Old shotguns, squirrels and friends
I decided to squirrel hunt some this year, I haven't done much of that for awhile. I am fortunate that the new knees I had put in are doing well, it doesn't always happen like that. So, I can walk again, I'm overweight and out of shape from the knees going bad, but I can walk now. Besides new knees I have a few old shotguns. So I've been taking them out. An Ithaca made Lefever Nitro 12ga sxs, the same in 16ga, an older Ithaca sxs 20ga and an old H&R single shot in 28ga.
It's been hot but getting better. The first day out it was really warm, 74 at daylight, I only got a couple and a soaked set of clothes. I've been in the woods at daylight and only hunt a couple of hours. I've been lucky enough to shoot the limit (5) the other days I've went. It's good to be in the woods again and I really enjoy hunting these old guns again. I even shot a limit with the remington 550-1 loaded with shorts Wednesday morning.
I have a buddy with a patch of flat woods on his farm. I may take the 67a Winchester and a box of CB's slip around and shoot a mess with that. That's fun stuff right there. My buddy has cancer and won't be with us a lot longer. I'll shoot a mess off of his place then fry them up for him with some gravy and biscuits. A few weeks ago I caught a mess of fish out of his pond and cooked us up some fried fish and hush puppies. He really enjoyed that, hell, so did I.
It's been hot but getting better. The first day out it was really warm, 74 at daylight, I only got a couple and a soaked set of clothes. I've been in the woods at daylight and only hunt a couple of hours. I've been lucky enough to shoot the limit (5) the other days I've went. It's good to be in the woods again and I really enjoy hunting these old guns again. I even shot a limit with the remington 550-1 loaded with shorts Wednesday morning.
I have a buddy with a patch of flat woods on his farm. I may take the 67a Winchester and a box of CB's slip around and shoot a mess with that. That's fun stuff right there. My buddy has cancer and won't be with us a lot longer. I'll shoot a mess off of his place then fry them up for him with some gravy and biscuits. A few weeks ago I caught a mess of fish out of his pond and cooked us up some fried fish and hush puppies. He really enjoyed that, hell, so did I.
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Sounds like good times. Glad things are getting better for you. 0 -
I have one of these (a New England Firearms - NEF) I plucked from an estate sale during the gunshop days for $50.00
Nobody wanted a 28 gauge single shot break open entry level hardware store quality shotgun in my necking the woods...
To make matters worse a previous owner had a true craftsman level gunsmith install a vintage polychoke and an ace trigger shoe to the gun...
Very nice color case hardening...
I think the gun is deadly on rabbit sized game.
Mike0 -
I love to squirrel hunt in the fall. I used to use a 20 ga. Remington 17 until my 87 year old friend showed me up by killing the limit(6) one day with .22 hollow point shorts.
I switched to an old Sears single shot and got pretty good with it.0 -
mrmike08075 wrote:I have one of these (a New England Firearms - NEF) I plucked from an estate sale during the gunshop days for $50.00
Nobody wanted a 28 gauge single shot break open entry level hardware store quality shotgun in my necking the woods...
To make matters worse a previous owner had a true craftsman level gunsmith install a vintage polychoke and an ace trigger shoe to the gun...
Very nice color case hardening...
I think the gun is deadly on rabbit sized game.
Mike
The one I have is some older. No model number on it. It does have a patent date of FEB. 27.00. So 1900 patent date, I don't know when it was made. It does have a serial number 279XX0 -
While I do have a decent stash of mixed .22 shorts I must say that surprisingly one of my favorites is Eley .22 short standard velocity round nose lead small game cartridges...
In the plastic 50 round count box with the sliding thin plastic lid...
In this case it's Eley green and sports a black rabbit silhouette logo...
I bought 11 boxes on closeout (I don't remember from which distributor) the last 11 boxes they had in stock along with a bunch of other closeout stuff for the gunshop and for myself...
Dealer price on closeout was $2.50 per 50 round box
It proved to print incredibly tight groups from my 120 year old falling block rifle and was quite effective on rabbits - very little damage and good distance performance without much of a drop from center point of aim - it turned out to be "the right" ammo for that gun
So I tried to order more and found out it was on closeout because the manufacturer had discontinued it.
I still have 4 boxes.
Mike0 -
I have never hunted squirrels with a shotgun. It has always been with a .22 or .17. Seems like a shotgun would make it too easy. 0 -
He Dog wrote:I have never hunted squirrels with a shotgun. It has always been with a .22 or .17. Seems like a shotgun would make it too easy.
They're easier to clean for the skillet if you shoot them with a rifle. I do not enjoy picking the shot out of them. But hunting grey squirrels here while the leaves are still on you will bring home more for your time with a shotgun. I shot a mess the other morning with a rifle, but I had a really good spot. Plus if you're shooting up in the trees shot doesn't carry as far and comes down easy.0 -
Did not mean to sound critical Scout. I was taught squirrel hunting by a family friend, whom I viewed through 14 year old eyes as pretty much the ancient mariner. He was probably 10 years than I am now. He hunted with an even then old Winchester single shot .22. I never saw him need a second shot. He would pick a place at the base of a tree based on the sign around there, and sort of become a part of the tree. After a little while, when the kid with him finally settled some, the squirrels would start to come back out and he would take his shot. He said you always shoot them through the eye, it is quick and they don't suffer much, and they don't have a lot of meat so you don't want to waste any. I guess I always felt the .22 was the gun for the job. I always hunted well away from any structures, and still do, mostly in National Forest. 0 -
He Dog wrote:Did not mean to sound critical Scout. I was taught squirrel hunting by a family friend, whom I viewed through 14 year old eyes as pretty much the ancient mariner. He was probably 10 years than I am now. He hunted with an even then old Winchester single shot .22. I never saw him need a second shot. He would pick a place at the base of a tree based on the sign around there, and sort of become a part of the tree. After a little while, when the kid with him finally settled some, the squirrels would start to come back out and he would take his shot. He said you always shoot them through the eye, it is quick and they don't suffer much, and they don't have a lot of meat so you don't want to waste any. I guess I always felt the .22 was the gun for the job. I always hunted well away from any structures, and still do, mostly in National Forest.
I didn't take it as critical.
A friend if mine and I used to go out with .22s and bet on who got the most squirrels. But the catch was you had to shoot through the eye, on one side. If he had the left eye I had the right eye. Only squirrels shot through the correct eye counted and in case of a tie those not shot through that eye counted against you.
Fun stuff. But hell, I can't see that good anymore. I line my .22's up with a full sight now, those that aren't scoped. Back then they were lined up with a fine sight and I knew how far to raise it for the distance. Glasses help now, but not enough to make me 20 again.0 -
My .22s and my .17 are all scoped now too. :oops: 0
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