My first duck gun

A

anthony m coons sr

Well-known member
All I ever wanted! when I started duck hunting was a double barrel. My dad had a double barrel, double trigger side by side Springfield 16 ga. To me it was the best gun there was. A gun that looked just like the one Elmer Fudd used going after Daffy Duck. After a day of dreaming of using this fine piece of American history. I finally got to go hunting with my friends. Dad gave me a box of Peters paper shells. They were purple, I remember. My friend's took me to a swamp near by. We didn't have waders back then just some old rubber hip boots. We walked out as far as we could without getting wet. In my case it was my first step. I went right over my boots. So at this point it was on. I walked right up until I got waist deep And then waited for the crack of dawn. Still dark a small flock of green wings flew by like a small jet plane. But it was getting lighter fast. My friends behind me, sky busted on a pair of mallards, but missed. I look down the swamp and saw a pair of woodies busting hard down the middle of swamp. This is it I said: to myself. As the birds got closer and closer. I pulled up and pulled the triggers. Both went off at the same time. I fell backwards into the mud. By buddies yelled you got him! you got him!. I lifted myself out of that mud covered from head to toe. Both barrels of my dad's gun was filled with swamp mud. But two woodies were down. A double! my first duck was a double with that gun. To me I got Buggs and Daffy at the same time. Elmer Fudd can eat my dust. I still have that gun. The stock is all beaten to heck. But once in a while when I open my gun safe. A smile crosses my face. Thinking of my dad and those two woodies. I hope you all have a story like this. I would love to read it.
 
My Dad's Ithaca M66 Super Single, 30" full choke, 3" chamber.
Killed my first duck (a greenwing) and my first turkey with that gun.
Dad won lots of Thanksgiving turkey shoots with that gun
My brother still has it.
 
Carl

That's some gun, nothing like your first . Your dad sounds like he knew what he was doing with that shotgun. Thanks as always for sharing.
 
I wish I was half as good as my Dad with a shotgun, he shot trap during the 70's, had a custom gun for a while. But then he had 6 kids and gave up the trap gun to buy more useful hunting guns.

His pride & joy was a 1978 Rem. 870 Wingmaster with a 26" mod barrel and a 30" full barrel. Pop saved his pennies, nickels dimes and quarters for 2 years year to buy that gun. $150 for the gun and $45 for the extra barrel.
We still have that gun as well, hard to say how many rabbits, grouse, pheasants, woodcock & squirrels it took over all these years.
 
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16 ga Mdl 97 Win.

Family hand me down and I still have that gun. It has accounted for 100’s (maybe thousands) of upland birds and waterfowl over the last 58 years.
 
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My first opener was with an English Side by Side 410 hammer gun, on lone from my old neighbor as the single shot bolt action was only a 2-1/2" not a 3". If the opportunity came up to ever own this lovely little gun I would jump on it at any cost, sadly when he passed away his vast collection mostly black powder was basically stolen from the estate and is now long gone. It did kill many ducks that opening weekend!
 
Mine was a SxS Ithaca NID 26 in. impcly, mod 12 ga. that my dad had, Shot my 1st woodduck in a beaver pond in 1973 ,killed lots of duck, phez and grouse with it. I still shoot SxS to this day on all my hunts, Parkers and Ithaca's.from 20 ga. to short 10 ga.
scott
 
Scott

That's a fine gun. I see you use a 10 ga also. I have a few mag 10 , bps 10 Browning gold 10, marlin super goose gun 10. I had a few more but sold them over the years. What kind do you use. Thanks for your post.
 
First duck gun I bought myself was a Remington 870 Wingmaster Magnum. That would have been mid 70,s .Back then you got wingmasters in either 2 3/4" or magnum 3". Fixed full choke 30". Shot that gun a lot of years and when steel shot was mandated had barrel cut to 26" and truloc chokes installed. Somewhere along the line had gun parkerised and installed synthetic stocks. When oldest son moved into 12 guage cut original buttstock down to youth dimensions for him to use. Still use that gun turkey hunting as when we first gained a season I,d purchased a turkey choke for it. Mounted a 1 x 4 scope on cut down original barrel on cantilever mount. Have tried many choke tubes and loads thru the years in other guns I own but can,t match the pattern that barrel gives with that choke. And have tried various tubes of same constriction as that tube and some tighter in other guns. Picked up a Remington 30" factory barrel w/rem chokes for it few years back but have never been pleased with its point of impact. Wanted to shoot gun a couple times duckin this year for old times sake so bought a used 28" rem choke barrel for it for $25. It does shoot right so maybe the ol shucker will get some feathers this season comeing!
 
My Pop's Wingmaster is the 2 3/4" receiver, If I remember the 30" full choke barrel is chambered 3" but it says " 3" only with Magnum Receivers".
 
Roy

The guns sounds great, A life time of memories. Something about older guns. The patterns seem better to me. But that is just me . I must be old school. Hope you have many more years of having fun with that gun. Thanks for your great post.
 
I grew up shooting my fathers 2 3/4 " wingmaster when he wasn,t using it but it was 28 mod. Still have his , made in 1955 in my cabinet . God knows how many 1000,s of rounds have gone thru that gun and nothing ever broke on it. Never had a problem with mine either, not even an extractor which usually was first to break on a wingmaster.He use to get a kick out of gunnin beside buddy,s that shot Belgum A5,s that their guns became single shots during nasty weather. Ol 870 just kept on tickin. Shame Remington,s quality control took a setback few years back because they really were a good produced American icon.
 
Brad

God bless the 16 ga. Thank you for sharing your story. I have a side by side 16 ga that can tell the same kind of stories. Hope you and your gun live a long long life together.
 
anthony m coons sr said:
Scott

That's a fine gun. I see you use a 10 ga also. I have a few mag 10 , bps 10 Browning gold 10, marlin super goose gun 10. I had a few more but sold them over the years. What kind do you use. Thanks for your post.
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I use the super 10 Ithaca and a parker EH they are both 2 7/8th in .shells
 
Scott

All of mine are 31/2 inch, I been using 10 gauges longer then I can remember. I just like them better. When hit the bird is dead. I can't say I have to many cripples. Thanks for letting me know about your guns.
 
There are a few firsts guns for me but not necessarily duck gun.
Started out with a H&R .410 single shot and used it for dove hunting, and I am currently getting it ready for my son so he can hopefully use it next year.

Then went to my dads Belgium browning sweet 16 for hunting but couldn’t use it for ducks since the barrel is too soft. But he had another 16 A5 with a rib that could be used with steel but I never got the chance to shoot a duck with it when I walked the swamps at 12-13 age range.

When I was 13 I bought (with help from my dad for Christmas) a 20 gauge browning silver hunter. Shot my first duck with it which was a drake green wing teal which I have mounted on the wall. Since then it has killed a many of wood duck and other ducks and a few geese, and is deadly on turkeys.

Have used the 16 ribbed browning a few times to shoot some wood ducks for nostalgic reasons (23 years old but born in the wrong generation) and have dibs on my granddads gun which is a true waterfowlers gun that I’m not sure is still usable, wore down terrible and stock is cracked but I hope to one day shoot it on one duck hunt. It’s a savage model 775 16 gauge
 
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