Posted by Greg Molatch on November 20, 2015, 7:07 pm
There is an L.C. Smith 20 gauge FW locally that has come to my attention. The gun has some issues, all of which, except one, seem correctable if I can get the gun for a reasonable price.
The one issue that may be a deal killer is that the chokes are gone, the gun appearing to have been bored out to cyl/cyl. Barrels measure exactly 28 inches, so I suspect not cut.
My understanding of the older guns is that "back in the day" tighter chokes were needed because shotshells of bygone days tended to scatter the shot cloud more than today's ammunition. Fact or legend?
My interest is in an upland bird gun in Down East Maine, and forty yards is a very log shot for me, and unusual. My most carried gun for that purpose is a 28 gauge with skeet/skeet tubes, and it's been kind of a death ray on grouse and woodcock if I am at all on the ball.
It would seem that a cylinder bored gun would give up some general purpose utility, but may work well for me otherwise. What say you?