{"id":1228,"date":"2020-03-01T12:24:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T17:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2020-03-03T11:02:31","modified_gmt":"2020-03-03T16:02:31","slug":"in-praise-of-pump-guns-by-craig-boddington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/in-praise-of-pump-guns-by-craig-boddington\/","title":{"rendered":"IN PRAISE OF PUMP GUNS! By Craig Boddington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most upland and waterfowl seasons are over. Spring turkey season is coming up fast, so for many of us this is time to shop for a new turkey gun. Fine, but shotgunning is really about familiarity and fit (probably in that order). Turkey hunting is a bit different than most shotgunning because the birds are (more or less) stationary and you aim<\/em>, but any time you invest in a new shotgun, it\u2019s wise to also expend time and a bunch of shells in practice<\/em>. Although they taste terrible, there are no bag limits on clay targets. Clays vary widely in speed, angle, and difficulty, but it really doesn\u2019t matter if you shoot trap, skeet, sporting clays, or hand-thrown targets: Every clay you shoot at (and especially every target you hit!) will make you more effective with that new shotgun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1979
1979 AZ quail: Warner Glenn and Boddington in 1979 after a great morning on Arizona desert quail. Warner has a very early straight-gripped Model 12; Craig\u2019s is his factory skeet Model 12, made in the 1950s. In \u201879 he\u2019d had the gun for a decade, and it had seen a lot of use.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am probably best-known as a \u201crifle guy,\u201d not so much as a shotgunner, and definitely not a turkey hunter. The latter is valid: I hunt<\/em> turkeys, but I am no turkey expert! Shotgunning in general is a slightly different story. The Kansas I grew up in had few deer and zero turkeys, but we had oceans of bobwhites and lots of pheasants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n



<\/p>\n\n\n

\"DSC_4218:
DSC_4218: An awesome day on bobwhites in Oklahoma. This was the day I won the Grand National Quail Hunt in 2007, using my old Winchester M12 factory skeet gun, 12-gauge, choked WS1. Boddington loves pump guns, and the Model 12 seems to fit him especially well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what I grew up with. I lived for the fall, but the rest of the year I shot lots<\/em> of American trap. Although never great, I did okay. Truth is I was obsessed by it! I quit competing, but I still shoot for fun, and I\u2019ve dabbled in all other clay target games. In my business it\u2019s almost inevitable to get pigeonholed; few of my editors call upon me to write about scatter-guns\u2026but I still know how to use them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_1351:
IMG_1351: A nice Eastern gobbler Boddington called in on his Kansas farm to the left-hand action Mossberg 500, using Kent\u2019s Penetrator load with No. 7 tungsten shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I also know what I like\u2026although that depends on the game (feathered or clay). I have an assortment of shotguns. I competed with over\/unders, and still have a couple. I was a teenager when I got my first side-by-side, an inexpensive Spanish gun. I should have kept it because it was a great quail gun and I shot it well. Today I have a couple of good side-by-sides, but admit there\u2019s ego involved; these are not the guns I reach for when I want to shoot well. I have an equally long history with semi-autos, and of course who doesn\u2019t like the softer recoil of a gas-operated gun. Here, my left-handed affliction enters the fray: A lefty shooting a right-handed semi-auto is gonna get debris in the right eye. Left-hand semi-autos have included offerings from Benelli<\/a>, Franchi<\/a>, Remington<\/a>, and SKB<\/a>. Lefties, take heed, they\u2019re great! I\u2019ve used most of them, and I currently have a Franchi and a Remington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_2876:
IMG_2876: In a turkey blind with the left-hand Mossberg 500. This is a near-perfect turkey gun: In camo with non-glare finish, fairly light and the 24-inch barrel is fairly handy in close quarters.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I shoot them well enough, but for upland birds, the shotgun I usually reach for is that uniquely American phenomenon, the slide-action. Modern semi-autos are so reliable that most failures are operator-induced: A bad shell, uncleared debris, lack of lubrication. However, hunting is not a clean environment, and now and again all semi-autos are going to jam. Doubles and over-unders are goof-proof for two shots but, purism aside, when quail are getting up or birds coming into the decoys, are there not times when you wish for one more shell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_2933:
