Category Archives: Shotguns

There’s a point (of impact) to all this

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Jerry Johnson

Certain that the old Lefever 16 gauge must be shooting low (I missed two shot at pheasants one cold December morning) I spent this overcast January afternoon doing a point-of-impact test to prove the inaccurate shooting was the fault of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Guns, Bird hunting, Lefever Shotguns, pheasant hunting, shotgun patterning, Shotguns | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

On the road to recovery

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Jerry Johnson

The road to recovery from obsessive compulsive disorder is a long march over rocky ground, and support from caring friends speeds the journey. Sometimes this support arrives in a package marked “tough love,” but the gift is no less valuable … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Guns, Hunting Rifles, Project Guns, Rifle Shooting, Rifles, Shooting Sports, Shotguns | Tagged | Leave a comment

Magnetic North

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Jerry Johnson

Tracked and pointed by my French spaniel Abbey, the rooster pheasant hunkering in the last patch of weedy cover at the field’s edge had only one more option for escape. He launched himself skyward squawking insults at Abbey, flipped his … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird hunting, Hunting, Shotguns | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Grandfather clause

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Jerry Johnson

1925 – the year this Lefever Nitro Special was manufactured in Ithaca, New York. 2019 – the year the old 12-gauge was still taking pheasants on the wing at 94 years of age. Maybe the elderly double gun should have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Guns, Bird hunting, Late season pheasants, Lefever Shotguns, Shotguns | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Sow’s ear

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Jerry Johnson

Like all grandfathers, I felt a bittersweet happiness and satisfaction that afternoon spent with my grandson, caught up in remembrances of times past and surges of nostalgia unexpectedly triggered by a sharing between generations of men, an old man and … Continue reading →

Posted in Grandchildren, Grandfathers, Grandfathers and Grandsons, Shooting, Shooting Sports, Shotguns | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

File marks

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Jerry Johnson

File marks Look closely and you may see them: file marks. The faint traces of file marks are barely visible on the water table of this old Lefever Nitro Special 12 gauge double gun. The marks are the final cuts … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Guns, Hunting, Lefever Shotguns, Shooting, Shotgun Engraving, Shotguns | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Jack O’Connor was wrong

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Jerry Johnson

When I was shooting grouse in Scotland, my British friends thought my Model 21 Winchester, which weighs 7 1/2 pounds, quite heavy. …the guns my British pals shot all had 28 or 30-inch barrels. They thought my 26-inch barrels a … Continue reading →

Posted in Shotguns, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Treasured possessions

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Jerry Johnson

That western-style hat on the top shelf of the bureau is a magical storybook. I need only put it on to be spun into the memories of a dozen bird and deer hunts across the high plains of Nebraska, South … Continue reading →

Posted in Hunting, Hunting Keepsakes, Rifles, Shotguns | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Three Guns

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Jerry Johnson

You are granted a year’s leave of absence from work and family responsibilities, handed an itinerary of a few dozen hunts across the North American continent, provided with all the necessary equipment, and are sent forth on this dream of … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Hunting, Hunting Rifles, Shotguns | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Better is more

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Jerry Johnson

The greatest adventure in creating a bird gun that is uniquely mine was the decision to have the receiver engraved with scroll and images of game birds.  Better is more The seed of understanding true value was planted some 50 … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Guns, Bird hunting, Shotgun Engraving, Shotguns | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments