Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
Had a short kitchen pass this afternoon, as Wonderful Wife had to whip a Sunday School lesson into shape. So, off to PGC went I to wage war against evil clay trap targets.
I had a new choke tube to play with. A Carlson's Full, it mikes .700" and neatly splits the gap in Remchokes. They jump from about .709" for Modified to about .690" for Full. As to why they make that large a gap, ask them. I see little sense in it. They do NOT make an Improved Mod or Light Full.
Anyway, I was pleased to see the targets breaking nicely, enjoying the weather, and helping the odd tyro here and there. Then, an amiable older shooter named Tom Breedon (SP?) showed up. He had a SBT, made by Parker, and my tongue dropped to the ground.
Ever hear of a Parker A-1 Special? It was the highest grade Parker shotgun regularly cataloged. Sumptous wood, engraving and inlaid in gold by a master hand, it stood in the rack like an Arabian Stallion surrounded by cow ponies.
OK, when was the last time you saw a shotgun with the Serial Number inlaid in gold? So was Parker on this fine example of lethal art.
I tried not to drool on it, and Mr Breedon remarked he thought it was the only A-1 SBT in MD. It was our turn to shoot, and I found that Mr Breedon shot the thing as well as it looked. He ran them. I missed a couple, and then lost all shame and asked the gent if I could shoot ONE shot with it. He handed it to me and watched as I stepped to the line, called for the bird, and watched it turn into dust. It pointed much differently than my TB, but it broke the bird well.
I thanked the gentleman and watched him set the Parker back in the rack. He mentioned the price, it would easily buy 50 new 870s.
According to Mr Breedon, the Parker was made in 1918. That's the year before my father was born. Good shotguns last a long time when taken care of.
Mr Breedon then broke out an Ithaca 4 E SBT, well preserved and asked if I'd like to try it. I demurred, thanking him and telling him I better stick to pump guns until the kids were done with school. He mentioned he also owned an 870 and liked it. It figures(G)...
Afterwards, I started musing about this and other interactions on various trap ranges. I've gotten to shoot Parkers,Perazzis,Purdeys,Kreighoffs,a Kolar,a Seitz, a Ljutic, a handful of Brownings and Berettas, and a mess of semis, pumps and oddballs like the Browning recoiless. All of these run from high priced to monstrously expensive. All handed to me by total strangers.
Tiger Woods is supposed to be a very nice guy, but I doubt he lends out his clubs much.
All the owners of these fine shotguns, and many others, have been friendly, helpful and a joy to shoot with. The few exceptions stand out by their rarity.
Onery Trapshooters?
Not around these parts...
I had a new choke tube to play with. A Carlson's Full, it mikes .700" and neatly splits the gap in Remchokes. They jump from about .709" for Modified to about .690" for Full. As to why they make that large a gap, ask them. I see little sense in it. They do NOT make an Improved Mod or Light Full.
Anyway, I was pleased to see the targets breaking nicely, enjoying the weather, and helping the odd tyro here and there. Then, an amiable older shooter named Tom Breedon (SP?) showed up. He had a SBT, made by Parker, and my tongue dropped to the ground.
Ever hear of a Parker A-1 Special? It was the highest grade Parker shotgun regularly cataloged. Sumptous wood, engraving and inlaid in gold by a master hand, it stood in the rack like an Arabian Stallion surrounded by cow ponies.
OK, when was the last time you saw a shotgun with the Serial Number inlaid in gold? So was Parker on this fine example of lethal art.
I tried not to drool on it, and Mr Breedon remarked he thought it was the only A-1 SBT in MD. It was our turn to shoot, and I found that Mr Breedon shot the thing as well as it looked. He ran them. I missed a couple, and then lost all shame and asked the gent if I could shoot ONE shot with it. He handed it to me and watched as I stepped to the line, called for the bird, and watched it turn into dust. It pointed much differently than my TB, but it broke the bird well.
I thanked the gentleman and watched him set the Parker back in the rack. He mentioned the price, it would easily buy 50 new 870s.
According to Mr Breedon, the Parker was made in 1918. That's the year before my father was born. Good shotguns last a long time when taken care of.
Mr Breedon then broke out an Ithaca 4 E SBT, well preserved and asked if I'd like to try it. I demurred, thanking him and telling him I better stick to pump guns until the kids were done with school. He mentioned he also owned an 870 and liked it. It figures(G)...
Afterwards, I started musing about this and other interactions on various trap ranges. I've gotten to shoot Parkers,Perazzis,Purdeys,Kreighoffs,a Kolar,a Seitz, a Ljutic, a handful of Brownings and Berettas, and a mess of semis, pumps and oddballs like the Browning recoiless. All of these run from high priced to monstrously expensive. All handed to me by total strangers.
Tiger Woods is supposed to be a very nice guy, but I doubt he lends out his clubs much.
All the owners of these fine shotguns, and many others, have been friendly, helpful and a joy to shoot with. The few exceptions stand out by their rarity.
Onery Trapshooters?
Not around these parts...
