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    Churchill Best Guns

    Interesting article entitled, "The Guns Of Royals" over at Sporting Classics, Featuring the Churchill Side by Sides by Doug Tate | Dec 6, 2019 | FIREARMS, RARE & UNIQUE GUNS, Slider Safari was once a rite of passage for Royals. In 1921, the Prince of Wales shot sandgrouse, jungle fowl, pea hens and parrots with a pair of 16-bore Purdeys while touring the sub-continent. But the day before he met Wallace Simpson in 1931, he ordered a pair of Churchill best Premier Quality sidelock ejectors with signature XXV barrels and shortly thereafter sold his Purdeys. The XXV had been favorably received and Churchill strenuously promoted it as a “revolutionary development . . . better balanced, far less tiring to use and carry, more comfortable to handle and quicker to shoot.” He cunningly pioneered his short guns as ideal for “average or poor shots with higher aspirations.” Robert Churchill combined his short barrels with a special high tapered rib that gave the shooter an optical impression of length. These E.J. Churchill guns were built for the Prince of Wales who went on to become King Edward VIII. The newspaper story covers his abdication from the throne so he could marry an American. PHOTO COURTESY MORPHY AUCTIONS. Despite controversy, XXVs were a hit. Both boxlocks and sidelocks in every quality were offered, and more celebrated gunmakers paid Churchill the ultimate compliment by offering short-barreled, lightweight guns of their own. Neither Robert Churchill nor The Prince of Wales were tall, and part of the appeal of stubby, lightweight guns may have been the ease with which they could be handled by men of smaller stature. They can still be ordered today, as an alternative to the two other London best gun makers, Purdey or Holland

    By |December 9th, 2019|Categories: Uncategorized, Wingshooting|Comments Off on Churchill Best Guns

      Tilley Hats

      I have had all of the Tilley hats from the original bucket duck hat to the present day help and microfiber ones, almost every one that they have made over the last 30 years. I have to say, that Rim Chung's stylish fishing favorite was and still is the T3, in white with green under brim. I got one of those to start, but I really didn't like the white color for standing out too much while fishing or shooting. Rim claims "it made him blend in with the clouds." My favorite was the LT6 in Khaki with Green underbrim. It was perfect for fishing and shooting, but they no longer make it and finding used ones are now difficult even, such as this one on ebay Tilley Endurables LT6 Hat Khaki Tan w//Green 7-3/8 Outback Straps Wide Brim I used to wear a Fedora and then safari hats for hunting then cowboy hats but I keep coming back to the Tilley. They are perfect year round, except the colder days of winter. The T4 duck hat was better looking with the brass holes than the current LTM6 mesh around the top of the crown version. I have also tried the models with bigger and smaller brims. They don't make much difference in the actual sun protection, as the longer brims are floppier (moving around some in the wind), and the shorter versions are more fixed allowing for you to keep them in place to provide shade. Neither of these new models are as good looking as the original T4. But I guess the T5 or LTM6 is better than the longer brimmed LTM2, which is very floppy as you walk around, if you have

      By |October 7th, 2019|Categories: Fishing, Uncategorized, Wingshooting|Comments Off on Tilley Hats

        Dealing with Sensitive Dogs and/or Gun Shyness

        In 20 plus years of having field trial bred Brittanys, I currently Had a number of dogs and bitches. I currently have a Brittany bitch which came to us to us as a little shy or as Gary Ruppel says, she is sensitive. She was the daughter of a famously hard charging field trial dog. Her brood mom, not so much hard charging, more a family hunting dog. So part of it may be genetic. She was kept as the pick of the litter. She liked to bounce up and down in the kennel and was very friendly, enthusiastic and gentle. She was 6 months old when we got her. She had lived in a small field trial kennel her whole life, but one where the dogs are well treated and get out daily for roading or work with birds. They just don't get a whole lot of other contact with people or other dogs until they get a little older and start going to field trials and the local is rural so when they get out, they go a country mile to find birds for 30 minutes and then the next dog goes out. Bounce loved this life, as do I at many times. But, at this point, she was a little timid around people, particularly strangers as she hadn’t been to field trials yet, where they get this socializing with members outside their own pack. She didn't bark and wasn’t neurotic, but she was just a little timid looking at Petsmart, the dog park, or with even the mailman, and you could tell new situations made her uncomfortable. She would frequently roll over on her back, showing submission. She also did this if

        By |September 25th, 2019|Categories: Dog Training, Uncategorized, Wingshooting|Comments Off on Dealing with Sensitive Dogs and/or Gun Shyness

          Sniksoh Equipage Worthy Expense Jr. “Deuce”

          Dam - AFC Sniksoh Evolution ( Eve) Sire NFC Sniksoh Worthy Expense (Spenser) Dawn Droel bought Spencer’s half brother Sniksoh Slippery Slope ( Slick) who is doing well as a show Brittany.Whelped 06/12/2019 I have to learn to spell Deuce all over again, as I continually type Duece. Sire: Sniksoh Worthy Expense ( Spencer ) - Spencer won the ABC Central All Age Futurity. Excellent hunting dog with lots of point, nose, style, and desire to please. Dam: AFC Sniksoh Evolution (Eve ) - Eve has been easy to train. Excellent nose with lots of point. View complete pedigree   FC AFC SNIKSOH LITTLE RASCAL   GFC FC AFC SNIKSOH SPANKS HANK     AFC DECANS BLAZIN BYE  Sniksoh Worthy Expense     FC AFC SNIKOSH FREE BOY   FC AFC MKS MY LIL AMMO     FC AFC CHIEFS NUBBINS MY LIL LADY   FC AFC SNIKSOH LITTLE RASCAL   GFC FC AFC SNIKSOH SPANKS HANK     AFC DECANS BLAZIN BYE  AFC Sniksoh Evolution     FC AFC SNIKSOH FREE BOY   FC SNIKSOH SUPER SNOOPER     FC AFC SNIKSOH SWEET HERSHEY Duece's Dad Spencer, (far left) A note about field trials and field trial type training of pups with Jeff This is a living memoir and journal of reminders largely for my daughter, who enjoys the bird dog training with me, and she especially the pups which I hope she will continue later in life. We have spent quite a few days afield with Jeff and we enjoy his methods which are very similar to our dog trainer's of 20 years, Gary Ruppel. But they are uniquely his own, which is not surprising as we all pick up things here and

