Upland Double

October in the North Woods is an enchanted season. After the blaze is frosted and blown off of the deciduous trees, evergreens stand shoulder to shoulder, braced against the inevitable winds and snows of winter. Sheltered stands of clustered aspen and birch seduce migrating woodcock for a while at the edges of the dark woods. Baited with worms, the tangled copses catch a fall of birds just long enough for pointing dogs to freeze them in place before springing flushes and quick shots.
    As the woodcock twist through the wiry canopy climbing for sky, they sometimes appear to be suspended in time and space, buff-colored apparitions. Too easy to miss, too hard to hit. Every step deeper into these pungent thickets distances the instinct-dulling concerns of civilized living. Cloistered fern fronds unravel hastily tied bootlaces. Damp moss softens awkward footfalls. Patches of glistening clover and crimson briers hold the promise of a sudden grouse flush. The sorcery and solitude of the North Woods know how to soothe the souls of serious bird hunters.
    Indigenous and wild, grouse and woodcock resist manhandling. Their habitat is managed randomly by nature or purposely by man, but the spirited birds are strictly a gift from God. They beckon us to leave mundane, familiar surroundings to find adventure and discover peace in their rolling uplands. Shotgun in hand, I have hunted the secretive migrant and resident recluses since I was young. My only regret is that it has taken me so long to learn the subtleties of holding cover and the nuances of the birds. Most of my youthful overland marches produced only aching legs and blistered feet. These days I spend more time perusing topo maps, visiting forestry offices, courting biologists and sipping suds with locals to get a better lay of the land. Finding birdy coverts in the sprawling North Woods can be daunting for the unprepared—and downright dangerous for those without a compass. My minimal wisdom in the ways of woodcock and grouse was hard-earned, helped along by wise hunting companions and even wiser bird dogs.
    During my formative years I toted pumps, semi-autos and over/unders in various gauges and barrel lengths through the thick cover. Most were better suited for weightlifting than knocking grouse out of the air. One exception was a particularly sweet 16-gauge Model 12 that I should have spared the indignity of youthful gun trading. Its softly blued barrel and lighter weight were the precursors to my eventual twin-barrel addiction. Mercifully, I eventually found what the British discovered nearly 200 years ago: the fluid function and efficient form of the side-by-side game gun. If there is a smoothbore better configured to pursue upland birds, I have yet to use it.
    It has been said that the best game guns already have been built and that the British built them before the World Wars crushed the life out of their gun trade and economy. There have been fitful attempts in England and elsewhere to trade on the names and prestige of the old gunmakers, but even the repeatable precision of CAD/CAM technology cannot duplicate or replace the knowing eyes and experienced feel of master craftsmen with hand files. Few young men today are willing to spend long hours at the bench apprenticing with the old tools of the trade. Even fewer firms in the UK and Europe are willing to pay enough to recruit and keep these young workers employed.
    This was not a problem at the turn of the 20th Century, when the highly competitive gun trade in Birmingham and London rose to meet the needs of a thriving sporting life at home and abroad. From 1900 to 1914, they produced the finest game guns in the world and established a standard of gunmaking excellence that remains the benchmark by which all other guns are judged. The sun has set on the empire and the trade, but many of these fine old game guns continue to shine in the shooting field, an enduring testament to the dedication and genius of their makers.
    The value of balance, fit and moment of inertia are proven in the split-second of a grouse flush. If you have to think about or compensate for any of these, the bird will leave you alone with your thoughts. The function and form of British doubles were developed primarily to take driven birds, although walk-up shooting was factored into the equation. “Shooting flying,” introduced by the French, ultimately drove the highly competitive gun trade in Birmingham and London to distill function and form into a perfect union. With their lighter weight, longer barrels and longer, straighter stocks, the guns that resulted helped keep shooters in front of incoming birds. These same virtues plus the light game loads the guns were designed around make them a good fit for the uplands as well. Light, straight-grip, splinter-forend side-by-sides afford a quick response of hand and eye to fast-flushing grouse, and straighter, longer stocks often show more barrel to give a little built-in lead on quick-rising woodcock. Pitch and cast play their roles as well. All the more reason to tailor buttstocks to fit your unique physique. Usually birds are missed because of cheeks lifting off of stock combs because of too much drop at heel and comb, and lengths of pull that are too short. Lack of lead (“forward allowance” as the Brits would say) also plays its part—shooting where the bird was, not where it was going.
