As I think I've mentioned, the Porsche is dead and buried and the money (yes, broke even on the thing, maybe even came out a little ahead) banked, allocated and mostly reinvested - part of it on a Browning Citori 525 over/under 12-gauge shotgun and a way-too-nice flight/storage case.
Man, the thing is gorgeous, with very nice wood and careful engraving. These things are works of art. Makes me feel a bit self-conscious, rather like showing up at a jam session with an absolute killer high-end banjo or guitar, much more of an instrument than I need, given my famously modest playing abilities. That's kind of the situation here, I think.
I picked it up last Saturday on the way home from playing a festival in Wrightwood. Brought it home. Took it apart, oiled and greased it, wiped it down, spent some time figuring out the five chokes I bought (skeet, two improved cylinder, light modified, modified) and what's needed for which game - skeet, trap, sporting clays.
This business about chokes is a bit cornfusing, as it seems everyone you ask has different ideas about what's what. I've got a basic idea of where to start for trap, I think. My Remington 870 has a light modified choke in it, if I remember right, and I seemed to do - well, OK with that. So light mod, or maybe improved cylinder, seems like a good place to start for trap. What I want, basically, is to cheat - the widest even spread of pellets with the longest reach - I know, incompatible expectations. But hey, I want it all!
Not able to resist a deal, I bought 1500 rounds of Winchester 1200 fps #8s, 1 1/4-oz loads ($5.70 a box, how can you go wrong?), just so I could try to figure all this without having the inconsistency of different loads screwing up the process. I think they will require less of a lead on trapʼs oblique-angle clays then required for the 1140 fps no-name $7.50-per-box rounds that usually are pushed through the sign-up window at me; but I also expect more of a shoulder pounding.
Laura will be occupied for several hours Saturday, so I'm going out to shoot some trap with this beauty. Two rounds, at least, maybe even four. Should be fun. Alternatively, it may prove to be incredibly frustrating. Or maybe both. We shall see.
(Update - Just back from the trap range. I shot four rounds and did quite nicely, actually. No perfect scores. But better than I've ever scored before. It's nice to have a tool that fits - and precision is nice, too.)
-JFT
