Nothing like an old fool....

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PapaG said:
Everything is on hold for a while. Shooting and guns are in the back seat until we get my wife's health situation under control. Two ER trips since last Sat for a thing called vaso vagel syncope (spelling is suspect). Tests, tests, tests. One showed Civid, another, vivid related pneumonia and another a small aneurysm in one lung. She is the world to me and after nearly sixty years as a couple, my only concern right now.
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I completely understand. I am in much the same situation as you. Tests and trips to the ER for my lady, just like you. She is my world, too, though we haven't been married as long as the two of you. I can relate to the thing about shooting and guns. Same here. There are more important things in my life than having fun things and doing things I want to. One of those important things is next to me watching Home Town on TV. Prayers for you and her, blessings to you both.
 
Both doing much better. Mrs is going to get a semi-permanent monitor implanted to forwarn of atrial fibrillation. She is working on balance.
Guns, I've peeled a dozen plus unwanteds out of the safe and have a nice war chest so when I find my dream gun (and recognize it as such) I can leap
 
PapaG said:
Just wondering if anyone else tries to talk themselves into something superfluous like I do.
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Yep, and I'm older than you. Most of my many guns could arguably and rightly be called "superfluous" (what an ugly word). That's what my wife calls them, among other things even more offensive. :)

Wish the best for the Mrs.
 
I shoot a 28" Cynergy CX low rib, 30" Citori 725 Sporting low rib, 32" Citori 725 Trap high rib, and 34" BT-99 high rib, and am considering a Beretta 486 next in 26" or 28".

I find I really like a high rib and I shoot the BT-99 the most for singles, and the Citori 725 Trap the most for doubles. I'm terrible at skeet but I try the low rib guns for that game specifically, as well as sporting clays.
 
I only shoot trap and I shoot a browning citori lightening, wore out some of my older guns and thought I would buy something that would outlast me, it is a field grade with grade 3 wood, had an adjustable comb installed and spent the last 3 years trying to get to fit me, finally it does and along with an IM choke I am doing great with it. btw its 16 ga. in the pic the top gun is the browning and the bottom is a marlin 90, also 16 ga, I wore out 16 ga 004.JPG
 
PapaG said:
A couple years ago I was telling my wife about a friend's Kolar he just got. Combo with all the bells and whisties like unsingle, o/u, subgage tubes, special case, tools. She said, "you want one?" I said, "No" She, "If you want one buy it". No. "How much does it cost?" About $20K. "If you want it, buy it". I finally told her that I didn't think I had enough years left to grow my old body around another shotgun. I can pull the TB up to my shoulder with eyes shut and the beads are in alignment and no contortions are needed. As a matter of fact, the stock has developed some cast on from the compression of the wood after 300K rounds and my way of holding. All my other guns I have to kind of adjust my hold.
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I won’t argue with Armored Farmer’s logic…if it’s what you want, get it.

And PapaG, please don’t think for a second I’m implying what you should do. Your decision is your alone. Just my $0.02.

I’ll just say what you already seem to know and most of us spend way to much money trying to figure out…when you have ‘that gun’ that’s an extension of your body and just does things almost automatically…point great, feels great, and is a joy to shoot, then stop chasing a dream you already have.

I’m about 20 years your junior, and I’m coming to grips with my last purchase mistake. It only set me back $3400 but it was another “chasing a unicorn” gun. I shoot it fine, but it’s just not a good fit. So it’s going to a friend for a great deal.

My bottom line epiphany is this…it’s not the cool gun…it’s the right gun. And I’m thinking a tried and true firearm I already own is pretty much it. Because in the end, it’s about what the gun does for me…range time with friends, challenge my skills, defend my world, and teach family and friends real world skills.
 
Win mod 1200 12 ga with hydra coil recoil reduction system.....does it all for me. I'm 77 and not great at any one shotgun sport (hate skeet, I just shoot holes in the sky).

I understand your feelings toward your old gun. I knew a guy once that claimed to have Washington"s hatchet. He said he replaced the handle twice and the head only once.
 