    A well-fit and well-balanced side-by-side helps cure a multitude of shooting sins, but there is still no substitute for realistic practice on the skeet range, sporting clays course or with the hand thrower. The more shooting you do, the more your hand, eye and mounting muscles are trained to respond smoothly in unison. Like flicking off the safety and mastering double triggers, proper gun mounting must become second nature for consistent shooting. Good physical condition is a real plus as well, especially when high-stepping the debris-strewn, shin-busting coverts that woodcock and grouse prefer. Rubbery legs make it tough to take a good shooting stance during the explosively fast flush of a grouse.
    From the beginning, English gunmakers built 12-bores that were light and lively, even with 28- and 30-inch barrels. As such, this gauge still reigns supreme on the British Isles. And well it should. Choked properly, a 12-bore game gun delivers very effective, bird-killing patterns downrange. A British “best” 12-gauge often weighs from 6 pounds 4 ounces to 6 pounds 12 ounces in either boxlock or sidelock versions, with boxlocks usually a few ounces lighter than similarly attired sidelocks. Most of these vintage English doubles have 2-1/2" chambers; far fewer were built for 2" shells. Most were proofed for light game loads moving around 1,150 fps with 1-1/16 ounces of shot, the 2-inchers with M ounce. Unfortunately, most American-made 12-gauge doubles are tightly choked, have too much drop in their shorter stocks, and weigh more than seven pounds, making them more appropriate for incoming ducks than fleeing upland birds.
    In a shooting field increasingly populated with sub-gauge guns, there is no shame in carrying a vintage English 12-bore game gun into the uplands. A dead bird is a dead bird, and a deadly gun is a sporting gun. In addition to their superior patterns, lightweight 12-bore side-by-sides are a joy to carry and equally pleasant to shoot. My Joseph Lang & Son 12 with 28-inch barrels choked about Cylinder and Skeet weighs 6 pounds 7 ounces. Though more than a century old, it has all of the best refinements: ejectors, disc-set strikers, Purdey bolting, elegant engraving, fine checkering, a 5/16" game rib and impeccable wood-to-metal and metal-to-metal fit. Interestingly, the Lang has unusual raised and flared beads around its fences, somewhat reminiscent of hammergun designs. When I researched the gun’s pedigree through Atkin Grant & Lang, in England, I discovered that it was ordered on August 3, 1905, and delivered December 30 the same year for £36 and 15 shillings. Built on the 1880s Rogers-patent top-snap sidelock action, the gun survived two world wars along with England’s perennially damp climate. According to AG&L records, the Lang had three known English owners before it found its way to the US.
    A few years ago it was sent back to AG&L for refurbishing—the action gone through, with worn parts replaced, pins nitre-blued, barrels re-blacked, and the stock and forend re-checkered and treated to a traditional London oil finish. With sensible care and feeding, the old sidelock should survive another centennial in the field. Its fine, between-the-hands balance makes it feel lighter than its actual weight, and this contributes to its quick-handling qualities in the uplands. With RST 2-1/2" shells available in loads down to I ounce, it effectively and comfortably kills grouse and woodcock if I do my part.
    At first I was concerned about the Lang’s lack of choke in either barrel. I had visions of birds flying through gaping holes in its patterns. However, after patterning the barrels with my preferred No. 8 shot, I was surprised at the bird-killing pellet count at 25 and 35 yards. At the distances most upland birds are taken in thick cover—seldom more than 30 yards—hunters often handicap themselves with too much choke, especially with plastic-enshrouded shot columns. Modern propellants, shot cups and harder pellets all contribute to tighter patterns regardless of choke. As such, Cylinder and Improved Cylinder are smart choices for upland hunters in the North Woods. Because felt recoil is negligible in light game guns when using light loads, follow-up shots are quick on target.
    Ever-increasing costs have forced many British and European gunmakers to discontinue producing boxlocks in favor of more profitable, high-end sidelocks. Though they have fewer parts and less surface area for embellishment, best boxlocks require almost as much labor to produce as fine sidelocks. AyA and other Spanish makers still offer boxlocks that are reasonable facsimiles of British bests. The secondhand market still offers a selection of vintage English game guns, and with a little diligent searching, a light and lively wingshooting companion can be added to the gun cabinet.
