Re: Newly acquired No. 2 Grade 12 gauge "Elsie" Archived Message
Posted by USMC Armorer on September 20, 2008, 7:42 pm, in reply to "Re: Newly acquired No. 2 Grade 12 gauge "Elsie""
Will re-phrase that question Dr. Drew-but first- took my new "Elsie" out to old private farm-son-in-law and the tire mounted Outers trap and some orange clays- 4 boxes Federal 1 & 1/8 oz. No. 8 target loads- also one box od same but 1 ounce light field loads in size 6- lead-no steel loads. Gun fits me well, all mechanics 100%- someone took very good care of this lower grade Smith No. 2-I missed a few, smoked a lot more, used the 2nd. barrel for chipped or missed clays-using the British school method of r=dismounting-remounting for the second barrel- also, when I called PULL- had the stock tucked up under my right armpit- then pushed it out, and back into the shoulder pocket and my forward leaning "kisser" that mount technique works for me on clays from a trap or pass shooting flighting birds- slightly different method for flushing upland birds over a point. Then we wired two lid clamps from 55 gallon drums onto the side of a "StrongBarn" sided abandoned shed- and sprayed with bright orange a center point in each circle, for the front sight bead aim point- measured with a 200 ft. contractors tape 35 yards, and I did a test pattern shot, No. 8's in each tube-both barrels shot DEAD ON to the point of aim-and the patterns completely filled those steel rimmed circles, evenly, and with no
flyers or clumps in the dents in the old rusted galvanized steel- WOW_ some great job or barrel boring- took down the rims circles, and went to other side- same drill- only this time- went to 40 measured yards- again, both pattersn to exact aim point- and the circles filled solidly- With the other pre-1913 Smith I once owned, after "blowing up" quail and doves, I went to No. paper Winchester "spreader loads" in both tubes, and what a difference. Now- with such tight chokes, do I dare use Hevi-Shot non toxic loads for pass shooting ducks this Fall in this older Smith gun?? I am NOT going to have the chokes opened, or the gun altered in any way- it's been someone's family jewel for 101 years, now it is mine, and those masters who tooled in the chokes back then know more about that then I ever will-another hunting companion has a 12 gauge DH grade Parker mfg. 1913- with 30" tubes Full and Full-still uses it for pheasants, just as it was choked when it left the Parker factory bac then. I should guess it is harder to bore a shotgun, whether a double or a single barreled gun, to hold consistent tight patterns than to open bore one- as for skeet shooting- just my guess as a layperson.!!
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