Old-Faithful Fowlers

The late Nash Buckingham shot wildfowl with his Becker-bored Fox nicknamed Bo Whoop, Elmer Keith and Charles Askins had their 10-bore Ithaca NID magnums, and Jack O'Connor favored the Winchester Model 21. Wildfowl guns all, made to shoot heavy loads at big Canada geese or fast-winging ducks. Beyond those there have been numerous shotguns whose mystique is in the name "Magnum," which implies long chambers capable of firing heavy loads through tightly choked barrels solely for hardcore wildfowling. Of every style of action, they are as relevant today as when they were first developed.

Although early hunters shot 8- and 10-gauge guns at waterfowl (the loads for these mega-gauges were very modest compared with today's Roman-candlesque magnums), the rise of the waterfowl-only shotgun came about largely in the mid-1920s. It was at that time that the Western Cartridge Co. released its legendary Super-X shotshells. Using a new progressive-burning propellant, the shells provided higher velocities with improved patterns, especially when loaded with Western's premium copper-plated Lubaloy pellets. Simultaneously, the A.H. Fox Gun Co. released its legendary HE-Grade Super Fox, causing a stir among hardcore wildfowlers. Not to be outdone, L.C. Smith countered with its Long Range, or Wild Fowl, guns, which were built for three-inch shells. The arms race was on.

One could argue that it was the ammunition that drove firearms development, but nonetheless the demand was there for special shotguns designed and made solely for hunting waterfowl--not only the Fox and Smith but also the Winchester M-21 and Parker and later the Browning Magnum Superposed and Automatic-5 and Winchester's Model 12 Heavy Duck Gun. More recently Remington's 870 and Benelli's Super Black Eagle II were made specifically for wildfowling.

The Doubles

The Super Fox benefited from a summer's work by gun writer Charles Askins and lawyer and shotgun experimenter E.M. Sweeley. They found that by more sharply tapering the chamber, lengthening the forcing cone--the transition between the mouth of the chamber and the cylinder bore that typically deformed many pellets--opening the bore to .740" from its nominal .725" diameter, and gently tapering the leads to a tight Full choke, superior downrange patterns could be achieved. Guaranteeing its gun to shoot 80-percent patterns at 40 yards, Fox neglected to mention that the guarantee extended only to patterns shot with Western's Super-X Lubaloy cartridges. Soon the barrel flats bore the stamp "Barrels Not Guaranteed," which did not relate at all to the tough Fox Chromox barrels but rather the patterns.

The L.C. Smith Long Range, or Wild Fowl, like the Super Fox, was not made in great numbers. Unlike the Super Fox, however, which was a specialty gun with its own grade and design, the Long Range was made in all grades. Early advertising for the Long Range, which was introduced about the same time as the Super Fox, said: "The Smith Long Range Wild Fowl gun is built from our regular model, and is designed to handle heavy charges of modern propellant powders." In addition to being made heavier with a reinforcing web brazed between the barrels at the breech and "Chambers 3 Inches" stamped on the barrel flats, the Long Range was pretty much a standard Smith with 32-inch Full-choke barrels. Of course any grade Smith or Fox could be ordered with three-inch chambers, and that held true for Parkers as well.

Parker Bros. offered shotguns in more gauges than any other American manufacturer. For waterfowlers, the company made 8-, 10- and 12-gauge pieces, the latter two in three frame, or action, sizes. Made on a heavy No. 2 frame, a 12-gauge Parker chambered for three-inch shells with heavyweight 32-inch barrels could tip the scales at nine pounds, similar to the Super Fox.

Although Western Cartridge's Super-X shotshells led the parade, it was the purchase by Western's owners--Franklin, Spencer and John Olin--of bankrupt Winchester on December 31, 1931, that launched the Western-Winchester partnership of firearms and ammunition. Winchester had launched the Model 21 in 1930, but the company was broke and there was virtually no money for advertising. Once the Olins acquired Winchester, it was John Olin who pushed for the continued manufacture of the 21. Undoubtedly one of the strongest double guns ever made, the 21 began as a double-trigger, non-ejector but soon came standard with an excellent and reliable single selective trigger and ejectors. Three-inch chambers were always an option, but in 1940 the M-21 Duck Grade was introduced with 30- and 32-inch barrels choked Full & Full.

The Over/Unders

Simultaneously with Winchester's release of the M-21, Browning brought forth everyman's over/under: the venerable Superposed. For many shooters O/Us were associated with handmade shotguns costing a minor fortune. Machine made but hand assembled, the Superposed offered a single sighting plane like a repeater with the benefits of side-by-side-like handling and two different chokes. It wasn't until 1955, however, that Browning introduced three-inch chambers to the Superposed line. The Superposed Magnum was offered with 28-, 30- or 32-inch barrels choked Full & Full or Modified & Full and a Browning recoil pad on its European walnut stock.

Perhaps the very best O/U was the Remington 3200 Magnum, introduced in 1975. The 3200 was Remington's attempt to resurrect its wonderful Model 32, which was launched in 1932 but failed to survive World War II. The 3200 was a heavy over/under, and in its three-inch magnum configuration it was ideal for heavy-duty waterfowl loads. Made until 1977, the 3200 Magnum foreshadowed the use of hard nontoxic pellets; its extra-heavy barrels were choked to handle steel shot and, because they were set apart and attached by a hanger, they were not susceptible to separating from each other. Finally, the 3200 had the best integrated safety and barrel selector ever made. It's a shame Remington made only 1,000 3200 Magnums, as they still perform well in the field.

