more than ever. Maybe it's just a compulsion in our homogenized and factory driven, cookie cutter world to mark something as our own.
After all, with 8 million 870s out there, maybe deep down I need to mark mine as mine for some obscure Psychological reason.
Or, maybe it's our human love of tinkering with something. Or, all of the above.
Shotguns are simply devices to direct a cloud or clouds of shot to places and times we deem, and to do it in comfort to us. Simple, but we make it so complicated.
Still, there's an allure to "Tweaking" that hits us deep below the surface,and that applies heavily to shotgunners.
Do you doubt that? Unless you're JUST starting out, chances are you've altered or had altered SOMETHING on your scattergun of choice, from a bright, shiny new choke tube to a barrel makeover or a trigger job.
And, some of us have been looking for that Magic Shotgun that shoots Golden Pellets and never, ever misses.
And the tragio-comedy is in the fact that there is NO Magic Shotgun, but some mods will improve our performance,some will do wonders for our morale, and most come with a price tag.And the Placebo Effect works,if we think a particular modification or gadget will help our shooting, it just might.
And sometimes Serendipity rules. The extra rounds in a Side Saddle on a "Serious" shotgun may or may not be a good thing, but the lb plus of weight right at the center of mass takes the sting out of kick without much downside.
So,here's a good rule about whether YOUR shotguns need modifications,addons,tuck and roll Naugahyde upholstery, fender skirts and fuzzy dice.
If a mod or accessory will help you direct that cloud or clouds of shot in an effective shot size and in a pattern of 30" or less where and when you want it,and in comfort, it will be a good thing. Anything from a long cone to a good trigger to a big soft recoil pad fits this.
If a mod or accessory doesn't aid the above, it's of doubtful virtue. Case in point, mag extensions on repeaters. These may come in handy in a given use environment, but we're talking universals here.
So, if you're contemplating mods or addons for your pet shotgun,use the above criteria. If it helps direct that shot cloud to the target while being comfortable to you, it's worthy.
If it assists in other,non essential ways, it may be worthy. That includes esthetics, which seem to be almost as deeply rooted in our psyches as sex and violence.
Example,a clean,sub 4 lb trigger is an essential. A mag extension isn't, but may be worthwhile. Marblecake Walnut sculpted to a perfect fit falls somewhere between.
Questions, Comments, Donations?...
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