"ONE FOR ONE" - A still-life.

IRISHWHISTLER

IRISHWHISTLER

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"ONE FOR ONE"
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I shot this grouse in New Brunswick a few years ago with this old paper 20 gauge round and figured the cartridge to be at least 60 years old at the time. Shot this still - life image with a small Canon digital point and shoot I had at the time. I reprocessed the image today coming up with this rendering. I gave the empty to our excellent guide Bob Little as I shot the bird o'er his favorite pointer that had just come back afield after a long lay up due to an ACL injury. We had a grand time hunting with Bob and his talented gun dogs.

Cheers Mates And Keep Ye Powder Dry,
Mikey 🍀
 
IRISHWHISTLER said:
They were phased out for plastic around 1960.

Mike
Click to expand...

I know very well. I started hunting in 1956 and after a couple of years with a .410 my dad gave me his old 16 ga. Model 12. At the time we didn't know it had a 2 9/16" chamber and ejection port. Paper hull shells worked fine in the gun but when we had to use plastic hulls the spent shell would get caught in the ejection port. It got traded for an 870.
 
Almost every time I see a paper shell, I hearken back to cold days and early mornings, huddled in cattails on a skid, waiting for ducks to pass...and slitting the top of a spent shell and lighting it to warm our hands.

Wonder what happened to the old poacher who led me out there? Probably sneaking around heaven's edges, looking for an unwatched pheasant. :) Great guy, but was firmly convinced that he was there before the zoning laws, and by-gawd, he'd hunt his grounds. I had to check maps to make sure he wasn't making me his accomplice.
 
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Paper hulls, paper wads, and the older powders made the need for Hoppe's and some tough scrubbing to get barrels clean after shooting!!!
 
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