IMG_2933: A gorgeous Gould\u2019s turkey, taken in northeastern Sonora with the left-hand Mossberg 500, using Winchester Long Beard 3-inch 12 gauge with No. 5 shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The slide-action shotgun came to the fore in the early 1900s with the Marlin<\/a> 1898 and Winchester\u2019s timeless 1897. These were exposed-hammer designs, improved into hammer-less designs with Winchester\u2019s Model 12 \u201cThe Perfect Repeater\u201d\u2014and perhaps improved further in 1950 with Remington\u2019s 870, now more than 11 million manufactured; and Mossberg\u2019s M500, in production 50 years with over 10 million manufactured!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_3322:
IMG_3322: Today patterns are more about shells and wads than chokes, but this is a typical 30-yard pattern from the left-hand 3-inch 12-gauge Mossberg 500, using Winchester Long Beard 1 7\/8-ounce load with No. 5 shot. No gobbler can walk through this pattern!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you didn\u2019t grow up with a pump gun you can\u2019t just pick one up and expect instant proficiency. You have to learn<\/em> how to shuck \u2018em! At first, you\u2019ll probably \u201cshort-shuck\u201d now and again, but the back-and-forth action of the fore-end is natural, and, with practice, I think the manual operation is as reliable as any semi-auto\u2026and, with muscle behind the bolt, overcomes bad crimps and gunk as well as any semi-auto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_3877:
IMG_3877: Boddington\u2019s rebuilt Model 12 20-gauge on its first outing, after California valley quail. With fast upland shooting gun fit is critical; the rest is familiarity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something more that is the true genius of the slide-action. Firing unlocks the \u201cslide\u201d or fore-end. After firing you must learn<\/em> to instantly bring the fore-end rearward, ejecting the spent shell. You\u2019ll forget to do this a time or two, but nothing\u2019s gonna happen until you bring the fore-end back. You\u2019ll get the hang of it. With the supporting hand gripping the fore-end, you then push it forward, carrying a shell into the chamber. This happens with the shotgun to your shoulder, cheek welded to the stock. So far, no different from a repeat shot with a semi-auto, or the second shot from a two-pipe, accomplished with no hand movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5505:
IMG_5505: Boddington\u2019s rebuilt Model 12 20-gauge was an early gun in 2.5-inch chamber. The chamber was lengthened for 2.75-inch shells. The barrel is marked \u201cFull,\u201d but the patterns are actually a nice, even \u201cModified\u201d with 1 \u00bc ounces of No. 6. It\u2019s always a good idea to pattern a shotgun so you know what you\u2019re dealing with.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, although poorly understood (except by slide-action fans), that hand movement is the real magic of the slide-action: As the supporting hand moves the slide forward that hand, in natural extension of the eye, is steering the shotgun toward the target\u2026and also pushing the shotgun forward opposite the force of recoil, which is still pushing the shotgun rear-ward (if you operate the slide fast<\/em>, which you will learn to do).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5510:
IMG_5510: Boddington\u2019s old 12-gauge M12 skeet gun, choked WS1, throws an extremely wide but amazingly even pattern. It\u2019s a close- range gun, but the concentration in the center of the pattern is excellent. This patter was with 1 1\/8 ounces of No. 7 \u00bd shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The slide-action shotgun, so traditional in America, is still popular and there are many options. Many are basic guns, incredibly inexpensive, starting at about 300 bucks\u2014but even at that price these are state-of-the-art shotguns, because the slide-action has been perfected for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5643:
IMG_5643: On a pump gun, firing unlocks the action. Rearward movement of the fore-end brings the bolt back and ejects the spent shell. Next, the supporting hand moves the fore-end forward and the bolt pushed the next shell into the chamber. The magic: The supporting hand acts as an extension of the eye, \u201csteering\u201d the shotgun on the target.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a lefty, this is disloyal, but I am a Winchester<\/a> Model 12 freak. I shot my first quail with Dad\u2019s 20-gauge, and I still find a Model 12 among the sweetest-handling of all shotguns. However, under the heading of \u201cdo as I say and not as I do,\u201d if you are left-handed or shopping a shotgun for a south-paw, consider a true lefty pump gun such as the Mossberg <\/a>500\u2026or one of the bottom-eject guns. The old Remington Model 1917, Ithaca\u2019s long-running Model 37, and Browning\u2019s awesome BPS are all based on a John Browning-designed bottom-eject action that is truly ambidextrous, and won\u2019t put debris into your face regardless of which side you shoot it from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"L1010207:
