A SHOTGUNMAY BE JUSTA HUNTINGTOOL,BUTA

CLASSICDOUBLE

BARREL ISLIKE MONEY

IN THE BANK.

BY CLARKE C. JONESPHOTOS BY DWlGHT DYKE

hen my father opened the door under the stairs that leddown to the dirt basement in our old house, his setter Rex,who spent most of his time lying around dreaming dogdreams, would spring to life and start doing a four-leggedcha-cha. If my dad returned with his Lefever side-by-side

shotgun, that dog became a whirling, furry tornado. On one particular Sat-urday morning that setter and I became dance partners. I was now 10 andold enough to shoot. I had followed my father and his setter before,watched them team up and bring home a few quail for supper. My fatherwas the epitome of grace on a covey rise. Everything seemed unhurriedand precise as he brought down a quail. And because he shot so well andlooked so good doing it, I knew automatically I would be a natural at thisgame and how proud my father would be of how grown up I had becomewhen I duplicated his actions in the field.

When Rex started looking birdy, my father motioned me to stay close tohim. When the setter froze on point I was handed his 20 gauge and told towalk slowly towards the four-legged statue his dog had become. Walkingtoward Rex as one would walk through a mine-field, expecting an explo-sion under my feet with each step, I was wound tighter than a spring whenI reached the dog. Nothing happened. My father motioned me to walk pastthe dog and in the middle of my second step the earth seemed to comeapart beneath me. I mounted the gun and tried to look down one of the bar-

AUGUST 2007

ly a lightweight gun and the shotloads were normally heavier thanthose used today. Lightweight, ill-fit-ted guns with heavy shot loads usu-ally meant a painful surprise to anunsuspecting pre-teen. Add that tothe shooting plane a side-by-sideshotgun presents and you can easilyspeculate as to why the side-by-sideshotgun entered into a state of de-cline and over and under shotgunsfor many years had become the shot-gun of choice for hunters and recre-ational shooters alike.

Over the last decade, however,there has been a resurgence of theside-by-side shotgun by more thanthe occasional collector of antiqueguns. Americans tend to have astrong affection for anything classicor nostalgic. And though we aredrawn on one hand to high technolo-gy, our passion for things classicaland rare has led us to old decoys, carsand fine wines. We also learn the

A standard five-man squad using avariety of vintage double barrel shot-guns takes aim during a sportingclays shoot. Below: Jim Rice, of Char-lottesville, an admirer of fine classicshotguns, organizes the VirginiaSide-by-Side Shoot each year to promotenot only the collecting of antiqueshotguns, but also the art of shooting -tthem. c:.<:

.~~o@

Made in 1906, this ChurchillImperialGrade side-by-side is a good exampleof the quality workmanship that wentinto produdng a classic shotgun. Thefine hand carved scroll along the re-ceiver and barrel was typical of thistime period.

rels and then the other as quail criss-crossed in front of me. Just as I wouldsite a bird down one barrel anotherwould whiz by and distract me. Iknew I was losing precious time asmy eyes kept jumping from one bar-rel to the next and then one bird to thenext. In desperation I fired. It was notgood. The ill-fitted lightweight gun'srecoil drove deep into my shoulderand the gun's stock rose to meet myjaw with such force I didn't remem-ber hitting the ground. I lay there con-fused and deeply embarrassed. Itwould be 15 to 20 years before Ipicked up another doubled barreledshotgun and it was not a side-by-side.

My experience was probably notuncommon. Back in the 1950s if therewas a shotgun in the household itwas probably a side-by-side, and if itwas a 20 gauge, it was more than like-

value of these items tend to rise be-fore we can get into the collectiongame or sometimes even know therewas a game to get into. An old classicside-by-side shotgun seems to be thenext "new thing" for collectors andshooting sportsmen. There was verylittle argument among shotgun en-thusiasts as to the beauty of design ofa Parker, L. C. Smith, or A.H. Foxshotgun. However, for most homesin rural America from the late 1800sto World War II a shotgun was lookedupon as a tool, not something bought

15 .

Thereare many peopLe across the coun-try whofind collecting classic shotgunsa great investment. Thereare also thosewho derive great pleasure by actuallygoing out and putting them to gooduse.

for its aesthetic good looks. Duringthe two World Wars, however, Amer-icans became aware that the Englishand Germans made superior or"Best" shotguns.

Unlike some antiquities that justsit after their purchase, vintage shot-guns over a hundred years old areshot at side-by-side tournamentsacross the country. Jim Rice of Char-lottesville, an appraiser and importerof fine European shotguns holds theVirginia Side-by-Side Shoot eachyear. Jim is passionate about the shot-gun and its history, and has donemuch to promote the revival of theside-by-side shotgun in Virginia. Atshoots such as these one can not only16

shoot but also view rare shotgunsthat either your grandfather or great-grandfather used or had been usedby European royalty. Guns at theseshoots could be anything from a 1925Parker or a 1906 Churchill Imperial,one of only two ever made.

When asked about the revival ofthe side-by-side shotgun, one shooterfrom Richmond, who participates inthese national side-by-side shootsreplied, "These guns are investmentsyou can use for two to three years andthen turn around and sell them formore than what you paid for them.Try doing that with the next boat youbuy." Indeed some of these shotguns ~can be an investment when you con- ~sider there is still a great deal ofhand-Wwork in a fine European gun where ~the scroll work alone could range up- Thisscarce Parker DHEGrade, 20-gaugewards to $10,000 and have a waiting side-by-side was made in 1925 and isperiod of 5 to 6 years from the date of valued today at around $10,000.your order. Other side-by side shoot-

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE. vvww.dgif.virginia.gov

ers, Zeb Holt from Tidewater andDick Livingston from Lynchburg,probably say it best when speaking ofthe increased interest in these guns."The popularity of these guns hascome about as a result of improvedlightweight loads that takes the painout of shooting and the babyboomer's interest in things classicand well made. These older gunsoffer an opportunity to own some-thing fine, like a great wine, that onecan use and enjoy as opposed to haveit sit in a cellar where you may visit itfrom time to time."

For some owners these gunshave a deeper personal meaning. Asone gentleman explained "This gunbelonged to my grandfather, a man Ionly knew from pictures of him in anold felt hat and tall leather bootsholding this gun. It sort of gives me achance to maybe feel a little what hemay have felt every time I hold it."Whether it came from a Sears catalogin the early 1900s or from the finestgunsmiths in Europe, collectors andshooters of these shotguns all agreethere is something special aboutowning a side-by-side. And likemany things we choose to own, itmore than any other gun, says some- 0

thing about what we value. In ourever changing world of technogearthese guns are a link to a nostalgicpast where things could be simplebut elegant. They offer the owner anappreciating investment of a useableyet timeless antique. As so often hap-pens old things become new againand that old shotgun you may havestored in the attic or garage and havelong forgotten may have steadily in-creased in value. Before parting withor shooting it have it examined andappraised by a knowledgeable andreputable appraiser of shotguns. Atthe very least obtain a copy of TheBlue Book of Gun Values. 0

Clarke C. Jones is afreelance writer who spendsmost of his spare time with his black lab Luke,huntingfor agood story.

Collecting firearms is a great way toLearnmore about shooting sports, thehistory behind the guns, and thepeopLe who made them famous.

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