Random Spoon Pics Thread

[berettafan]

Really like the subtle wood on that pair. Did you have the restoration work done? Who did it? Can you share more info?

B25 engraving is crazy nice too!

[Geronimo '74]

The restoration was done by a reputable gunmaker here in Belgium.
He passed away ten years ago and I bought this from his son in law. They were from the gunmaker’s personal collection. His son in law is also a gunmaker and his wife does amazing engraving work.
Genuine numbers pair, Liégois made in 1946. By a company named Armaf. Not very high end, not flashy, just a very very nice set of restored handmade Belgian history.

[Geronimo '74]

My latest B25, detail pics..

According to the serial number this one is from 1959, 12 gauge, comes with a second set of (longer) barrels, three piece wood on the front for both barrels. Don’t know about the wood grade for the stock but I thinks it’s very nice, dark and smokey. Me like.
Engraving is so fine, you need a magnifying glass to really appreciate it.















With these new additions, I completely drained my annual spoon budget….

[Geronimo '74]

Some details from one of my H&H guns

[craigster59]

Holy Moley those are beautiful! I've always loved SxS shotguns. I've got some LeFever's, a 10g C grade circa 1891, a 16g H grade circa 1902 and a 20g E grade circa 1914. 20g is the only non Damascus. I had the Damascus restored by Keith Kearcher about 30 years ago, I'll upload some pics when I get time.

[craigster59]

I did just win this in an auction. A Savage Anschutz 141 22lr manufactured in Ulm West Germany 1966..

[Jeff Higgins]

Beautiful guns, Geronimo. Gotta love the Holland and Holland. The most valuable rifle I have ever had the opportunity to fire was a Holland and Holland Royal Grade double in .577 Nitro Express. It was worth more than the car I drove there in (and that was my longhood), and for the cost of one cartridge I could have filled the gas tank on that car. The guy had just taken delivery, and was terrified to fire it, so I volunteered.

While I can appreciate a fine shotgun, I don't own any of my own. I don't consider myself a "shotgunner". I much prefer single shot rifles and single action revolvers. My shotguns are working tools, used for hunting and occasional clay birds.

My "main" shotgun is a muzzle loading 10 gauge double. I've hunted everything that flies with it for over 40 years. It's an amazingly versatile game gun, from goose to quail.




My "other" shotgun is an inexpensive 12 gauge double from CZ USA. Turkish made, it's of surprisingly high quality. Fits me like a glove, too. Something I can muck about with on our rainy Pacific Northwest fall days and not feel too bad about.

[Geronimo '74]

That is a very cool 10gauge! But I don't know if muzzle loading is practical for hunting, not for me at least.
I have never shot a 10 gauge before. I reckon it has a hefty recoil?
My H&H guns are pretty light, and even a 12 gauge with lighter loads kick noticeably when fired.
That's why I really love the B25 for small game hunting.

Good point about mucking about with pricey shotguns in bad conditions. I do feel hesitant taking my more expensive guns out sometimes. And my cheapest shotgun is the one I inherited from my dad, but it also is the one that is closest to my heart. Maybe a beater gun is a good idea

Is that a double trigger on the CZ?

Maybe we should have a hunting thread, if we don't already..

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Holy Moley those are beautiful! I've always loved SxS shotguns. I've got some LeFever's, a 10g C grade circa 1891, a 16g H grade circa 1902 and a 20g E grade circa 1914. 20g is the only non Damascus. I had the Damascus restored by Keith Kearcher about 30 years ago, I'll upload some pics when I get time.

looking forward to those pics!

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Geronimo '74

That is a very cool 10gauge! But I don't know if muzzle loading is practical for hunting, not for me at least.
I have never shot a 10 gauge before. I reckon it has a hefty recoil?
My H&H guns are pretty light, and even a 12 gauge with lighter loads kick noticeably when fired.
That's why I really love the B25 for small game hunting.

Good point about mucking about with pricey shotguns in bad conditions. I do feel hesitant taking my more expensive guns out sometimes. And my cheapest shotgun is the one I inherited from my dad, but it also is the one that is closest to my heart. Maybe a beater gun is a good idea

Is that a double trigger on the CZ?

Maybe we should have a hunting thread, if we don't already..

Muzzle loaders are actually eminently practical as hunting guns. They obviously take a bit more time to load, but their performance can be made to match that of modern shotguns.

