Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/801177
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 147 Y ou learn something new every day. I've heard it at least a thousand times, and it certainly applies to me. I've been studying shotguns for more than 60 years, and you'd think that I'd have a pretty good handle on the subject by now. Alas, the world doesn't work like that, and I truly do learn something new every day. Actually, I often wonder if things are truly new or whether I just missed something along the way. My latest revelation arose from a "problem gun" that I found on the Internet. It's a truly beautiful 20-gauge boxlock double built around 1900 by gunmaker Thomas Bland. Twenty-gauge English guns are not terribly common, and good examples that don't cost a king's ransom can be fairly hard to find. That being the case, you can imagine how my eyes lit up when I ran across the beautiful little Bland! It looked gorgeous in the photographs. The stock was sparsely figured, but it appeared to be lightly used, and the receiver sported full coverage of nicely executed Holland & Holland-style scroll. At 6 1 /2 pounds, it was a little heavier than usual for an English 20 gauge, but I considered that to be a positive rather than negative thing. Six to 6 1 /2 pounds is usually about right if you actually intend to use a gun in the field, and contrary to what the gunsellers tell you, that applies regardless of gauge. It had 3-inch chambers, and from that I shotguns by robert matthews The crafTsmen aT Briley Turned The auThor's proBlem gun inTo a sTraighT shooTer. deduced it was probably built as a small- bore waterfowl gun. The only odd thing about it was the listed cylinder and cylinder chokes. Again, I regarded those as positives, since my intent was to use it on quail, woodcock, and ruffed grouse, where choke is largely irrelevant. Best of all, the price, while not cheap, was reasonable. As it turned out, I knew the seller. I had done business with him before, and I knew him to be an honest, reliable fellow. Within a few minutes I was on the phone. My old acquaintance assured me that the gun was indeed sound, and virtually untouched except for the chokes, which had apparently been reamed out at some point in its history. When the gun arrived, it looked absolutely fabulous and felt that way, too. There was little wear. The barrels were well struck and rang like the proverbial chimes. Its condition could best be described as "damn near new," and while it was light enough to be quick, the bit of extra weight up front gave it a pleasant, slightly forward weight distribution. I had reserved the usual three-day Purchased on the Internet, this 20-gauge boxlock double was built in the early 1900s by English gunmaker Thomas Bland.