Reports of increasing grouse populations around the state finally got to me. I have rearmed.
Last winter, my trusty--scratch that. My little used but long neglected 1980 Montgomery Ward pump shotgun suffered a series of malfunctions, each of which prompted a trip to the gunsmith. Eventually I decided it wasn't worth putting more money into, and that it was time to proceed with my plan to acquire a new gun. Unfortunately, I can't yet afford the kind gun I want, some nice Spanish or Italian side-by-side double. I looked at used guns, but found many quality guns--autos as well as doubles--selling for the high three or low four figures, when in good condition. Not exorbitant as shotguns go, but more than I could part with at the moment. (Hmmm...I guess I could have foregone fishing trips last summer...but you can guess how likely I would have been to keep that resolution. It would be hard stifling a long held passion for a budding one.) So I decided to sit out grouse hunting this year and do more autumn fishing.
And I will be doing more autumn fishing, but those trout trips I'd planned are going to be grouse-and-trout trips. Cast and blast.
This didn't come about because a chunk of money fell in my lap. Though I had resigned myself to a leadless fall, I never really stopped shopping for guns. I drive by the Cabelas in Dundee, MI two or three times a week, and occasionally I'd stop in to fondle the used shotguns, or even brave the crowds at the new gun counter and ask to hold some of the less expensive doubles. Last tuesday, I had to pick up something for my wife from a store near one of the big malls in Toledo, and on the way there, it occured to me to stop by the Dick's Sporting Goods by the mall. If I remembered right, they had some good deals on guns early in the fall last year. I picked up a sale flyer in the breezeway of the store and saw they had some this year as well. So it was upstairs to the small gun department, where I asked to see some of the low cost (Stoeger) doubles advertised. Some say these are suitable only for scrap metal, others swear they're the best value in the shooting world. I tend to agree with the former. You could shove the point of a pen into the crevice between the wood and metal, and for some reason I couldn't get a comfortable grip on the stock. I could have shouldered a plumber's wrench more easily.
Giving up on hopes of getting an affordable side-by-side, I asked to see a Remington 870 Express pump gun offered for $239 (which was about $100 dollars less than the ungainly Stoegers). I picked it up and while it was a bit short (as all off the rack shotguns are on me), it felt comfortable in my hands and I could shoulder it smoothly. It was far better made that the Stoegers, and unlike my old gun, its pump arm didn't jiggle when I lifted it, and I heard no mysterious rattlings as I handled it.
The Express is the entry level model 870, basically identical to the pricier Wingmaster grade, but with a matte finish and a slightly rougher action due to less finely machined parts. Yet they're respected among shooters and, while they won't win any beauty contests, have a reputation for being reliable and durable. Just what I need while I continue to save for that AyA.
So I will return to the uplands this autum to give the grouse and woodcock a few good laughs. In a little more than a week.
My problem now is, how does one dispose of a defunct firearm?
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