The Semi-Automatics

John Moses Browning, America's greatest firearms designer, broke new ground when his Automatic-5 recoil-operated semi-auto was released in 1903. The A-5 offered sportsmen five shots with little more effort than pulling the trigger five times. Intertwined with the Browning A-5 is the Remington 11. While Browning turned to Belgium to manufacture his gun, Remington realized the potential and began manufacturing, under license from Browning, a slightly redesigned Auto-5 called the Remington Sportsman 11. Although only the Auto-5 eventually would be chambered for three-inch magnums, the Remington 11 became the favorite with market gunners and guides. Through my years on Maryland's Eastern Shore, I've seen countless rusty Model 11s fitted with magazine extensions that allow the firing of 10 or more shots without reloading. Imagine the carnage that followed when a gunner slipped up at night on a flock of resting ducks or geese, his bow light gleaming...

In 1958 Browning introduced a Magnum model of the A-5. This gun was made in Belgium through 1976 and in Japan from 1977 until 1998, when the Auto-5 was discontinued. The early Magnum A-5s used two heavy recoil springs that were wound around the magazine tube topped with a double set of friction rings. So complicated was the winding of the recoil springs that users were told to only partially move the springs when cleaning the tube. Later models used a very heavy single spring. A hard-shooting gun on both ends, the Magnum Auto-5 was a popular extension of the original Browning and the Remington 11.

As nontoxic shot was beginning to rear its head, the Ithaca Gun Co. decided that a 10-gauge semi-automatic would pique hunters' interests. In 1932 Ithaca produced a heavy 10-gauge wildfowl gun made on an enlarged New Ithaca Double (NID) action that was made to shoot the then-new 31/2" 10-gauge magnum shells. Made until 1948, 10-gauge NIDs were the darlings of goose hunters. Then in 1975 Ithaca introduced the gas-operated Mag 10. Designed by James Tollinger, the Mag 10 was built to tame the recoil of these heavy loads. Yet for all of its innovation, the Mag 10 was searching for its identity. Some hunters bought the guns because they were new and faddish, yet there wasn't a real niche for this heavy 10-bore. Then nontoxic shot became mandated during the 1988-'89 season, and the Mag 10 suddenly found its place. The huge capacity of the 10-gauge shell's case was just what ammunition manufacturers had been seeking to hold the large steel pellets necessary for hunting ducks and geese.

Time caught up with Ithaca in 1986, however, as the company had overextended itself by adding clothing lines and other cash drains, and following extended litigation Remington purchased the manufacturing rights to the Mag 10, which in slightly modified form is sold today as the Remington SP-10.

In 1905 Christian Sjoergren began selling his "Normal" semi-automatic. Based on an inertia-operated system, it was the first competition for Browning's Auto-5, but beyond that it never achieved any real success. Decades later Italian firearms manufacturer Benelli--now part of Beretta Holdings--introduced its inertia-operated Montefeltro followed by the Super Black Eagle. Using this extremely reliable operating system, the Super Black Eagle has become the darling of waterfowlers. The gun operates very cleanly, not requiring the frequent cleaning that gas-operated guns do. One constant criticism, however, was that recoil was pretty intense. The company must have listened, because a few years ago Benelli added its high-tech, space-age ComforTech stock, which absorbs a great amount of recoil, even from the heaviest loads.

The Pumps

The Winchester Model 12 pump set the standard for the hammerless pump-action shotgun for decades, and with the synergy of ammunition and firearms being manufactured by Western-Winchester in the 1930s, Winchester announced the Model 12 Heavy Duck Gun on February 15, 1935. The Heavy Duck had several features that endeared it to wildfowlers. The stock was slightly shorter, at 135/8", to accommodate heavy clothing. The butt carried a solid, red rubber recoil pad, and the stock had a plug of lead to add weight. The Full-choked 30- or 32-inch barrels had thick walls to further add weight and help tame recoil from the three-inch Western Super-X or Winchester Super-Speed shells they were made to shoot. Extras included Winchester's classy matte rib--an $8 add-on in 1935. With magazine restrictions having been mandated by President Franklin Roosevelt on February 2, 1935, Heavy Duck Guns were the first Winchester Model 12s to come from the factory with magazine plugs installed.

Beginning in 1908, Remington produced several pumps that competed with Winchester's Model 97 and 12, culminating in 1931 with the Model 31, which was known for its slick "ball-bearing" action. Following WWII, Remington made a corporate decision to consolidate manufacturing and use the same parts for as many models as possible. One result was the Remington 870, a shotgun that would sell, between its introduction in 1950 and December 2006, 9.5 million units--a staggering number when you consider that the Winchester Model 12 sold just more than 2 million and the Browning Auto-5 hit somewhere more than 3 million. In short, the 870 has become the most popular repeating shotgun ever made. In variations from highly polished blued steel and high-gloss-finished walnut to utilitarian matte-finished metal with synthetic stocks, the 870 is found in blinds and pits across the country.

I have a number of "duck guns," and I love shooting them all. Nontoxic shot has made it tougher, but it is so much fun dropping a duck or goose with my Fox, Model 21 or Model 12 Heavy Duck. Whereas some take pride in the latest semi-auto, for me, rolling back the years with a classic shotgun standing in the corner of the blind brings a joy that truly enhances my waterfowling experience.