Parker

Rudy Etchen used one (870) for years. Probably the greatest trapshooter in his day. He was the first to break 100 straight in DOUBLES at the Grand American Handicap. Some background on Rudy: http://www.joeletchenguns.com/pump.htm

Well, I've shot skeet and trap since I was fifteen, so that's 42 years ago, and I've yet to be hit by an empty thrown from a semi-auto. I must duck well. Been hit be a few incoming clay bits though. They're harder to see. The 1187 offers some advantages. It has a more forgiving gas system, a stainless steel magazine tube, and an extractor that's 30% larger than a standard 2 3/4" 1100. (3" 1100's do have the larger extractor.)

There are some clubs that deter you from picking up your empties, as it distracts from the tempo. And some people don't pick them up anyway.

Tumbling loaded rounds can potentially alter the powder in the case, and is dangerous. Changing its physical characteristics could potentially change the burn rate. Burn rate is controlled by the size, shape and sphere of the powder; be it single base or double base. You can tumble it all you want, but when you fire the round you may get a surprise.

That is simply an urban legend, I suspect spawned and fueled by internet forums. It is usually the careless attitude of the shooter that draws stares or frowns, not the long arm that is brought to the range. I've never seen anyone turn their nose up on someone who has something "different." Most trap shooters are more perturbed when their cadence is upset by a newbie on the line who doesn't know how to load his gun. I shoot skeet at Thunder Mountain, once or twice in pre-season I'll shoot trap, and my guess is O/U's account for 50% of the shooters, semi-auto's account for 40%, and the remainder are the serious single-barrel trap fellows. I see lots of pump-actions on the trap field, but a few hardcore shooters with a pump on the skeet field who can actually shoot competitively. Occasionally one or two shooters show up with a S/S. The Remington Mod. 11 (Browning A5 in disguise) won a lot of national championships on the skeet field in the pre-war days. When it was followed by the softer shooting gas-operated 1100's in the 60's, these became the hot guns for skeet and trap on the shooting circuit for quite a while. I don't think anyone was complaining about getting hit by empties back then. A true ATA layout for trap has each shooter spaced 3 yds. apart behind the trap house when shooting at 16 yds. Getting hit with an empty thrown from a semi-auto is an uncommon occurrence at that distance. Sometimes it's the fault of the range you are shooting at. It's not uncommon to go to ranges and see them cheat the distance on their layout when space is at a premium.

Any of the models mentioned will suit your needs. Some better than others. But gun fit is the most important. You shouldn't conform yourself to the gun, it should feel like an extension of your hands and point comfortably and hit where your eyes are looking. Some of the newer models offer the ability to add shims to the buttstock to alter cast (on/off) or change the heel height. I would suggest you don't spend $1,500 to $2,000 on a shotgun that you might regret owning after shooting it unless you are sure it's the gun for you. There is no "one gun fits all" for the various shooting disciplines. Some are better than others at certain games. This is a good read on various shotguns with some additional links: http://www.shotgunli...sportsguns.html "Pick the one that feels best to you."

Unless it's changed, the Traditions Pursuit should have a 1:28" barrel. So, it should be good for various sabot loads in the weights you are trying. 1:48" is more suited to bullets like the Maxi-Ball, Buffalo Bullets or Lee R.E.A.L. style without the use of a sabot. Have you tried the 350 gr. Hornady FPB bullet yet? (Assuming yours is a .50 cal.)

Ron is an okay guy. He worked at Meltzer's some years ago for a brief stint and before that, at the old Edelman's store in Wayne.

Beautiful buck. Congrats to your dad. Hunts like that are the most gratifying.

Doug Turnbull is one of only two people that I know of that can duplicate the original case coloring found on a Parker shotgun. And that's the concerted opinion of the Parker Gun Collectors Association for when it comes to restoration work.

Does a Lou Diamond Phillips with a Model 37 Stakeout trump your T.J. Hooker?

Don't downplay your '66 Deerslayer. It's an excellent shotgun, the police version rode in a lot of cruisers back in the 60's, 70's & 80's and who could forget the Model 37 Bear Stopper? It's certainly not tacticool by today's standards, but you would be hard pressed to find a smoother working pump shotgun. Because your shotgun is a post-855,000 S/N, it's easier for you to find various barrels for it OR order one from the factory. I wonder if Paul Ryan likes his M37?

