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Double 8 bore


njc110381
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I just nipped in to my friendly RFD to pick up some bullets for my .17AH. Had a quick nose around and there wasn't anything that I hadn't seen before, I thought it was going to be a quick visit. Well a chap came in and this cannon of a gun appeared from the rack, must have over looked it on my glance around. Turns out it was a double 8 bore hammer gun. Wow, what a beast! There's no way I could use it. It weighed about 16lbs!

 

I wish I could remember the maker now. It was a nice old english name and a pleasure to handle even though it was a tad heavy.

 

Does anyone here have one and use it for what it was intended? The guy who was looking at it said it would handle 4" cartridges and fire 3ox of shot! :good:

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It could have been one of a few, it will deffo have damascas barrels, standard chamber on an 8 bore is 3 1/4". Never known of a four inch chambered 8, but then again it may have been a one off.

 

As for payload the max you can cram in a standard 8g case is around 2 5/8 of oz of lead. Normal lead payload is 2 1/4 oz but then there is always somebody who get that little bit more in with a rolled turnover closure.

 

Nearly all of them unsuitable for anything but Bismuth,lead or Tunsten although tung is not always reccommended.

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Although you don`t see them very often, 4" chambered 8`s are quite usual and are a standard, rather than "special", chamber size.

 

The longest chamber size for the 8 gauge is the 4 1/4" brass cased super magnum. These long and ultra long chambered 8`s came fairly late in the 8`s development and are more likely to be found in steel rather than Damascus barreled guns.

 

The gun you saw will easily handle a 3 oz. load and the 4 1/4" super magnum, even more!

 

The availability of cartridges in these long since obselete chamber lengths is, however, another matter altogether.

 

Well worth a close inspection. You don`t get to see big old fowling pieces like that every day.

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I'm up in Wogtown at the moment and came across a chap who starred in a goose shooting DVD a few years ago - the bloke is a wealth of knowledge and was great yto talk to. He hates being recognised though.

 

He shoots an old Tolley 4 bore - it is loaded with 9 ounces of powder and 4 ounces of shot. I saw him drop a goose at what must've been 80 yards! The noise is unbelievable too - a huge thump and a woosh of air - amazing.

 

The cheapest I have seen a 4 is £8,500 !!

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My 10 weighs around 12lb - it's an Eldferkin Greylag and I am slinging 1 7/8 oz of shot up it - she kicks like a donkey - to let go of an 8 (a double at that!) or a 4 must be something else!

 

:good:

 

A double eight can weigh anywhere from 11lbs (quite light) up to 17lbs+ dependant on a number of items including chamber and barrel length to name but two. A double four - well, I have held one recently weighing 25lbs which was challenging to heft, but even singles are 14lbs upward. Once you start swinging, you don't stop!

 

And even these have nothing on a double (shoulder fired) two bore - one of which I believe is currently being built and will weigh in no doubt north of 30lbs.

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Double Eights, every one a little piece of history....

 

A guy in our club shoots a double four, a real beast, I have had a shot with it and it was not too bad, the weight of the gun soaks up nearly all the recoil, even from 4oz of shot. The guy who owns it shoots very well with it. He pretty much tours many of the scottish firths (and a few english estuaries) so travelling 'fowlers may have bumped into him.

 

Some great pictures of old big bore wildfowling pieces being used for what they were built for currently on the wildfowling forum.

Edited by scolopax
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Double Eights, every one a little piece of history....

 

A guy in our club shoots a double four, a real beast, I have had a shot with it and it was not too bad, the weight of the gun soaks up nearly all the recoil, even from 4oz of shot. The guy who owns it shoots very well with it. He pretty much tours many of the scottish firths (and a few english estuaries) so travelling 'fowlers may have bumped into him.

 

Some great pictures of old big bore wildfowling pieces being used for what they were built for currently on the wildfowling forum.

 

 

I had a double eight given to me for my 21st birthday back in the 80's it was english and made by parker it was a real beauty, i used it for three or four seasons wildfowling then sold it to fund a round the world plane ticket gutted!! wish i'd kept reckon it would be worth a bob or two !! :angry:

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I had a double eight given to me for my 21st birthday back in the 80's it was english and made by parker it was a real beauty, i used it for three or four seasons wildfowling then sold it to fund a round the world plane ticket gutted!! wish i'd kept reckon it would be worth a bob or two !! :angry:

 

You will be lucky to get any reasonable English double eight for less than £4K now.

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