Doublegun!

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dak0ta

dak0ta

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I finally took out my sxs for a hunt yesterday, and I can say I've fallen in love with the handling of a nice double. You can hike with it all day and your arms won't feel fatigued, it's quick and nimble to the shoulder, and you get 2 rapid shots off. I can see why this is the action favoured for upland.

Mine is a Czechoslovakian '85 Brno ZP47, 12 gauge, 28'' barrels, fixed Improved Mod and Full, extractors only, Turkish walnut. It's a sleeper shotgun for the quality that you get. Chopper lump barrels, hidden 3rd fastener, Purdey style. Barebones, no engraving, but a very solid sxs. They also came in different gauges, and with English straight grip stocks. For more money you can find some that are plainly engraved. The Communists back then didn't believe in the embellishments.

Shouldering my 870 and trying to swing just doesn't feel as natural anymore!

Here's a pic I took somewhere up in the alpine.

BrnoZP47_zps3116c1b2.gif
 
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Wow, it's a SIDELOCK? Awesome eye candy even without engraving. Nice checkering, at least. :D

My two SxSs are my go too woods bumming guns. One's an old Spanish double Mod/full choked 28" barrels. I bought it in 1971. It got retired from most hunting when steel shot got mandated as I was crazy about waterfowl at the time, still am, really. But, since moving up here, I've killed a few squirrels and a rabbit with it on my walk abouts in the woods. My other fave, even lighter to walk with, is my Spartan 20 gauge coach gun, interchangeable chokes, quick to the shoulder, great dove gun. I don't get to hunt flushing birds, but dove hunting over a tank or mojo can have similar demands for a quick to the shoulder gun.

Your gun is NICE to look at. If I had it, I might consider getting some engraving on those side plates. MAN, that would look NICE. :D Not necessary, of course, probably extravagant, but hey, it's a nice lookin' piece. :D
 
Thanks, yes the checkering is quite nice on the grip and forend.

If I remember correctly, Brno was losing money making these shotguns.

Here's a fox squirrel:

DSCN5675_zps754f7d22.gif
 
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that would be called a chipmonk around here, several squirrels here held mr. peanut for ransom. nice shotgun. eastbank.
 
dak0ta

Sweet looking shotgun! Currently the only SxS in my stable is an old Zabala 20 gauge with a 26" barrel and fixed IC/M chokes. Nice and light and easy to carry around the backwoods all day.
 
not a double barrel, but a older o/u cz brno model 103 in 12ga. with double triggers that is built like a tank. it has a different take down system with the wood staying on the barrels when taken down into two pieces, instead of the normal three pieces (reciever with butt stock,barrels and forend). eastbank.
 

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eastbank said:
not a double barrel, but a older o/u cz brno model 103 in 12ga. with double triggers that is built like a tank.
Click to expand...

Looks like two barrels to me :rolleyes: Not a side-by-side, you mean.
I love seeing these nice doubles. wish I'd had the money for one as nice. I went shopping for a cheap double to shoot skeet with (now, don't start about over-under being better, I can't shoot worth a darn anyway ;) I found some nice Baikal guns at one shop, but too rich for my blood, even at $525 per (They're made by Kalashnikov).

I settled on a Stevens 311 for $250, took it home and cleaned it good, refinished the stock with teak oil, and here she is; 28" barrels, extractors only, will take 3" shells, improved modified chokes both sides.
 
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The Brnos run roughly $350-700 depending on condition, engraving, gauge, and extractors vs ejectors.

Yeah the chokes are kind of tight, so you have to aim a little high to take the head off and spare the meat.

Here's some more info from an ad back in the day:

BRNO.gif
 
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Shouldering my 870 and trying to swing just doesn't feel as natural anymore!
Click to expand...

It only took me a few times out in the uplands with a SXS to lose my taste for a pump gun, even if both guns are the same weight a SXS just seemed to carry easier than an 870.
Sweet looking gun do you use the sling a lot? I bought a slip-on for turkey hunting but I've been debating on something fixed.
 
Yeah, I may get the chokes opened up. It was my first time out with it so just wanted to see how it shot. I was recommended to shoot 1 oz loads in it.

My pumps will have their role in waterfowling and slugs :)

The sling is quite handy, especially when in the mountains. It's a European narrow style that has duty on the SxS and my Husqvarna 98 Mauser :)

Something about them old European guns I like.
 
It only took me a few times out in the uplands with a SXS to lose my taste for a pump gun, even if both guns are the same weight a SXS just seemed to carry easier than an 870.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Dakota said it, though, the pumps and my old autoloader still work fine in the marsh for ducks and geese. But, I don't use my pumps at all in the woods. I'm spoiled by the little 20 SxS's speed to the shoulder on stuff like rabbits that tend to give you only a glimpse at a shot most times. Shooting doves back in the woods is an exercise in speed and patience, too. You have maybe 20 feet of clear shot if the bird leaves the tree in front of you, usually. The woods are thick back there and there is no normal dove hunting even though there are lots of doves about in the trees. Fortunately, the dog is starting to get good at finding 'em using her nose. :D

I like having the tighter chokes on my 12, now, for woods hunting. Often, a shot at a squirrel can be out there a ways in the trees. That full choke and a 1 ounce load can fill out the pattern pretty well at and beyond 40 yards. And, so, well, I rarely get into I/C range if I'm walking/stalking squirrel. If I'm sitting, I often use a .22 pistol. I love hunting squirrel with an accurate .22 pistol.
 
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Here's my "beater" Ugartechea 20 ga. sidelock with my Belle dog on a quail hunt a couple years ago.
The Uggie is choked Skeet 1 and Skeet 2 for Quail behind dogs.
All of my upland guns are SXS's.

dad.jpg
 
Hi Bangswitch.
About 20 years ago, I bought a used Stevens 311 with full & modified barrels. I took it to a local gunsmith the same day and had him bore it out and put in aftermarket screw-in tubes. He said that this was basically what Stevens did with the 511. ;)
What I like is using 2 different chokes with 2 different loads. This let's me go after 2 different quarry (quail & rabbit) or 2 different ranges for the same quarry. :D
 
Great shooting there Hunter/Shooter, good looking Springer if I'm not mistaken. Do love my Browning BSS in 20ga. especially for quail while hunting over my Lab.
 
JTHunter said:
Hi Bangswitch.
About 20 years ago, I bought a used Stevens 311 with full & modified barrels. I took it to a local gunsmith the same day and had him bore it out and put in aftermarket screw-in tubes. He said that this was basically what Stevens did with the 511. ;)
What I like is using 2 different chokes with 2 different loads. This let's me go after 2 different quarry (quail & rabbit) or 2 different ranges for the same quarry. :D
Click to expand...
Having the bores modified for choke inserts sounds like an idea !! I thought mine might have been mod/full when I got it, as the Fox B I once had was choked that way, but this one has improved modified on both sides. Since I bought this one to shoot trap and skeet, I'll probably leave it as-is.

I saw a listing on G Broker where a guy has a set of 311's for sale: a 12 ga, a 16 ga, a 20 ga, and a .410. All looked really good, if I remember correctly he wanted a couple grand for all 4; too much, IMO. Looking today, I don't see them any more.

I've got a hankering now to find another Fox Model B. The one I had was 20 ga, and I remember it to be chambered for 2-3/4 and 3" shells, but every Fox B I saw on G Broker was only chambered for 2-3/4". There were a couple of BSE (single trigger), but I prefer twin triggers. I shoot with my index and middle fingers.
 
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