JohnBT
Member
Yesterday morning wasn't nearly as productive as opening day. Skunked. The birds just weren't flying - only 2 high-flying flocks of geese, a few stray ducks, and this one merganser that kept buzzing us and laughing. Even the seagulls stayed away. It was about 29*F, no breeze and not a cloud in the sky - even prettier than opening day. Oh well, we'll try again once or twice before the season closes on the 3rd (then it opens again on the 10th.)
I'd driven to my parents' home Wednesday morning and had no intention of buying a gun - my checkbook was still in Richmond. My father and I went to his local shop after lunch to buy some ammo and I started looking at gas guns. The Beretta was fine - way too pretty in fact - and felt great even though it only had a 26" barrel. The Benelli SBEII was nice - but not a gas gun and too much $$$ even if they said it recoiled less than a gus gun because of all the new features. Then they snuck in a 5-pound Franchi 28 ga. autoloader - - really sweet.
We each got a Beretta keychain with a miniture clay for a fob and a lapel pin, and the owner gave us a copy of the Beretta episode of Tales of the Gun to take home and watch.
Anyhow, I spotted a 28" ShadowGrass SX2 and decided immediately that I liked it. At first I couldn't figure out why the price was low even with the recent Win rebate. Well, it was used, but I couldn't tell even after they told me and I looked it over again. How much? $750. It looks to me like somebody put a tiny fiber optic front sight on it, shot it five or six times and took it turkey or maybe deer hunting once. Maybe they never took it hunting. Who knows. The shell lifter did not have one blemish on it. There wasn't a scratch on it inside or out other than two teeny black dots, maybe 1/8" big, on the magazine tube under the gas ports.
Now I'm thinking I should have waited to see the new SX3 duck gun specifications, but with a reported list price around $1300 I think I'll be happy with what I have. And I sure didn't know the SX2 Waterfowler listed for over $1200. My local shop still had a new one on the rack Friday for $1039. You know you're getting older when you find yourself saying "They want how much?"
Now, if only the weather will cooperate.
John
P.S. - You really didn't think I was going to take my nice clean SX1 out in the marsh did you?
I'd driven to my parents' home Wednesday morning and had no intention of buying a gun - my checkbook was still in Richmond. My father and I went to his local shop after lunch to buy some ammo and I started looking at gas guns. The Beretta was fine - way too pretty in fact - and felt great even though it only had a 26" barrel. The Benelli SBEII was nice - but not a gas gun and too much $$$ even if they said it recoiled less than a gus gun because of all the new features. Then they snuck in a 5-pound Franchi 28 ga. autoloader - - really sweet.
We each got a Beretta keychain with a miniture clay for a fob and a lapel pin, and the owner gave us a copy of the Beretta episode of Tales of the Gun to take home and watch.
Anyhow, I spotted a 28" ShadowGrass SX2 and decided immediately that I liked it. At first I couldn't figure out why the price was low even with the recent Win rebate. Well, it was used, but I couldn't tell even after they told me and I looked it over again. How much? $750. It looks to me like somebody put a tiny fiber optic front sight on it, shot it five or six times and took it turkey or maybe deer hunting once. Maybe they never took it hunting. Who knows. The shell lifter did not have one blemish on it. There wasn't a scratch on it inside or out other than two teeny black dots, maybe 1/8" big, on the magazine tube under the gas ports.
Now I'm thinking I should have waited to see the new SX3 duck gun specifications, but with a reported list price around $1300 I think I'll be happy with what I have. And I sure didn't know the SX2 Waterfowler listed for over $1200. My local shop still had a new one on the rack Friday for $1039. You know you're getting older when you find yourself saying "They want how much?"
Now, if only the weather will cooperate.
John
P.S. - You really didn't think I was going to take my nice clean SX1 out in the marsh did you?