Thanks Geoff Pike

Sam

Sam

Active member
My wife and I had our first child last December. I plan to buy a handcarved decoy for him each year starting with the day he was born.
Geoff insisted on giving him his first one since he does the same thing for a nephew. He carved a black duck and a little toy eider for the bathtub.

Geoff, thanks again and I will be sending you something in the mail. I have been a "little busy" with the new addition but should have been able to get your package out the door sooner than this. Sorry about that.

It will be a special day hunting over his 12 handcarved decoys on his first hunt.

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nice gesture Geoff, I like the black's paint pattern. Saw the trim German 16 ga with your name on it at KTP - when's it going home?
Tom
 
so....inquiring minds want to know, did you get it? I picked up sweet little 16ga sauer back action hammer gun this winter. dates to the 1890's krupp steel barrels, 2 1/2" chambers, wieghs in at 5 3/4lbs and well engraved, should be a fun quail gun.
 
Havent got there yet! Maybe this evening.

If you know anyone, they have a nice German Back action hammer 16 there.
I think 29" barrells. Real nice condition, not sure about weight but feels sweet
between the hands.

Make somebody buy it so I can stop thinking about it!!
 
hehe, its bad isn't it...I am having to sell a few guns, because I found my "Holy Grail" and its tearing me apart to get rid of them.
 
And what is this "Grail"? The Sauer?

I have almost given up on the Grail search. I keep trying something different and
keep coming back to that Fox. That and everything I REALLY want is out of my range.
You know a nice back action exposed hammer Purdey in 28 bore with nitro damascus
barrells, rose & scroll, and an inlay of Schultz's head and shoulders in the stock oval.

(Dream big right?)
 
Neither Purdy nor Sauer for me. I picked up an 1870's E.M Reilly 8 Bore, back action hammer gun with a Jones underlever. But it has provenance to the Chesapeake Bay, which is want I really wanted. It came from Buck Leight's estate who was a market hunter on the Bush and Gunpowder Rivers north of Baltimore. He is listed in the Outlaw Gunner as owning a big gun and I am working on possible photos. It also has a name "RB Bayard" and "Baltimore MD" engraved on the gun. He must have been the original owner as through research he turns up in Baltimore in the 1870's. He was a very prominent businessman and whose parent’s families each have historic significance in the region. Each family separately has been attributed to gunning the Chesapeake as well, so I have more research to do. It’s not pretty, but the history is what counts for me, plus I got it under value I believe, still had to sell a few guns though. With 10ga inserts it should be back in action a few times this year, but my trip this summer is now in jeopardy.

The decoy is a cheap find that I made the same week and it carries the rare brand “SUSQUEHANNA” a gunning scow of the 1880’s on the Flats. My “grail” for old upper bay decoys.

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Congats Bill! I dream of the day when I finally get my "eight". Right now an English 19th century hammer 10 is my quest, but like you, the holy grail is the 8ga.

I plan on sleeving the 8ga. when I get it, to a 12ga. I think it make a dapper gun at the skeet range as well as a fowling gun.
 
Mike what about a 1882 Grade 2 10ga Hammer Parker???? hehe not sure I am selling it yet, great condition but has a few bugs, so its a shooter. what are you looking for again in a english 10ga? I have a friend who is selling some of his guns, a lot of his collection is off the bay, but I am not sure if he is selling any hammer 10ga's. In the same collection as my 8bore, they had a hammer 10ga G. Hemminway, bores were really dirty and I think rough, but it was hard to tell from the dirt, went for $700 I think.

There is always something else, I have a list, the 8 was in a seperate catogory, next down is a phily fox 16ga shooter, then an early american graded 12ga, 1880's greener hammerless 12ga, pre 1900 12ga hammer......heck this list is a mile long.
 
Mind you Bill I wouldnt turn my nose up at any Hammer 28! Or 16, or 20.
Oh hell if it came within a row of ..... of fitting and some outside hammers, well...

Nice 8 bore, cool it has such a history behind it. You wonder the stories some of these
guns could tell, sounds like that one has been speaking to you.
 
Pritty pour looking barrels ,fences and back action if you clean the gun up and rebrown the barrel might look good. Bill ps redo the stock too!
 
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