The 2008 Vintage Cup

On September 25 I hopped in my car, put Beethoven, Mahler, Little Richard and Johnny Cash on shuffle play, and drove 14 hours from sunny Florida to the Vintage Cup in less-than-sunny Maryland. I was in a Nor’easter part of way, at times sublimely trusting that the taillights I was following were actually still on the road.

But all’s well that ends well. The Vintage Cup is always worth the trip. The Order of Edwardian Gunners (Vintagers) actually hold two events: a side-by-side shotgun and double-rifle target championship that is held in conjunction with one of the best high-end gun shows in the country. If you own a side-by-side of any conceivable kind, there is an event for it. Do you have a 32- or 24-gauge? Perhaps a .410 hammergun? Pairs? Drillings? Cape guns? They are all there.

I go mostly for the gun show part, where I can listen and learn from the best. This year due to the wet weather, the soggy economy and the soaking price of gasoline, vendors were down to about 80 from the usual 100 or so, but the big boys didn’t let us down. Shooting Sportsman led the list as senior sponsor, as the magazine has done since the Cup’s inception 12 years ago. A lot of SSM people were there, so it was a good chance to put faces to names and place the blame where it belongs.

Vendors included Holland & Holland, FAMARS, Fausti, Caesar Guerini, Griffin & Howe, The Classic Upland Supply Co. and Charles Boswell plus the Parker, Fox and L.C. Smith collectors clubs. Many of the major high-end gun dealers were there also: Cabela’s, Dewing’s, Dave Riffle, Anglo-American, Ed Ulrich, Bob Hunter, Ivory Beads, Robin Hollow Outfitters, Stephen Cobb, Steve Barnett, Kirby Hoyt and William Larkin Moore, to name only some. If you didn’t find something to tempt you, you weren’t human.

And I was all too human. I like nice wood, especially on certain favorite gun models. The Hunter Collection was particularly dangerous territory for me. I was sorely tempted by a Belgian Browning B-25 Superlight Pointer Grade and a Winchester M-42 Grade 2 in .410. Fortunately for my marriage, my credit card was safely wrapped in chains back at the motel.

One of the best parts of the show is that it is small enough that you can spend some time chatting with the movers and shakers behind the big names. The most attractive Barbara and Giovanna Fausti sisters were there showing their new Dea SxS round-body. Jay Dewing filled me in on the plans for a side-by-side follow-up to the very successful Dewing Prestige over/under model. Lou Frutuoso of Connecticut Shotgun had a bunch of the new RBL 28s on display. I unsuccessfully tried to wheedle information about the next model in the series that will be announced November 1. As always, Guy Bignell, president of Griffin & Howe, was kind enough to share his astute insights as to what was happening with European gunmakers.

And there were so many others. You can learn more talking to Chris Batha or Vic Venters for 10 minutes than you could in a month of Sundays at the local gun club. The people are all there, and all you have to do is ask. That’s why the Vintage Cup is so nice. It showers you with information while you wallow in a sea of temptation.

To view tons of great Vintage Cup photos, go to www.vintagers.org, click on “2008 Scores and Photos,” and then go to “More Photos” at the bottom of the page. Thank you Dave Weber.

Don Amos, the wizard of moment of inertia, was there spinning guns on his turntable. It determines mounted and unmounted swing values. Translation: Don actually can measure how a gun feels and handles. Think about what that means if you try to have a duplicate of a favorite old gun made.

And then there was The Gnat. Want to shoot a different kind of target? Really different? How about a radio-controlled model flying wing zooming past at 60 mph? There are 10 tiny puff explosives under the wing. If you hit one as The Gnat flies by, you are rewarded with a big puff of smoke. Here are some photos. You wouldn’t believe how far you have to lead this thing. And, yes, every now and then the plane itself gets shot down.

The Vintage Cup will return to Pintail Point next year. It’s great fun. You won’t be disappointed if you go. If you have been to a Vintage Cup, tell us what you enjoyed most about it.

That’s it for now. Boots off. Beer open.