OK, I made my choice. A friend from years back in my club that dropped out twenty years ago stopped by today during our annual meeting and swap meet. He asked me if I remembered his trap gun. Did I? Yes. He said he had it in the car and wondered if I thought anyone would be interested. We went out and five minutes later it was mine. 98+% 3200 Trap Special, 30”, IM and F. Unfired since he quit in ,02. Better wood than any of my better Remingtons. Kind of excited for next Friday practice session. Price, ‘tween him and me but very friendly to me. Had a bunch of “inquiries”. No cracks in forend or wrist. Could pass for new. Yeah, pics needed. Maybe tomorrow. Plenty heavy, fits great, short learning curve.
Now, I can give #1 son the Superposed Lightning he has been saving for (no charge, but he doesn't know that yet) and #2 son either the Smith 624 or 29 he lusts after.
Now, for me: Singles, the 870 TB (1975) or Bt99 (1974) for backup
Doubles, the 3200
Skeet, either the 1100 Trap with skeet barrel or the Beretta 686 Essential,
And if ever do sporting, the 686.
Just enough to no longer be that good but still have a lot of fun.
Wife shoots the 1100 and 686 also plus a 20 GA 1100.
Total outlay for the top 5 was under $3100. (Over 47 years). And I like them all.
Thanks for all the kind words, encouragement and advice. Gun folks, especially THR folks are the cream of the crop.
And, One last thing, now hve plenty of loaners for the youth team from the high school my sons and I coach. (and two, soon to be four grandkids participate in).
Blessed beyond measure.
 
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That's an old classic, the predecessor to the Krieghoff K32. Use it in good health Sir. Congratulations on being in the right place at the right time.
 
PapaG said:
O.K. I'm 77 and my main sources of shooting fun are trap, skeet, deer hunting, small bore target and handgun short, medium and 100 yard shooting. Those who know me understand my attachment to my 1975 870TB, A gun that has helped me take home a bunch of trophies, meart, cash, and a few game animals and birds. I always go back to it. The only original parts left on it are the stock, bolt and 30" full choke barrel with its highly shot polished full choke bore. I have a couple of backup guns, A Superposed Lighting and an 870 Classic Trap. I just got started cleaning out the safe to make it easier for whoever has to clean up when I shuffle off the mortal coil. This has left my slush fund fairly healthy.
I've always wanted to shoot more skeet than just our eight week combo league and I want to shoot more trap doubles. So...I've
been thinking about either a Cynergy CX or a Citori CX. They are both set up to shoot 60/40 which is about what my 870 does. (Oh, yeah, there's A BT and a 686 Essential hiding in the safe, also).
Not really asking anything of you kind folks. Just wondering if anyone else tries to talk themselves into something superfluous like I do.
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It's nice to hear from another 870TB fan. I bought mine last year or maybe it was the year before, to cut my teeth on trap. I figured it would be a good beginner gun but I have a feeling I could end up like you and just keep plugging away with the TB. I figure if I spend $2K-$5K on a dedicated trap gun I'll have alot less to spend on shells, lol :D. So I may as well stick with what I got. Unless I find a really nice used Citori or something.

I'd like to know what you've hunted with your 870TB, I was thinking that if I wanted to hunt with mine I'd have to ditch the 30" FC barrel, I'm told that you aren't supposed to fire steel shot through the fixed full remington. Also, what is shot polished. I'm guessing mine is too because it's extremely bright in my bore.....
 
DustyGmt said:
It's nice to hear from another 870TB fan. I bought mine last year or maybe it was the year before, to cut my teeth on trap. I figured it would be a good beginner gun but I have a feeling I could end up like you and just keep plugging away with the TB. I figure if I spend $2K-$5K on a dedicated trap gun I'll have alot less to spend on shells, lol :D. So I may as well stick with what I got. Unless I find a really nice used Citori or something.