\nL1010207: On the day he won the Grand National Quail Hunt Boddington was slow and deliberate with his old pump gun. Here, a bird is down so he took his time to avoid risk of a miss!\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I revere the Ithaca 37 and love the BPS but, forgive me, I can\u2019t help myself: The Winchester<\/a> M12 feels so good! For 50 years a go-to shotgun, especially when I really<\/em> wanted to shoot some birds, has been a Model 12 factory skeet 12-gauge, 1950s vintage, choked WS1 with an even pattern like a barn door. I bought it from trapshooting friend Dave Bledsoe in about 1970, and I can\u2019t imagine all the birds it has taken, not just quail, pheasants, and prairie grouse, but ducks, geese, and even turkeys! In \u201807 that\u2019s the shotgun I used when I won the Grand National Quail Hunt in Enid, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5692:
IMG_5692: Boddington\u2019s 20-gauge M12 after ribbing, restocking, and restoration. There are thousands of good, used M12 \u201cfield guns\u201d on the market at low prices, worthy of such treatment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This was not a good strategy; I\u2019d have gained points by using a 20-gauge\u2026but I didn\u2019t own a 20-gauge I could shoot as well, and I knew it! It was not my expectation to win, I just wanted to have a good day. I\u2019m really too fast with that gun, so on that day I tried to be careful and methodical. With misses subtracted from hits, I had a couple of doubles, and two more (lucky) crossing doubles that downed two quail with one shot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"P1020103:
P1020103: Oddly, the Mossberg 500 isn\u2019t as famous as some pump guns, but more than 10 million have been made and it\u2019s a great action. Boddington used a Mossberg 500 \u201ccamp gun\u201d on two safaris in Liberia, here with a water chevrotain, a small jungle deer (not an antelope) with fangs rather than antlers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That Model 12 has been\nshot so much that it\u2019s worn very loose. For years, I\u2019d had a pre-1920 plain-barrel\nM12 20-gauge in the safe, surface wear but mechanically perfect. Vance Cain of\nSEK firearms refurbished, ribbed, and restocked it to the same dimensions as my\nold gun. Its action is a lot tighter, and it shoots just as well! With modern\nshells, I see little difference between 12 and 20 gauge on quail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, those are two of my\nfavorite shotguns, both pump guns. But there\u2019s one more. For years my turkey\ngun was a Spanish-made side-by-side, double-trigger, short-barreled 10 gauge,\nParkerized finish with choke tubes. Huge cool factor, and I could put 6s in one\nbarrel and 2s in the other. Great idea, but the truth is it never patterned\nvery well\u2026and have you tried to find 10-gauge turkey loads recently?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I replaced it with a left-hand action Mossberg<\/a> 500 three-inch 12-gauge, an amazing (and amazingly inexpensive) shotgun, synthetic and camouflage, ported 24-inch barrel, choke tubes, fiber optic sight on the rib. The Mossberg<\/a> 500 is a great gun with dual-action bars, and I much prefer the tang safety to the more typical cross-bolt. Note from your resident lefty: Most cross-bolt safeties can be reversed for left-hand operation, which I\u2019ve done with my Model 12s (and added an oversize button). The tang safety, however, is totally ambidextrous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just one of dozens of variations of the Mossberg<\/a> 500, this is a specialized shotgun. It\u2019s a turkey gun\u2026and a darned good one! It prints devastating patterns, and, even though I\u2019m no great shakes as a turkey hunter, it has accounted for a lot of gobblers. Turkey season is next, so that\u2019s the gun I\u2019ll be reaching for\u2026and it\u2019s a pump gun!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most upland and waterfowl seasons are over. Spring turkey season is coming up fast, so for many of us this is time to shop for a new turkey gun. Fine, but shotgunning is really about familiarity and fit (probably in that order). Turkey hunting is a bit different than most shotgunning because the birds are … Continue reading “IN PRAISE OF PUMP GUNS! By Craig Boddington”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,101,21,47,15,3,35],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_2876-edit.jpg?fit=1732%2C1154&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1228"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1241,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions\/1241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}