I started this thread and feel like it is a significant accomplishment. Thanks to all who contributed. I am 72, disabled and may well never hunt agian. On my bucket list is to accumulate a fine collection of guns that appeal to me. One of the things I do is aquire a gun that appeals to me and try it out and decide to keep it or not. On shotguns I have eliminated lots of things I had originally drooled over and kinda settled on a Savage/Stevens single barrel 20 ga or what is referred to around here as a britch loader.
I enjoyed your story, sir!
I grew up in SE Michigan and begged my Dad to let me go hunting with him for 2 years. At age 12, he bought me a used Springfield Arms/Chicopee Falls Mass (later bought out by Savage/Stevens) break-open 20 gauge 28" modified choke (I think he might have paid $20 for it, if that). The first year in the field I was not allowed to load it or carry ammunition. The "elders" of the hunting group wanted to check my gun safety moves (in the field, crossing fences, et al). I was brought along to go into what they termed as the "cedar swamps" with my new pair of green calf-high rubber boots to flush out pheasants and ruffed grouse (partridge, or "pats" as they termed it), in lieu of a bird dog.
I must have passed the test because next year I was allowed one shell to carry in the gun. If I hit and killed a bird, I was allowed another shell. Pretty strict rules, but I was willing to do anything that the old guys wanted just to hunt with them. I managed to kill one rooster per season. My crossing into "manhood", I guess. Fantastic days!
We moved to Nebraska ("pheasant heaven") in 1968 and I graduated to my Dad's Win Model 12 16 gauge and my new Rem 870 12 gauge, and the single shot stayed in the closet, until...
My Dad found a .357 Mag barrel for it at Numrich Arms, reamed the chamber for .357 Max, fashioned/inletted a new piece of walnut for the fore-end and converted it to his whitetail deer gun, complete with a 4X scope. I don't think he ever killed a deer with it.
I never saw it as a shotgun after that and I don't know what ever happened to the gun.
Just reminiscing, sir. I am 65 and have not hunted birds for more than 2 decades, and that was for ducks and geese when I lived in Alaska.
Good luck to you in your endeavors!
Jim