    Hunters who own short-chambered British game guns are also fortunate to have ammunition companies like RST and   Polywad offering light and efficient 2-1/2" and 2" 12-gauge shells in a variety of loads. Grouse and woodcock can be hard to hit, but they are not difficult to kill. Surprisingly few No. 7H or 8 pellets will bring them down.
    Early on the British got it right and continually refined the mechanical function, classic form, proper fit and attractive finish of the side-by-side game gun. Others may offer better-embellished boxlocks and sidelocks, but no one has created or perfected a more effective double gun for the uplands. It is a grievous loss indeed that so few lightweight 12-bore British boxlocks are made today. They are as much a joy to shoot as they are to own.
    Sixteen- and 20-gauge side-by-sides from European makers, most notably in Spain and Italy, are filling the lightweight 12-bore vacuum along with the darling of older shooters: the 28 bore. Again the pioneering British bowed to convention late in the 19th Century to build 28-gauge side-by-sides, primarily for ladies and young shooters. Few were produced, and these days they command high premiums on the secondhand market. Early in the 20th Century Parker Bros. made this surprisingly effective upland gauge fashionable in America, especially on the skeet range. However, comparatively few were manufactured in all of the grades, making original, unmolested Parker 28s as pricey as many best-grade sidelocks currently offered in the gauge.
    But “light weight” can be carried to the extreme in a game gun. The law of diminishing returns is different for each individual, but a short-barreled gun of insufficient mass can be extremely unforgiving if not pointed precisely or swung deliberately. In recognition of this, some double-gun makers, especially the Spanish, are building 28-bores with longer barrels and a bit more heft—the former for pointing, the latter for follow-through.
    It was these virtues that caught my eye when I shouldered a 28-bore AyA Model 4/53 in a Cabela’s Gun Library a few years back. I was looking for a rainy-day double that I could carry comfortably in one hand while fending off thick brush with the other. At 5 pounds 10 ounces, it was lighter than expected. But the boxlock’s 29-inch barrels, 15-inch length of pull to a checkered butt, straight grip and splinter forend facilitated its ease of pointing. Its slightly weight-forward balance also helped it swing smoothly. In addition to its crisp and well-timed ejectors, the little double had disc-set strikers and a replaceable hinge pin, features found on most best guns. The fit and finish of the gun were also done in the best English tradition. Because I shoot from my left shoulder, my only complaint was with the gun’s 3/8" cast-off, so I returned the handsome little gun to the rack.
    A few weeks later while browsing Cabela’s online offerings, I was hopelessly seduced by the well-figured wood on a 28-bore Model 4/53 in the Glendale, Arizona, Gun Library. This gun also had 29-inch barrels, both choked Improved Cylinder. Its compelling beauty overcame the cast-off issue. I bought the gun and had the stock bent. Two woodcock and a grouse fell to the AyA during my first trip to the North Woods. It carried easily, pointed well and caught the birds in full swing. I did manage to miss a few, though. As always: my fault, not the gun’s.
    Before I shot away most of my high-frequency hearing, the squeaky wings of a flushing woodcock would often give it away in time for me to chase it down with a load of No. 8s. Now I am dependent on a good dog’s nose and bespectacled eyes to glimpse these elusive upland wraiths. The trim little AyA 28 has added a few milliseconds to my reaction time. It also has helped reduce my ibuprofen intake after a long day trekking the hilly uplands. Light and lively 2-1/2" 12-bore sidelocks and boxlocks with Birmingham and London proof marks have the same desired effect. Come October, my Anglican Lang is always in the truck, but I also find myself reaching for the little 28, especially in the early season. If I do my part, it is quite enough gun to quickly stop wild-eyed grouse and woodcock charging out of thick cover.
    I know, too, that there are any number of 16- and 20-gauge game guns that will bring a twinkle to the eye and game to the bag. But for now—and as long as I am ambulatory—the 12-bore Lang and AyA 28 will be my game guns of choice when I hunt grouse and woodcock in the North Woods.

Richard Grozik lives in western Montana, where he pursues ruffed grouse on the mountainsides and Huns, sharptails, pheasants and ducks on the prairies and potholes. A former senior staffer for Ducks Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Quail Unlimited, and the Friends of NRA, Grozik is retired and says he is happy to be living in “the last best place.” He is the author of the books Game Gun and Birdhunter as well as several articles on shotguns and shooting.