          By |August 12th, 2019|Categories: Dog Training, Wingshooting|Comments Off on Sniksoh Equipage Worthy Expense Jr. “Deuce”

            Inexpensive Rubber Bird Dog Boots

            I wanted to post these up here before I forgot to show our daughter how to make these rubber boots for bird dogs hunting in cactus country.  These come out like Lewis dog boots, which have gotten very expensive and are frequently lost afield.  However, these are more single use compared to the Lewis boots..  They are make from motorcycle inner tube tires and can be single use, but they work great.  From our Bird Dog Doc. Alternate method of improved stretchy Velcro attachment for 1000D nylon boots These are surprisingly decent for $3 each and I haven’t lost one yet with the improved closure system that they call Velstretch. Typical Velcro comes undone or slips off too easily in the field, but these work surprisingly well. https://dogbooties.com/shop/1000-denier-cordura-booties/ Lewis Dog Boots instructions for use

            By |November 27th, 2018|Categories: Wingshooting|Comments Off on Inexpensive Rubber Bird Dog Boots

              Instinctive Shooting – The Making of a Master Gunner by Buz Fawcett as Featured in the Double Gun Journal

              Instinctive Shooting - The Making of a Master Gunner by Buz Fawcett as Featured in the Double Gun Journal.  Buz Fawcett has been an associate editor at Sports Afield, an editor at Guns & Ammo, and a writing instructor. He founded Buz Fawcett's Wingshooting Workshop, which is internationally recognized and nationally advertised.  If you enjoy the reprint of this article, which was with the author's permission, you'll love Buz's new book  Instinctive Shooting, available from Amazon.  

              By |October 3rd, 2018|Categories: Wingshooting|Comments Off on Instinctive Shooting – The Making of a Master Gunner by Buz Fawcett as Featured in the Double Gun Journal

                Proper Shooting Attire

                I picked up a few things on proper shooting attire from Buz Fawcett, Jack O'Connor, and others along the way during my travels.  I discovered that we, as American hunters, don't have to be dressed in  blaze orange and camo, or just turning up with whatever we are wearing for the day such as jeans.  Sure maybe camo is great for sitting in a deer stand in Nebraska freezing weather, or your Sitka from head to toe for elk in December in the Montana mountains, but we can learn a lot from the Brits' attire, using driving shoots and safaris, as good examples of both cold weather and warm weather wingshooting attire options.   And, while catalog companies such as Orvis and LL Bean used to provide quality options for hunters, now they are just largely marketing companies for goods made in China by non-hunters, so you have to dig deeper to find quality manufacturers, rather than just relying on catalogs. Willis and Geiger was my long time favorite outfitter for safari clothes.  A new company is trying to replicate their old lines at https://avedoncolby.com. Safari participants are encouraged to wear olive, tan, brown, and khaki colors for safaris. They should avoid blues and blacks because they can attract tsetse flies, which can carry a sleeping sickness disease. Meanwhile, bold colors can scare off animals.  The same is true for shooting stateside.   A Tilley hat often completes the warm weather look, as felt is often impractically hot. Wellies are pretty impractical for most Western hunting, but the French model with leather lining by Le Chameau is very nice.  However, in the West, absent duck or snipe hunting, Russell moccasins are generally my favorite all-around boots.  And,

                By |October 3rd, 2018|Categories: Wingshooting|Comments Off on Proper Shooting Attire

                  Notes from the Wingshooting Workshop

                  THESE ARE MY NOTES FROM BUZ FAWCETT'S WINGSHOOTING WORKSHOP.  THE SCHOOL WAS ADVERTISED AND ATTENDED INTERNATIONALLY FOR MANY DECADES AND THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 1000 GRADUATES OF BUZ'S ONE ON ONE METHODS.  WHILE THE SCHOOL IS NOW CLOSED, THE LEGEND LIVES ON.  IF YOU ARE A GRADUATE OF THE SCHOOL, WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU AT wingshootingworkshop@gmail.com. These are one student’s notes from the school.  While a few of the points may be as they be as they were interpreted, rather than as Buz exactly taught, it is mostly accurate.  The purpose in recounting the student’s notes here are that they may give a perspective on what was some of the more important points from the school.  It may have some useful tips and reminders for you.  From Buz's Wingshooting Workshop: Most shotgun shooters in this country are lousy shots. This is because most people who teach shotgun shooting are not qualified instructors.  They are excellent fathers or brothers or uncles or grandfathers. They may be well-meaning friends.  They may be club or even national champions. But they are not necessarily qualified shotgun instructors.  The skills necessary to become great champions are not the same as those needed to become great teachers. My profession is teaching people to shoot a shotgun—to become great shots.  Many of my students have previously attended other shooting schools.  I’d like to explain to you why, in my opinion, most shooters eventually fail, and why instinctive shooting is the best and easiest way to achieve the pinnacle of shotgun shooting—a pinnacle I call the Master Gunner. First, let’s take a look at the reasons why many shooters fail to achieve their desired shooting goals. Beginners in the art of shotgun shooting are

                  By |October 1st, 2018|Categories: Wingshooting|Comments Off on Notes from the Wingshooting Workshop