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mod11rem
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:26 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 20 Nov 2005
Posts: 117
Location: Jonesboro, AR

At the age of 12 or 13 I was hunting quail (and everything else) with my grandads old Mod 11 12 ga with a 28"full choke. On ducks, everything was great. With quail, if I got right on them, I tore them up. If I waited, I typically would only get one bird way out there. With population short, this was extremely frustrating. My uncle, observing the problem, suggested I take out his Mod 11 rem (hence my user name) 16 ga. with a 22" IC. All of a sudden doubles were no problem and doves were an automatic limit. All during highschool and college, I would borrow his gun and return it after every hunt, clean and ready. Then, about 1980, I moved off to TX for grad school and he said since I was the only one using it and moving to real quail country, just take it along (with the extra 26" mod barrell). When I had this gun professionally cleaned last year, the gunsmith told me he had never seen one that showed evidence of so much shooting but in such good shape. I told him this gun was brand new in 1947 and my Uncle put in the first 30 years with it. I'm 2 years away from the second 30 and it's still has never malfunctioned, even once.

I'm new as of yesterday, and I love the site. All my huning buddies are tired of me extolling the 16 ga virtues. Now I can talk to real believers. I admit, I own 20 something shotguns, but my model 11 rem is still my number one bird killing machine. However, I carry a Fox 16 SxS M/F that I acquired (cheap) two years ago (that's another "great find" story) when I just want to feel good. I do hunt ducks with a 12, but mainly because I fear barrel damage from steel shot (the IC would probably be ok, but I don't want to chance it).

Thanks for carrying the torch. You'll hear from me often. mod11rem
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662
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:36 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 358
Location: Houston

That's a great story mod11. Thanks for sharing and welcome to the board.
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mod11rem
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:31 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 20 Nov 2005
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Location: Jonesboro, AR

The same model 11 sportsman 16 mentioned in my first post almost cost my Uncle his marriage. He claimed my aunt almost divorced him over it. I asked him how much he paid for it and he said $75.00 for gun and two barrels. That didn't sound like much to me in the 1970's. He replied that it was a lot when he was making $15.00/week driving a truck. However, she relented and claimed in later years that this gun probably saved his life and their marriage. It seems that Uncle Deck was with an outfit that got stranded on a New Guinea Island full of Japs in WWII. He made it home but was in bad health having almost starved to death and a malaria survivor. In retrospect, he probably had what we now call post traumatic stress symdrome. He couldn't sleep, had horrible nightmares, recurring malarial symptoms, drinking too much and was just jumpy in general. The only peace he could find was when he was out hunting quail with his new Mod 11. His doctor told not to worry about work and just hunt whenever he felt like it. Nobody wanted to hunt with him because he was so quick on the trigger they were afraid he would shoot their dogs. After a few months of hunting almost every day, he came home one day and put up his gun and announced he was ready to go back to work. He lived a long and productive life and his beloved 16 is still living and giving me the same peace. This is not BS. I really did happen. mod11rem
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rayb
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:38 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 283
Location: Texas Panhandle

thank you for posting that history

rayb

_________________
anything other than the 16 gauge is a passing fad
(kind of like smokeless powder)
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16gaugeguy
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:48 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 12 Mar 2005
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Location: massachusetts

I can commiserate with you. My dad was DAV from the Americal Division. He was responsible for ranging on a 155 long tom. His job was to figure asmuth and elevation. He served at Guadalcanal keeping the Japanese heads down so the marines and cactus air force could survive long enough to win that action.

Later, in another island campaign, he was the only surviver of a demolished duece and a half troop carrier. He was blown clear of the tailgate. Everyone else was killed. He woke up in Honalulu after being in a coma for several monthes. Didn't have a clue who he was or how he got there.

Years of treatment brought him back to functional and he helped my mom raise us. He worked a full time job, but never drove a car, because the brain damage he suffered caused epilepsy. Where in God's name do you find such men? We own them more than time and history will ever allow. My mom too. She stuck by him through thick and thin, and sometimes it got so thin you could see through it. Greatest generation? I think so.
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mod11rem
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:01 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Jonesboro, AR

I agree. My dad was a B17 pilot, grounded 3 days before he shipped out to bomb the hell out of Germany with a heart murmur. Hence, I'm here and kicking. One brother, Uncle Deck mentioned in the story, was in fierce fighting in New Guinea. Another Uncle Doc, was a tank commander for Patton in the Battle of the Bulge. He died a professor emeritus at LSU. a professor of speech and etymology!! The other brother, Uncle Ken, was a sargent of the motor pool, read truck driver, in the Phillipines and elsewhere. He returned home safely to work his whole life in our family produce business and farm with my Dad and Uncle Deck. My grandmother and grandfather burned the home fires, bought all the war bonds they could stand, and prayed daily for the safe return of all four of their boys. You're right, where do these guys come from!! These all came from Mountainburg, AR. Everyone of them signed up the minute they were eligible, no questions asked. I came along late enough that I missed signing up for the draft (and Vietnam) by three weeks. I don't know that I ever would have had the courage that they had, but I guess I would have gone if I had to. I'm certain that I wouldn't have done it with the conviction and purpose that they did. Wow, I'm still amazed and grateful.

mod11rem
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16gaugeguy
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 5:03 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: massachusetts

Vietnam was a travesty the US government has yet to acknowledge responsibility for. The kids who served, suffered and died there served with every bit of the distinction and valor as the WWII kids. I lost a lot of friends from my home town. To this day, I think the official KIA total is way too low to be true. It should not have happened at all.

In WWII my dad signed up as soon as he could. It was a war we did not ask for, but were determined to win. Vietnam was a war foisted off on us by a government gone beserk with Communistitus and an uncontrollable need to maintain the status quo. It was also war for profit pure and simple. Olin and the rest of the military industrial complex made billions upon billions and damned near bankrupted us for years after.

I've studied it, pondered it, asked a million questions. It still does not make sense and never will. It proves one thing. The Federal government of our country is not our friend. They are still lying, hiding the truth, and shirking responsibility. Vietnam tought them that they can get away with murder, because they have the power.

It is a far cry from what our forefathers envisioned I'm sure. Jefferson said that " the price of freedom (liberty) is eternal vigilence." Somewhere along the way, we fell asleep. We need to wake up before this nightmare destroys what little liberty we have left.

I'm not talking insurrection, but serious reforms like term limits for congress and scraping the winner take all, first past the post representation we now have. We can use the election system to our advantage only if we keep kicking the bums out as fast as we can until they get the message that we will not tolerate their arrogance and lies anymore.

Once the elected officials realize that serving in our government is not and never was intended to be a long term job or permanent position, I'm sure the clowns will move on and we will reestablish statesmanship, the thing that has been missing since the end of WWII.

I don't vote the party line. The political parties are part of the problem. They damned sure don't have our interests at heart. I say turn the encumbents out often enough so they can't become entrenched like Kennedy and Kerry have become in my home state. Those two make me want to puke and are a perfect example of what is wrong with our present system.

Trust me when I say that just because I'm from MA doesn't mean I'm an idiot. I'm just as fed up as most of the rest of this nation is. But we must begin to act in unison as a people and put our regional differnces aside. Republican, Democrat, whats the big difference today. The elected officials have way too many greedy self righteous jerks among them, so lets turn them all out and keep turning them out until real meaningful representation starts to take place. I'll bet my favorite Browning that it would happen within three or four national elections, about one decade. Think it over.
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