by Tom Keer
One year we turned an unused camp closet into the most spectacular gun cleaning and storage area. Take a scrap of ½-inch plywood, screw it onto an old chest of drawers, cover it with felt and you’re done. Ours had rods to wipe out powder and carbon fouling, cleaning rods with bristle brushes that accommodated all gauges – and mops and patches. The drawers held backstock and, though there were a dozen or more solvents, only Hoppe’s 9 was ever used. Nicer stocks were oiled while we sprayed Plain Janes with Lemon Pledge.
The best part of that room was the gun rack mounted on the wall directly above the table. It was utilitarian, cut from local oak with 12 stock spaces and matching barrel rests. Before locking the door for the night I’d survey what always was an eclectic assortment of shotguns used for woodcock. That the firearms mirrored the habits and behaviors of one of our beloved upland birds was not lost on anyone.
Brett shot his grandfather’s 16-gauge Fox Sterlingworth while Jeff preferred his 20-gauge Beretta Onyx over/under. Roger shucked his 28-gauge Ithaca 37 pup while Jim used his dad’s 16-gauge Ruger Red Label. John’s 12-bore Winchester 101 and Bobby’s 20-gauge Belgian Browning A-5 made regular appearances. In the early season, I’d use the 20-gauge barrels in my Parker VH and, when the leaves dropped, I’d replace them with the 28-gauge barrels. Sometimes, we’d see AyAs, L.C. Smiths, 21s or Lefevers but we never saw a Frank Woolnerized Winchester 59, which the author of “Timberdoodle!” considered to be the ultimate Whistledoodle gun.
The late Massachusetts editor and writer was an upland bird hunting fiend. When it came to gunning irons for woodcock he wrote, “Somebody once said that nobody ruins a shotgun by cutting two inches off the end of its barrel. That homespun philosopher must have been a hunter of woodcock!” And, with that, Woolner turned his off the rack Winchester Model 59 semi-automatic into the ultimate woodcock gun. “First, I amputated about one-third of the fat beaver-tailed fore end, jettisoned a long lug bolt, got rid of the useless pistol grip, and pared additional ounces off the remaining wood. I cut one barrel back to twenty-three and a half inches for early-season work with straight cylinder, and kept a standard bird-caged choke tube for other labors.”
Before you reach for metal and wood blades for your Sawzall, it might be good to think about what Woolner meant with his alterations.
Light and Lively, Just Like the Bird Itself
The Winchester Model 59 came in barrel lengths that ranged between 26 and 30 inches. I’m not sure if Woolner lopped off a few inches or half a foot, but in doing, so he achieved two goals. First, he reduced the weight of his gunning iron so it was responsive to the bird’s acrobatics as it weaved through a tag alder jungle along a river bottom. And, second, the lighter weight made it more pleasurable to carry all day. Favorite woodcock guns are light and lively.
Running Wide Open
By cutting off the barrels, Woolner created a cylinder bore that provided better pattern spread at the close range in which our birds are gunned. We don’t need to ruin a shotgun’s value by going to extremes to get an open choke. Poly-chokes (remember those?) can be dialed back, a gunsmith can open fixed chokes and, if our gunning iron has interchangeable chokes, all we need to do is to pull out a wrench. We can shoot open chokes without ruining the value of a shotgun.
Ditch the Fat Beavertails and Pistol Grips
There’s a reason that straight English stocks and splinter forends are coveted in the uplands and lowlands and it ain’t just because they’re sexy. They are, of course; however, form follows function and straight stocks with splinter forends are part of an ultimate game gun. Vermont’s Lars Jacob of Wild Surroundings is one of the country’s foremost gun fitters. “Side-bys with straight stocks are lethal because the design allows the shooter’s front and rear hands to work well together,” he said. “Both wrists are nearly parallel and relaxed. Together they move the shotgun to the cheek in a flat, unstaggered mount. Semi-pistol grips offer some comfort, but the rear hand runs at about a 45-degree angle to the front hand. Full pistol grips run at close to a 90-degree angle. Pistol grips help with recoil reduction, which is why they are common on clays courses and when shooting heavy waterfowl or turkey loads. For a smooth instinctive mount on game, the side-by’s design makes for easier shooting.” They don’t carry as much lumber, either, and that contributes to a lighter weight.
A 12-Gauge is Perfect for Woodcock
Not long ago I watched the social media world melt down when a hunter said he used a 12-gauge on woodcock. Most hunters prefer smaller bores and the 20- and 28-gauges are most popular. There’s no problem if you want to shoot a larger bore.
But if you’re shooting a larger bore, then give some thought to your load. Load is more important than gauge, and close shots spread faster and offer a better pattern with lighter loads. Think about it: a ¾ ounce load is standard for a 28-gauge; if you’re shooting a ¾ ounce load in a 12-gauge shotgun or even in a 16 or a 20, haven’t you really turned those shotguns into a 28-gauge? You have, so don’t worry about your gauge, focus on your load.
If a discussion about the ultimate woodcock gun starts to get heated just drop that standard bird camp joke before you escape to check on the dogs.
Q: What’s the best woodcock gun?
A: The one you can hit with.
Every good entrance has an even better exit.
