Letters

Adorin’ Norin

I was particularly pleased to read the article on David Norin (Fine Gunmaking) in November/December. I have a work of art by Norin in the form of an exquisite custom rifle that I acquired as part of a battery I was taking to Africa. I purchased the rifle on the basis of a description and some pictures that were e-mailed to me. The dealer assured me that the pictures did not do justice to the rifle; he was right! The workmanship is flawless, the form is beautiful, the balance and the stockwork is, well . . . delicious. The rifle, unfired to my knowledge, was too pretty to take to Africa, and so it reposes unused in my safe.

However, I have wondered for some time just who this guy Norin is. Now I know.

I am genetically predisposed to be in the alders around Grand Lake Stream at this time of year (October) with Charles Driza of Leen’s Lodge and his superb pointers. The magazine is packed, and I can’t wait to read the rest of it when I get up there. Thanks, and keep up the good work.

Steve Kurlansky
Lyme, Connecticut

Cover Kudos

How long did it take Lee Kjos to set up and take that cover photo (Nov/Dec)? As a sometime photographer (about 500 boxes of 35mm slides), I can’t imagine the effort and skill that went into that cover shot. I can just sit and look at it. What kind of camera and film did he use?

I really look forward to Shooting Sportsman. My time for buying more works-of-art shotguns has (probably) passed, but I like to look at the photos and read the descriptions. My last 1932 E.J. Churchill XXV Sidelock has been sold. The Browning 16-gauge O/U Upland with 24-inch barrels I bought new from one of your advertisers is a delight.

Suggestion: Why don’t you think about trading some articles with other publications, such as for Jim Posewitz’s article (“Commerce, Conservation & the Democracy of Hunting”) in the Summer 2007 issue of Pheasants Forever. The best article I have read on gasohol was in a recent fly-fishing magazine.

Fritz Dixon
Meridian, Idaho

Editor’s Note:

We posed your cover-photo question to Lee Thomas Kjos, but he was too busy hunting greenheads to write a response. His short answer to how long it took to set up and shoot the cover: “Forty-seven years.” The long answer: “I knew before I went [to California] that I wanted to shoot a cover, and I already had the image in my head. So it was just a matter of execution. I ended up having only one day to shoot the whole photo essay [“Valley of the Ducks,” from which the cover image was borrowed], so I made sure to take care of all of the birds. When I got back to camp, I put the birds on a game strap, found the barn boards and grass, had someone hold a reflector to bounce in some light for fill, and started shooting.” As for equipment, Kjos has gone digital. He uses a Nikon D2Xs. This shot was taken with a 105mm Nikkor 2.8 lens  and an ISO of 100 shot at 1/80 second at f5.

In Praise of Spaniels

When I read Charles Fergus’s article, “Springers & Cockers,” in September/October, I told my wife (who doesn’t hunt) that if she wanted to know what it’s like to hunt with our four-year-old springer to just read that article. It was obvious that Fergus has been there and done that. He knows what he’s talking about, and he told it wonderfully well in that article.

Fergus and SSM have done the “dogman” portion of our fraternity a real service with this piece, because the spaniel story really needed to be told. These little dynamos pack more fun and excitement into a hunt than most would ever imagine. I’m 69, and I’ve never had so much fun in my wingshooting as Lennie, our springer, is delivering now.

John Nelson
Custer, Michigan

New Twist to the Story

Although I found Vic Venters’ article “Brown Barrels, Greener Guns” (Sept/Oct) to be an interesting article about the rebirth of W.W. Greener, I think he still missed his scoop from 10 years ago. To paraphrase a politician, “It’s the barrels . . . .”

It’s been some 70 years since anyone put Damascus barrels on a new shotgun or rifle. That’s the story! Maybe the rebirth of Greener’s and the new Damascus guns should have been separate articles.

I would have liked to have seen some good close-ups of the “new” Damascus barrels. They looked nice from a distance, but it was hard to tell much about the pattern or finish.

I really was left with more questions than answers. So what do 100-year-old Damascus blanks look like? I still haven’t seen one. What about “finding” some vintage Damascus ribs? Where? Seeing as we know that Damascus barrels were being made as late as 1930 in Belgium, does anyone else have a stash somewhere? Can we expect to see any other makers produce guns with Damascus barrels?

I hope there will be some follow-up on the new Damascus guns (and more photos).

Matt Haney
Woodstock, Georgia

Fie on the .410

Why is it every few years some so-called expert writes an article extolling the virtues of the .410 as a hunting arm (“The 67 Gauge,” Sept/Oct)?

Silvio Calabi writes an interesting story on the history of the cartridge, but once he starts pushing it as a hunting gun, he loses all credibility. Shoot a .410 because shot is $35 a bag? A Lotus as opposed to a Porsche? What is his point?

He gets Bruce Buck involved. I shot International Skeet with Bruce for years, and he was the best shot I ever competed against. I didn’t see him out there shooting a .410. Why? Because International Skeet is a 12-gauge game and Bruce wanted to shoot good scores.

The real question, though, is why anyone would want to shoot a .410 at game in the first place? To prove what a great shot he or she is? To save a few bucks reloading? Why not shoot a 28, 20 or 16 and raise the odds of a clean kill and not have a bird fly away with a dangling leg? Mr. Calabi says, “If I’m on my game and don’t think too much,” he supposedly can make clean kills. What if he’s having a bad day? More birds flying away wounded.

The .410 belongs on a skeet field, nowhere else. Not in a dove field, not hunting quail. Anyone who shoots game with a .410 is a macho slob who doesn’t care about the animals he is hunting.

Will Oman
Vero Beach, Florida

Silvio Calabi responds:

So glad you liked the historic bits. BTW, for a guy who is usually called “élitist pig” or “fuddy-duddy,” “macho slob” is a nice change.

“O” No!

The September/October issue is quite good. Except for a major faux pas by Mr. McIntosh (Shooting)—and, by extension, the editors at SSM. I can only believe that ethnic heritage played no role in McIntosh (or Stuart) not knowing the correct spelling of Jack O’Connor. Note that it does not contain an “e,” as in “O’Conner.”

In consideration of Jack O’Connor’s stature in the world of sporting journalism, this is somewhat akin to not realizing that William Shakespeer is a plumber in Saginaw . . . not the Bard of Avon.

Jack Duncan
Via e-mail

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