Dog Shoots His Man!

Well I thought that I had heard it all....until this morning when I read online news headlines that said, "Dog Shoots Man, Honest!" I read it again. Dog....Shoots....Man....Honest!

 After a slight guilty giggle, I had to read this article. The story is over 3 years old, but I had not heard it before. Yep, sure enough, a dog shot his man! The guy left his gun laying on the ground while he stepped away to retrieve a pheasant. Next thing you know, the dog steps on the gun, pulls back the trigger (accidentally) and shoots his hunter  who ended up with over 100 pellets in his calf. Well, at least they think it was accidental! Doesn't this make an excellent point for teaching your dogs to retrieve? At first, I thought, that must have been really embarrassing, in the emergency room. "Uh,  Yes, uh.... My dog shot me!"  But when I read the article, it stated that the spokesman for the Iowa Natural Resources Dept. said that he actually hears of this happening a couple times a year! Really??......REALLY??

They really need to have some hunter safety classes so this never happens again.
Anybody know where I can sign my dog up??



If you'd like to read the full article, click here:

Dog Shoots Man, Honest!

The 12 Ga.........For Ruffed Grouse??

  A standard 12 ga. load of 1 1/8 of any size shot can be a bit much for early season grouse hunting. The birds are young, cover is heavy.  Close, fast shots are the norm.
  Fortunately there are many factory loads available in 12 ga. that allow us to adjust shot load and speed to accommodate many shooting situations. The 12 ga. shotgun with choke tubes is the most versatile shotgun on the market and shells are available for game, from woodcock to white tail deer.
   My favorite Grouse gun is a 12 gauge S x S and I adjust loads as the season changes. A few years ago Winchester introduced a 12 ga. load with 7/8 oz. of #8 shot. I loved it for early birds. It was designated a Super  Speed load and was much faster than necessary but the light shot load and skeet choke worked well together. You could smack a young grouse at 20 ft. and still have enough left for dinner.
  The Speed loads are now in a 1 oz. load and they do a great job too. They  have 50 more pellets and are still inexpensive!
  My favorite grouse load is a recipe I used for 16 yd trap. 1 oz. of #8 shot in a Win. AA hull, Windjammer wad with enough Red Dot to kick it out the muzzel at a very slow 1100 fps. I have tumbled a bunch of Ruffed Grouse with that load.   I had a couple of cases of Win. Xtra Lite AA trap loads left over from a seminar and the 1 oz. of #8's pattern a bit tighter but still very usable.
  I basically shoot a 16 gauge load through a 12 gauge gun and it's a fantastic combination for Ruffed Grouse. Try it, You'll like it!!!  DWT

My Favorite Grouse Gun - The SKB 400E

 

Barrel Selector incorporated into the trigger

  My favorite grouse gun is this SKB 400E in 12 gauge. With 26 in. barrels and a straight grip, it weighs in at 6 lbs. 11 oz. It is equipped with choke tubes and I run it SK / IC all season. It has a tang safety and like my other SKB's, the barrel selector is incorporated into the trigger. My partner Michael mentioned last week that he has had a few occasions when the safety / selector on his Citori would not slide forward because it was in the center and not on either barrel. The SKB safety and selector are entirely seperate.
  It's a box lock with nicely engraved sideplates and reciever. The beavertail forend is actually fairly sleek. Not squared and blocky like some I've seen. Most important is this gun hits where I look. If I properly focus on the leading edge of a flying grouse and get my thought process ahead of the bird where it should be, we have grouse and dumplin's. I only fired at 9 birds this past season and 8 went in the game bag. I will never part with this shotgun. It is not for sale and never will be. DWT

Dan's 20 Ga. Shotgun - Locking Lug a Pain

Locking Lug

  I have a thing for SKB shotguns and this is a model 685 in 20 ga. It has 26 inch barrels and comes with the standard selection of choke tubes. I run it with a skeet tube on the bottom barrel and improved cylinder on top. I love the barrel selector position. It is located near the trigger and fires the bottom barrel when pushed to the right and the top barrel when pushed to the left.  It is totally separate from the tang safety. I have owned several o/u guns with the selector incorporated in the safety and occasionally pushed the safety forward while the selector was in the middle. OOPS! No shot.
  This gun weighs in a 6lbs. 10 oz. and is nicely balanced. The off the shelf stock dimensions fit me well and I've run a few clean rounds of skeet with it. No excuses for missing a grouse now.
  There is one feature I do not care for. I carry my S x S and O/U in the open position most of the time. Either in my hand or resting on my left forearm. When this gun is open, the locking lug protrudes out the left side of the gun. {see pic above}. The lug pokes into my palm when carried in my left hand and rubs against my leg when carried in my right hand. When I carry the gun cradled in the bend of my left arm, the lug hits me in the ribs. If I carried the gun closed, it would be no problem.
  I have the 20 in the rig all season long, but it mostly serves as a loan out gun for folks that show up with guns more suited to a duck blind than the grouse woods. My favorite Grouse buster is an SKB SxS and that's another blog.....

DWT

Second Amendment Rights Inspired By Swiss

Did You Know?

The Second Amedment in our Constitution,  actually was inspired by policies set by the peaceful people of Switzerland. And every household is armed to defend it!  

FACT:  All young males at the age of 20, are given automatic assault rifles and taught to use them, usually at an even earlier age. Each male is expected to defend their country should the need arise.

FACT:  There is less than 1 murder per 100,000 people.

FACT:   During World War I the Nazis didn't invade Switzerland because they knew that every household was armed and ready to defend.

For more interesting facts on Switzerland and their gun policies click the title!


Source: Courierpress.com

28 Ga. Belgium Guild Shot Gun

   This little 28 Ga. Hammer Gun was a gift from a client who has become a good friend. It was made at the Belgian Guild. I believe it was made in the 1930's or so. The barrel is stamped " EPROUVE OFFICIELLE POUR POUDRE SANS FUMILE " which translates to, Officially Approved for Smokeless Powder. I think the conversion from black powder came about that time.

   The gun is incredibly dainty. It weighs in at 4lbs. 11 oz. The fore end and stock wrist are about the size of a broomstick. It is equipped with 28 in. barrels which help with the swing, and the gun actually shoots pretty nice. It has a case colored steel butt plate and because of the light weight it does tend to kick a bit. Hell, it kicks a lot.

   I took it to a gunsmith and had the chokes measured and found that it is choked backwards. The front trigger is choked .002 and the back trigger is choked .000. The gun was made specifically for driven game and most likely for driven grouse shooting.  It has sling swivels and was definitely made for the European market.

   I have used it on Ruffed Grouse and out to 20 yds. it is deadly. The 28 ga. has a short shot string and a skeet load of #8 shot will tumble a bird right now. I have a few friends that hunt Ruffed Grouse with a 28 and they are under no handicap to a bigger bored gun. If you ever purchase a 28 ga., be sure it is on a 28 ga. frame. Many manufacturers space 28 ga. barrels on a 20 ga. frame and the guns made that way are heavier than the original 20.

   I use this piece for shooting pigeons and quail during puppy training sessions and it is perfect for that purpose. A sling leaves hands free for other work and the open chokes are great for close shooting.

Remmington's Ruffed Grouse Society Model 20GA.

Our friend Tim showed up this past Dec. with a new shotgun, the Remmington Ruffed Grouse Society Model 20ga. He has been looking for a new Grouse gun and certainly made a fine choice. This little 20 ga. weighs in at 6 lb. 4 oz. and is nicely balanced. The 26 in. barrels are equipped with choke tubes and the other end is capped with a tastefully thin recoil pad. I am a big fan of the single trigger and straight grip. The barrel selector is set up like a Browning. The safety is pushed from one side to the other to select the firing order of the barrels. I have seen many Brownings not fire because the selector hung up in the middle when the safety was pushed forward. By the time things get straightened out, the Grouse is long gone. I much prefer the set up on my SKB's where the barrel selector is near the trigger, much like the safety on Karen's Winchester pump, and totally independent of the safety. In reality, I have never once used the barrel selector in over 30 yrs. of Grousing around the woods.
 This 20 ga. came with nicely figured wood and the engraving and the gold inlays look beautiful against the deep blue receiver. Perfect Grouse gun Tim. Run a few boxes through it at the skeet range this winter and get ready for next season.  DWT

Getting "Looks" From Your Bird Dog For Shooting Poorly?

Are you getting "looks" from your bird dog because your shooting isn't what it should be? Missed a few too many birds lately? Check out Dan's blogs on Shooting Techniques starting with "Good Shooting Starts With Foot Position". The next few posts will help you with the basic shooting  techniques. Sustained lead, Swing through, Spot shooting, which  do you use? Click on the title of this blog for a few tips.

