Summer Gunning

In describing the spring/summer lineup of double-gun and vintage shooting events in May/June, we simply ran out of space before we ran out of events. Here are several others worth checking out.

The Puglisi Gun Emporium Side x Side Challenge: July 23 to 25
Last year Duluth Double Gun drew 78 shooters from seven states to the Old Vermilion Trail Hunting Preserve, near Duluth, Minnesota. Sponsored by Puglisi’s Gun Emporium, the event challenges shooters with targets in three disciplines—sporting clays, a “pigeon ring” and 5 Stand—plus gauge-specific competitions. Jack and John Puglisi host a reception at their remarkable and remodeled gunroom in Duluth on Friday afternoon and ask shooters to bring their guns for a little show & tell.
For more information, call 218-525-5528 or visit www.duluthdoublegun.com.

Northwest Side-by-Side Championships & Paradox Exhibition: August 7
Holland & Holland will sponsor this sporting clays shoot at the Top Gun Club, in Mount Vernon, Washington, where it will take place alongside the masters-level, 8th Annual US Western Open. The 100-target main event is open to side-by-sides and Paradox guns, with prizes for standard, hammergun and smallbore shooters. A mixed shoot for Paradox guns will feature both paper targets and clays; a 10-shot event for side-by-side rifles also will be held.
For more information, contact the Holland & Holland New York Gunroom, 212-752-7755; or visit the “News & Events” section at www.hollandandholland.com.

“English and European Double Shotguns”: June 28 to July 2
Shooters and gun enthusiasts who’ve wanted to learn more about the technical aspects of double shotguns are in luck, as this summer British-trained gunmaker John F. “Jack” Rowe will be returning to Murray State College, in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, to teach his five-day course “English and European Double Shotguns.” The course is part of the college’s summer-long NRA Gunsmithing & Law Enforcement Armorer School.
Rowe apprenticed with S. Wright & Sons, in Birmingham, from 1946 to 1951 and was a gunmaker with Thomas Turner & Sons, in Berkshire, from 1961 to 1965. In 1982 he emigrated to the US, where he established himself working at the bench for George Caswell of Champlin Arms, in Enid, Oklahoma.
Rowe’s course is intended for gunsmithing students and is meant to teach about the technical and mechanical aspects of double shotguns. Five days with Rowe may inspire the confidence to perform repairs, or it may provide a deeper appreciation for double guns, the knowledge to evaluate them and the basis for a more-informed relationship with your gunsmith.
Topics covered include gun identification; proper disassembly and reassembly; reading and interpreting proof marks; adjusting trigger pulls; repairing ejectors; making and fitting new firing pins, springs and other parts; bending stocks; and measuring and gunfitting.
For more information, contact NRA Coordinator Dean Arnold, 580-371-2372, ext. 235; darnold@mscok.edu, or visit www.msc.cc.ok.us and find “NRA Summer Program” under the “Academics” pull-down menu.  —Ed Carroll