MY SMOOTH BORES

A sample of my smoothbores maninly from London. My objective is to collect the finest made gun from each country that were made from 1860-1930's. They must be field hunted over trained hunting dogs on fair chase birds and we must eat what we shoot with these wonder works of art

1st. Model 21 made in 1947. It is a Duck that was restocked for General Omar Bradley who collected the English Walnut as the troop invaded Normandy. There was so much artillery fire that the trees absorb the iron and the rootstock and the figure were blacken by their uptake. This is Fluer de Lys engraving and the tubes were opened by the famous Stan Baker of Seattle. This weapon has been very solid under heavy use in Canada. Picture taken with two canvasback ducks.

2nd My 1872 Stephen Grant and Son London Sidelock Ejector. Engraving is superb and the fences are a moniker for Stephen Grant

3rd. A very rare James MacNaughton 16 bore long thumb tang made in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1886. This beauty is a round body blitz action with crystal cocking indicators


















4th. My composed pair of Browning Pointer Grade 28ga and .410. My Browning buddies go gaga over these but they are not even in the same league as bespoke English.













5th The first hammer less London gun made in 1872 by T Murcott. It was called the Murcott Mousetrap. 12 Bore and is deadly on Pheasant in North Dakota

THEY POURED IN FROM ALL DIRECTION

Few hunts rival the magic as a continuous stream of late season desert doves twists and turns from the roost to their daily winter feeding grounds. English smooth bores over heat to the touch and pass shooting put your head into a zen state while heated dogs in a frenzy to retrieve search for water and you cap your field day with a chilled beer chased with a warm single malt. This is an addiction that infect my sons and a few special friends. that share our secrets hunting grounds.

Dove shooting is social event akin to ladder fly fishing on Pyramid Lake casting a giant Wooly Bugger to cruising giant Lahonton Cutthroats. These warm desert days, hunting dogs behave like lounging lizards and huge campfires cook chorizo and fried eggs served on a tortilla and fresh made pico de gallo laced with chilanto, those times are as sweet as it get for my family.

This is our twenty third year camping within in the giant washes in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border where I was raised. I would never dream of camping here during the summer monsoon. Each year our camp site is washed away, cleansed by the torrents and we return to a new site. Doves and quail are still plentiful away from the urban dwellers and in the end is it is all about the fine English double guns, well mannered hunting dogs, women who love for their men to go out and return with fresh ki8lled dinner and stars so bright shadows make our kit foxes seem to have colors