The 28 Ga. - Check the frame scale

My huntin' partner proudly uncased a beautiful 28 ga. O/U with silver engraved receiver, gold birds inlaid on each side and some pretty fancy wood. He was was anxious to try his new lightweight fowling piece. Wait a minute....lightweight? I own the exact same gun in 20 ga. and he was shocked when I told him my 20 ga. is actually 3 oz. lighter than his 28. This company had placed a set of 28 ga. barrels on a 20 ga. frame. The extra steel required to space the barrels properly added the extra weight. At 6lbs. 13 oz. it was by no means a lightweight gun, especially for a 28.. If you are in the market for a beautiful little grouse buster... the 28. is a wonderful choice. Just make sure it's on a 28 ga. frame. DWT

posted by Karen Thomason on Aug 4 8:46 PM

DWT to Contribute

It has become clear that I need my husband to assist me when it comes to guns and "guy stuff". Since my husband loves to talk about such things, I've ask him to post some blogs to cover these subjects. So, from now on when you see "DWT" at the end of a post, that is my husbands initials and it means he made that particular post. Thanks for your help, honey!

posted by Karen Thomason on Aug 4 7:06 PM

Ultra Light Grouse Guns

Several years ago the gun manufacturers did a terrible thing to grouse hunters..... they gave us what we asked for. We wanted short barreled, light weight guns that started the swing very fast. They produced O/U guns with 24 in. thin walled barrels. Auto loaders with 22 in. barrels, alloy receivers and straight stocks. These guns do swing very fast but they also stop very fast. The short barrels lack the weight to sustain the momentum of the swing. The swing tends to be whippy, and not track in a straight line. The 5 lb. guns do not tame recoil and even light loads can kick like a mule. These guns have been pretty much discontinued because no one could shoot them well. For a good Grouse gun, you are better off with a nicely balanced 6 1/2 lb., 20 ga., or 7lb., 12 ga., with a 26in. barrel.

posted by Karen Thomason on Jul 31 2:40 PM

Kids First Gun -For Safety

Winchester makes a youth model in a 20 ga. pump gun. It comes with choke tubes and is nicely balanced with a 13 in. length of pull and shortened barrel. It is an excellent choice for a young shooter because it is a pump gun. The fired shell must be ejected and a new shell chambered in order to fire a second shot. Auto loaders, O/U and SxS are set to fire a second round upon trigger pull. In the heat of the hunt it is easy to begin moving towards a downed bird without putting the safety back on. A pump gun is much safer in a child's hands.

posted by Karen Thomason on Jul 13 6:24 PM

Your Kid's First Shot Gun

It is very important that your kid's first shooting experience be fun and and exciting. That means seeing that big poof of smoke as a clay pigeon explodes. Gun fit is where good shooting starts. A Pump gun with a 30 in. barrel and 14 in. length of pull is very awkward in the hands of a small person and makes hitting a moving target nearly impossible. Many manufactures make scaled down youth/ladies models that fit a smaller body. If the gun fits the shooter, he'll hit more targets and come away with a big smile instead of a bruised arm and a bruised ego.

posted by Karen Thomason on Jul 13 5:38 PM

Different Guns Like Different Loads

Dan was doing grouse hunting seminars a few years ago and part of the program involved shooting several brands of commercial shotgun shells through each clients gun and checking the pattern. We noticed an amazing difference in the patterns produced. Some patterns were full of voids because the pellets were grouped in tight bunches of 6 to 8 pellets in 1 in. groups. Other loads produced nice evenly dispersed patterns from the same barrel. Hunting loads contain soft shot and tend to throw a big pattern and high grade trap and skeet loads contain harder shot and tend to throw tight patterns. Buy a box of several different brands and shoot some paper. You may find a certain brand suits your gun better than another.

posted by Karen Thomason on Jul 11 4:45 PM

Sight Gun For Grouse Hunting

Opening Day is always the most anticipated day of grouse season. Excitement for the hunter and for the dog. That first big grouse flushes.....you shoot......and miss!! Your Gordon looks at you like, "What the heck??" To avoid this scenario, sight in your shot gun BEFORE opening day. My husband does this by putting up a large sheet of paper. Then, stand 20 yards away. About right, for a grouse hunter. Mount your gun and shoot. Make sure your gun is shooting where it's suppose to. You made need to make adjustments to the stock so the gun shoots where your eye is looking. Practice, and make sure your gun fits you properly. All, so important for a successful hunt.

posted by Karen Thomason on Jul 9 6:29 PM