One of their better attributes is their versatility. I can load mine with as little as one ounce of shot and 75 grains of black powder for quail, grouse and the like. It will also happily take 1 3/4 ounces of shot over about 120 grains of black powder (ouch!). I rarely load it with more than 1 1/4 ounce, using it mainly for pheasant and duck. One of the handy things about it is that we use the same measure for powder and shot. They pattern best with equivalent volumes of each.

And yes, that is a double trigger on the CZ. I don't think it was a cataloged item at the time and it may not be yet today. I stumbled into it at a local gun store. The guy told me it was a "dealer special", and he only gets three of them. I figured the double trigger was made for me, having cut my teeth on the muzzle loader, so I grabbed it. It's what I'm used to.

[herr_oberst]

Good lord, the engraving on that H&H is gorgeous. I know zero about weapons, but I've watched a few engraving videos. That is a skillset for the chosen few. (AND it's a damn good thing no hack ever tried to unwind one of those carefully clocked screws with the wrong tool)

Thanks for sharing those pictures.

[berettafan]

Fantastic stuff Geronimo, thanks so much for the detail pics!

Somewhat related for those with older 12ga guns that might be 2.5" as opposed to the newer 2 3/4" i see that Fiocchi has introduced a line of ammo in that size. Not cheap though!

[E38Driver]

My new carry pistol. Added an Apex trigger and the Holosun. Shoots nice.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Fantastic stuff Geronimo, thanks so much for the detail pics!

Somewhat related for those with older 12ga guns that might be 2.5" as opposed to the newer 2 3/4" i see that Fiocchi has introduced a line of ammo in that size. Not cheap though!

The length we see as a shotgun shell (ie, 2 3/4" or 3" or 3 1/2") is actually the length of the fired shell.

Newer plastic (or older paper) shells have the extra material from the roll or star crimp, which adds about 1/4" to the OAL of the fired shell compared to unfired.

Old all-brass shotgun shells didn't have this extra material, so their 2 1/2" long shell stays that length when fired. So yeah, a much older shotgun (damascus barrels too probably) will have a 2.5" chamber.

Think MagTech still does a run of all-brass shells in various gauges every now and then, but you are looking at $40-50 last I saw for a box of 25 empties. And they are set up to take either rifle or pistol primers, not 209 primers, so if you want/need to use those you'll need to mod each shell ...

[matthewb0051]

Recently sprung for a Mini 14



Then picked up a folding stock.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by Geronimo '74

That's why I really love the B25 for small game hunting.

Good point about mucking about with pricey shotguns in bad conditions. I do feel hesitant taking my more expensive guns out sometimes. Maybe a beater gun is a good idea

the irony of that being the nicer guns are the ones worth restoring after hard use! my good stuff gets used well and, here's the kicker, that is how i know it's good stuff! not cause i read it somewhere or saw the price tag. but because i use it and find that the reputation is earned!

[serene911]

These are a few rifle stocks I did the clearcoat finishes on. They were for a friend
of mine. His uncle had made the stocks. My friend was trying to brush the clearcoat
on and making somewhat of a mess of them,so I offered to refinish them for him.
Turned out pretty nice.

[berettafan]

love the contrasting cap!

Wood from my soon to be former sporting gun-

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by serene911

These are a few rifle stocks I did the clearcoat finishes on. They were for a friend

OMG, that's amazing. So what product? Sprayed? How many coats...

I've had good results making furniture and spraying multiple coats of PPG Premium Clear on it. Good, but not s good as your's.

[serene911]

Hey Bill, I did those awhile back. I believe the product was Waterlox. My friend had
brushed it on and had alot of brushmarks. I sanded that down and then sprayed them.
Decades ago I used to do finish work on multi million $ yachts, so I've sprayed just about
everything you can think of. Usually I spray a coat or two,let that tack up, then spray
another coat or two,Being careful not to get runs, etc. Sand that down to a smooth finish,
then spray again. Tack rag that and go thru the same process.Probably 9 or 10 coats by
the time I'm done. The key to really good finish work is of course the prep. Along with that
understanding proper thinning of the product you're spraying and air and volume settings
on your spray gun. For the most part I've just used an old school cup gun or touch up gun.
Is the PPG clear you used a one part or catalyzed .