The "line of guys" is an opening day thing. It's seen during trout season in NJ where folks stand elbow to elbow, dunking fuschia colored PowerBait for a ten-inch trout, opening day steelhead and king salmon season on the Salmon River in NY, and on all the opening day gun seasons in the tri-state area of NY/PA/NJ which are spaced apart by a week for a specific purpose. There is some truth to your statement, but I also don't lament the folks where the only time of the year they get out is during 6-day firearm in NJ. If they want to shoot a spike, so be it. They are vying for contention with the largest number of hunters in the woods at one time. As long as the harvest is ethical there is nothing wrong with that. I would wager that the majority of big bucks are killed in bow season, by folks who practice QDM, who have been patterning deer with trail cameras throughout the summer, managing their bait-piles, then getting the first crack at them in the woods. And it doesn't hurt if they have private land to hunt on where they can be assured no one else gets a chance at "their" buck. Yet, more than 6,000 deer were killed by vehicles during the 2010/2011 seasons. Wonder how many of them were trophy deer these hunters were patterning throughout the year that succumbed to the dreaded automobile? Dominant bucks, while secretive, are still pretty prolific, and will travel a lot just to breed as many does as possible. Yes, big bucks are killed in all the various seasons, but those killed late in the season are by luck or on small plots of land with little public access. It's the lucky, persistent person who kills a nice buck on public land late-season. If you review the numbers from last year posted on the NJDEP F&W website, almost as many deer were killed by bow as by firearms, and certainly a lot in early season thanks to the mandatory EAB tag. The doe harvest was almost double the firearm harvest. "Permit shotgun" was always the obligatory "brown is down" day. It's only been expanded over the years from what used to be one day to many. (Not to mention that persnickety permit fee NJ charges.) 2010-2011 season breakdown http://www.state.nj....dighnt56-69.pdf Deer harvest summary - 1972 - 2012 (ongoing) http://www.state.nj....vestsummary.htm

+1 I would do the same. "Crud" has a way of impairing movement. And just for the halibut, try different .410 ammo (Federal, Winchester, Remington, etc.) Yes, it should work with any brand but you may find one works better than the other. Spring-loaded firing pins make sense, but it was also common to use floating firing pins. The closing of the action pushed the firing pin in so as not to protrude into the chamber. Many older guns (single shots and doubles) utilize floating firing pins. When you have your 24 apart, have some slave pins handy for the cross pins to help you during re-assembly. You will find this makes your life a little easier. Good luck, the 24 is a unique firearm and growing in collector value.

Gerry Cardinale in my district (39) is a lone wolf of sorts. He's been pushing for concealed carry since the 90's. http://votesmart.org...es#.UHLePFIl23I http://www.dailykos....erfect-Together http://www.nytimes.c...e-has-come.html Charlotte Vandervalk, who retired recently, was another proponent. It's a shame we lost her. http://votesmart.org...es#.UHLfvFIl23I Her recent replacement, Holly Schepesi, came out of the gate as tepid pro-gun, but we have not seen enough of her to gauge effort. Poor Robert Schroeder is struggling with writing bad checks, fending off lawsuits from multiple investors, going to trial and possible prison time. His days are numbered.

This link? http://www.nrapvf.or...new-jersey.aspx I just reread your message. I only know of the NRA list of major candidates.

Nice online magazine with some articles and of course great pictures of some fine grade shotguns. http://bluetoad.com/...on/?m=18740&l=1 (Back issues 11, 10 & 9 are still viewable as well.)

The .45 ACP, in what would be considered an anomaly, deterred a grizzly in a national park a couple of years ago. http://www.nationalp...nd-preserve5943 The Sirius Patrol of Denmark carries the Glock 10MM for use against polar bear while patrolling Greenland. http://www.casr.ca/i...viking4sb-1.htm http://en.wikipedia....atruljen_Sirius Sometimes, it comes down to the Indian, not the arrow.

If you plan to shoot a lot, at least get a heavier gun to dampen the recoil. If you're going to carry it in bear country, go as light as you can tolerate. Anything more than 3 1/2 lbs. tugging at your hip all day is an annoyance, although I suspect a shoulder holster would abate a lot of those issues. As for cartridge choice, I think the .44 Magnum is enough for a handgun. If I want something bigger I'd go to a rifle. JMHO Jeff Quinn claims the Alaskan is "controllable," contrary to this photo. Gunblast link on the Alaskan: http://www.gunblast....HAlaskan454.htm

It is working normally. Your rotary bolt is a clone of the Winchester. For years, Winchester touted this shotgun as their "speed pump." It's lockup is different than a Rem. 870. http://www.wincheste...tail.asp?id=218

Your new pump is a Savage 320, correct? It has a rotary lockup. It is a clone of the Winchester1200 & 1300 shotguns. This is a common attribute for all of them. (Winchester even used this phenomenon you are experiencing as an advertising line, calling it "Speed Assist.") There is nothing wrong with your shotgun. It is working the way it was designed. If you find this annoying, push forward with your hand on the forearm away from you to mitigate the rearward movement when firing.

Savage is still around. After the bankruptcy and reorganization back in the 80's, Savage settled on two lines to build upon; their .22's and the 110 bolt-action. They have expanded over the years with other offerings, opened another facility in Canada, but any shotguns today with their name on it are imported.

As long as you're happy with it and it works for you, that's a good thing.

These three fellows and their lady friends have been frequenting my neighborhood for the last six weeks. They are small compared to some bucks I've seen.

You ALWAYS see big deer when you're never prepared for them.