I'd like to know what you've hunted with your 870TB, I was thinking that if I wanted to hunt with mine I'd have to ditch the 30" FC barrel, I'm told that you aren't supposed to fire steel shot through the fixed full remington. Also, what is shot polished. I'm guessing mine is too because it's extremely bright in my bore.....
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As it was just about my only shotgun from '75 to about '85, I used an old 18" riot barrel upon which I had silver soldered Remington slug sights for deer and rabbits. The 30" full I used for pheasant and ducks at Rice Lake(hated to run steel through it. Somewhere in there I found a vent rib imp cyl barrel which then had me set up for dove, quail and skeet. I figure well over 200K through the original barrel.
BTW, the only original parts are the barrel and stock and bolt. Receiver cracked about 2010, action bar broke in 2012, and I bought a great aftermarket trigger about then.
This gun is the subject of many stories at three local clubs.
I do have a few other trap guns I play with or use with the youth club. 1964 Browning Superposed Lightning, '74 BT99, A '10 Beretta 686 Essential(think "express"), and just yesterday, a sixties 3200 Trap Special. All old, all for about what a Browning XT would cost new.
Oh, yeah. Shot polished is just what it sounds like. Thousands and thousands of charges of lead shot pushed through the bore, even tough encased most of the time in plastic. Every year I take a square of worn ScotchBrite on a worn bristle brush and run it back and forth through the bore (with Group and Shooters Choice on it) using an electric drill to bring a mirror shine in the bore. So smooth now that I get virtually no plastic fouling.
 
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PapaG said:
As it was just about my only shotgun from '75 to about '85, I used an old 18" riot barrel upon which I had silver soldered Remington slug sights for deer and rabbits. The 30" full I used for pheasant and ducks at Rice Lake(hated to run steel through it. Somewhere in there I found a vent rib imp cyl barrel which then had me set up for dove, quail and skeet. I figure well over 200K through the original barrel.
BTW, the only original parts are the barrel and stock and bolt. Receiver cracked about 2010, action bar broke in 2012, and I bought a great aftermarket trigger about then.
This gun is the subject of many stories at three local clubs.
I do have a few other trap guns I play with or use with the youth club. 1964 Browning Superposed Lightning, '74 BT99, A '10 Beretta 686 Essential(think "express"), and just yesterday, a sixties 3200 Trap Special. All old, all for about what a Browning XT would cost new.
Oh, yeah. Shot polished is just what it sounds like. Thousands and thousands of charges of lead shot pushed through the bore, even tough encased most of the time in plastic. Every year I take a square of worn ScotchBrite on a worn bristle brush and run it back and forth through the bore (with Group and Shooters Choice on it) to bring a mirror shine in the bore. So smooth now that I get virtually no plastic fouling.
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I found a nice 20" Remington Brushmaster IC barrel for mine for the deer woods and HD. Got a great deal on it. I plan on shooting this gun alot, I got it in pretty good shape but I still don't know how many rounds have been pumped through it, if I have my way I'll probably put 4K-5K rounds a year of target loads through it on an annual basis, I don't want to worry too much about this but I've wondered if I shoot out the reciever or barrel, by the time I do, will I even be able to replace the reciever or barrel??? I've been poking around online and don't find much and when I do it's crazy expensive, I doubt if it will get any better though so.....

These are both the same gun, just merged the images, different configuration. The 30" full choke in my trap configuration and the 20" IC with a mag extension for the deer woods and HD. Love the versatility of these shotguns. I can sling a forster slug quite a ways with the 20" IC with the rifle sights. I put a nice group of 5 @75 yards off a rest, made a nice group a lil bigger than a fist..... I love my 870TB IMG_20220214_160436.jpg
 
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PapaG said:
O.K. I'm 77 and my main sources of shooting fun are trap, skeet, deer hunting, small bore target and handgun short, medium and 100 yard shooting. Those who know me understand my attachment to my 1975 870TB, A gun that has helped me take home a bunch of trophies, meart, cash, and a few game animals and birds. I always go back to it. The only original parts left on it are the stock, bolt and 30" full choke barrel with its highly shot polished full choke bore. I have a couple of backup guns, A Superposed Lighting and an 870 Classic Trap. I just got started cleaning out the safe to make it easier for whoever has to clean up when I shuffle off the mortal coil. This has left my slush fund fairly healthy.
I've always wanted to shoot more skeet than just our eight week combo league and I want to shoot more trap doubles. So...I've
been thinking about either a Cynergy CX or a Citori CX. They are both set up to shoot 60/40 which is about what my 870 does. (Oh, yeah, there's A BT and a 686 Essential hiding in the safe, also).
Not really asking anything of you kind folks. Just wondering if anyone else tries to talk themselves into something superfluous like I do.
Click to expand...
Yer 77 freaking years old. You don't have to talk your self in to ANYTHING. Do what ever you want.
 
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