Shooting Sportsman, May/June 1998

“Birmingham, Manchester, Labrador & Turkey”

Topics: “Books reviewed: Birmingham Gunmakers by Douglas Tate, The Orvis Wing-Shooting Handbook by Bruce Bowlen, Just Retrievers by Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and The Season by Tom Kelly.”

Scotch Doubles

Dealer(s): Scotland Gunmaker Craftsmen: “Harkom, Joseph Dickson Brown, David McKay”

The Show Scene

Topics: The run-of -the mill gun show is perhaps the worst venue when looking for a decent Parker. Gunmaker Craftsmen: Parker Bros.

The Reason for Quail Soup

Topics: “The advantages of wild versus raised quaila’the taste. ,Menue: Quail soup, pasta with nuts, olive oil & salt bread and custard oranges.”

“The Red Grouse, Driven”

Topics: “Gunning that is to wingshooting as yacht racing is to boating. The red grouse is the creme de la creme of driven gamebirds and a driven grouse shooting on the moor can cost upwards of $11,000 for a party of eight. ” Dealer(s): “Scotland,” Dog Type(s): Red Grouse Gunmaker Craftsmen: Churchill

Mixed Blessings

Topics: “Woodcock, chuckar, snipe or cranes… the birds we didn’t come for are often what makes it interesting.” Dog Type(s): American Woodcock Chukar

That Sure Doesn’t Look Like Grouse Cover

Topics: A lesson in first impressionsa’it sure didn’t look like grouse covert. Dealer(s): “Minnesota,MN” Dog Type(s): Grouse

The Great Gough Thomas

‘Dear Major Peabody… ‘

Topics: “The Major fails to convince the Audubon Society and other such organizations to fund the creation of habitat suitable for grouse. The Major, not to be put-off, comes up with a proposal that works using the good offices of the Disease Control Center.”

Weatherby Guns

Topics: Weatherby builds the Orion Grade III English Field gun. Gunmaker Craftsmen: Weatherby Gunmaker Manufacturer(s): Orion Grade III

Seeing Is Believing

Topics: The Lead Demonstrator is a device that clamps to the barrel of the gun to show a student how the sight picture (lead) should look.

New Hammergun from Tate Gunmakers

Topics: Douglas Tate begins building bespoke hammerguns.

Dakota Pheasants Rebound

Topics: “Pheasant populations in most of the Dakotas have rebounded from the tough winter of 1996, which is good news for hunters.” Dealer(s): “North Dakota,ND” Dog Type(s): Pheasant

Parker Shooters Part II

Topics: More advice on buying a shooting man’s (inexpensive) Parker. Great step-by-step guide to examining an old Parker. Gunmaker Craftsmen: Parker Bros.

Coming of Age

Topics: Hunting gets easier (and more meaniful) with aging.

Bill Ruger Donates $1 Million to NRA Firearms Museum

Topics: Bill Ruger donates $1 Million to the NRS’s National Firearms Museum.

Talk of the Trade

Topics: “Atkin, Grant & Lang has new owner, Ken Duglan based at Broomhills Shooting Ground near London. ” Gunmaker Craftsmen: “Atkin, Grant & Lang”

Hodgdon Titewad Powder

Topics: Hodgdon introduces new powder. Dealer(s): Hodgdon Powder Co.

Even the Bugs Eat Meat

Topics: “Once the shooting began, there were never less than a hundred teal in the air at any moment. ” Dealer(s): Costa Rica Dog Type(s): Teal

Shooting Your Hammergun Safely

Topics: Safety tips when hunting or unloading a hammergun. Rebounding and non-rebounding hammers explained.

King & Bartlett

Topics: “In an area best known for deer and moose, King & Bartlett offers excellent bird hunting.” Dealer(s): “Maine,ME” Dog Type(s): American Woodcock Grouse

Dr. Roger Giblin: Ballistician Extraordinaire

Topics: “Dr. Giblin has calculated the lengths of shot strings, the flight times of each pellet in a shot cloud (leading and trailing edge), and much more including pellet velocity and the shot cloud profile (visually presented).”

Rites of Spring

Topics: Scenes of spring.

Noses & Notches

Topics: “It all comes down to the storage and release of energya’and all that comes down to the simple, perfect fit of a nose in a notch (sear).”

Matters of the Heart

Topics: “An Illinois duck hunt as a reward for the labs years of devotion. With the lab getting up in years, it was hard not to think of this as probably the last duck hunting expierence we’d share together.” Breed(s): Labrador Retriever Dealer(s): “Illinois,IL”

Gunning the Chesapeake

Topics: Eight rules of etiquette and traditon when duck hunting on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Dealer(s): “Maryland,MD”

In The Country Of Vulcan’s Furnaces

Topics: “A look at today’s Belgian gun tradea’part I. All Francotte’s are still assembled, regulated and finished by hand.” Dealer(s): Belgium Gunmaker Craftsmen: “Francotte, Auguste Lebeau-Courally”

From Tweed to Ventile

Topics: “Field gear reviewed: Grouse boot from Dunham Bootmakers, Orvis hunting jacket, Red River Quail vest from Columbia, a proper tweed shooting jacket from Willis & Geiger and a Mag Lite flashlight from Mag Instrument, Inc.” Manufacturer(s): “Dunham Bootmakers,The Orvis Company,Columbia Sportswear,Mag

Countryman’s Pub Guide

Topics: The Country Sportsman’s Pub Guide published.

“Dennis Potter, the Versatile Gunsmith”

Topics: Dennis Potter’s versatility attracts clients from far and wide for a host of gunsmithing and custom-gun projects.

Auguste Francotte 20-Gauge Sidelock

Topics: “The Francotte looked better the more I examined it. Unfortunately, at current prices, it is out of the reach of most Americans.” Gamebird(s): 20 Gunmaker Craftsmen: “Francotte, Auguste”

The Flagman

Topics: Flagman Products offers new series of bumpers. Manufacturer(s): Flagman Products

Grad School

Topics: A dog’s final exam before he vanishes.

The Rudiments of Retrieving

Topics: Be sure your dog is comfortable in water and has been retrieving on land before beginning water training.

“FITASC, Mom & Apple Pie”

Topics: “FITASC’s variety of target presentations and allowance of 2-shot singlkes, make it a blast for Americans. ”

Assuming the Position

Topics: The trick in hitting targets is to keep your head still is have your body in the right posture to begin with. Good shooting posture and foot position defined.

From the Editor