Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/299259
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 3 6 proper stance and gun mount while guiding students to quickly break targets at his purpose-built teaching station. He believes that a combination of good fundamentals and confidence are the keys to getting a new shooter started on the right foot. T he school's headquarters include a retail facility with a full range of Caesar Guerini and Fabarm shotguns as well as a tasteful collection of accessories and clothing. The shooting school offers either one- or two-day sessions. The student-to-instructor ratio never exceeds four-to-one and private instruction can be booked. Expert gun-fitting is also available. Throw in a scenic sporting clays course laid out through the rolling Georgia hills, and I'm not sure what else an avid shooter could ask for. While there are a handful of resorts that have excellent clay target facilities, what puts Barnsley Resort in a class by itself is the great hunting they offer. Just a few minutes' drive from the resort is their Springbank Plantation, a classic Georgia quail preserve with more than 1,800 acres of prime wildlife habitat. Springbank not only offers traditional quail hunts but also continental pheasant shoots as well as turkey and deer hunting. A fellow could spend the whole season there! While at Barnsley I enjoyed a morning quail hunt with Tom Smith, a real gun guy and an avid hunter and clay target shooter. I might add that Caesar Guerini USA president, Wes Lang, and the Guerini brothers, Giorgio and Antonia, are all cut from the same cloth. Their combined knowledge, experience and passion in what they do make a big, big difference in the shotguns they build and the service they provide their customers. After a great hunt, highlighted by the enthusiasm and expert dog-handling of our guide, Lyle McClure, Tom and I had a chance to sit down and talk about what sets Caesar Guerini apart from the rest of the pack. I'll admit right off that I've long been a big fan of Guerini over-and- unders, made in Brescia, the heart of the Italian gun manufacturing. More than any other maker I know, the company seems to have cracked the code in producing beautifully balanced guns and standard stock dimensions that work well for a wide array of shooters. Recognizing that's there is stiff competition in the over/ under market, Tom emphasized that setting a high standard of customer service has always been a primary goal. With Caesar Guerini USA as the sole importer for U.S. distribution, they have been able to build a network of outstanding retailers and provide factory-level gunsmithing services at their headquarters in Cambridge, Maryland. Underscoring this commitment is its Pit Stop Maintenance Program, which encourages original owners to send their shotgun in once a year for a free tune-up (up to three times). Tom noted that beyond repair and custom work, the company's focus on service extends to helping customers find exactly the Guerini shotgun they want. It's a mix-and- match opportunity where, for example, a customer can order a field model with a sporting clays stock, or choose from a variety of barrel configurations. If that's not aesar Guerini's Tom Smith watches the bird dogs work a covey of quail at Springbank Plantation. He's carrying a 28-gauge Tempio field gun. C