The story of the Two-Fer gun

Some years ago I commissioned a local gun maker to build me a smoothbore. He started on the gun late in the season and I wasn't sure if it would be done in time to use by the time the late muzzleloading season arrived.

As it turned out the gun was done just before the season opened. It was nothing fancy, just a plain trade gun in 20ga. I got busy around the shop and never had time to take the gun to the range to see how it would shoot a round ball before I was to head north to the farm for the opening of the deer season.

I decided to load the gun with the same load I used in one of my other guns, 80gr 2FF behind a 595 prb and hope for the best.

The morning of the first day found me in the woods before daylight in one of my old blinds made of natural material. Not long after daylight I heard deer coming before I even saw them, a group of a half dozen deer came out of the pines and came in my direction.

I eared back the hammer to full cock and concentrated on the lead doe. When the deer were abreast of me at about 30 yards I settled the front sight of my smoothbore behind her shoulder and squeezed the trigger. At the boom of the gun deer scattered everywhere but I kept my eye on the one I had shot at. She whirled and ran back in the direction she had come from but only made about three bounds before nose diving into the snow.

I stood up and turned to look in the direction of where the other deer had ran. It was then I noticed a deers legs kicking on the ground just beyond where I had shot the doe. It took a few seconds to realize what had happened....another doe had been on the other side of the one I had shot and the ball had gone through the first deer and killed the 2nd one.
what were the odds of that happening?

Later in the telling of the story to some of my hunting buddies, one of them said, you've got to name that gun "Two-Fer"..... so that's the story of the two-fer gun.

My grand father was a loggerand bear hunter around 1900 working between Montana, Idaho, and Washington. He died the year I was born but my dad loved telling his stories. And his two killed with one shot was one of his favorite stories.

The owner of a ranch I have hunted on tells a similar story.

While guiding a dear hunting game warden and the warden's wife, the wife shot 2 dear with 1 shot. He witnessed the warden write up a fine and hand it to his wife. Brave man.

Interesting story. And demonstrates the effectiveness of our poor ole "ineffective" ml fire sticks, especially flinters. :wink:
Wuz yer ball soft or hard lead?

I loved the story, and the ending. So please take my comment with a grain of salt.
First, I cringed when you said " I loaded it with.. " and "hoped for the best." I have personally never taken a rifle into the woods "hoping for the best".

Second, you fired with the herd in close, making an animal getting a second hand wound possible. In your case this worked out great but still... (I honestly cant say I'd have done any different here but it does make one think. After all when Im honest I have to admit to firing on a running deer at close range and getting lucky )

In retrospect, though I have never taken an unproven firearm on a hunt, I cant say I'm any better as I'd probably have taken that shot too, hopefully with the same result! (That being two deer down and no loss of meat)

The 595 ball was soft lead, the ball on the left was recovered just under the hide on the far side of the 2nd deer.

We are allowed to shoot several antlerless deer and I had another permit so the 2nd deer was legally tagged.

I loved the story, and the ending. So please take my comment with a grain of salt.
First, I cringed when you said " I loaded it with.. " and "hoped for the best." I have personally never taken a rifle into the woods "hoping for the best".

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Adui, I probably shouldn't have used the phrase, "hoping for the best". The load of 80gr's of 2FF behind a 595 prb has been a standard for every 20ga smoothbore I have (I have several) and I have confidence in that load.

You said you've never taken an untried rifle into the woods hoping for the best....well you're still fairly young yet so maybe you will someday. :grin: ... :hatsoff:

Two-Fer proved itself once again to be an outstanding gun by sending a round ball clean through this bison from 70yd's

I always like it when I see the lock on the right side of the gun

I musta missed it?

The only picture I see shows the lock on the left side of the gun. :grin:

Zonie...for a lefty, that is the right side of the gun! LOL :wink:

Zonie said:

I musta missed it?

The only picture I see shows the lock on the left side of the gun. :grin:

Click to expand...

The left side is the right side

CO Elkeater said:

The owner of a ranch I have hunted on tells a similar story.

While guiding a dear hunting game warden and the warden's wife, the wife shot 2 dear with 1 shot. He witnessed the warden write up a fine and hand it to his wife. Brave man.

Click to expand...

Excellent hunt, excellent shot!

My buddys dad was a game and fish detective. He and another detctive and my biddy, age 14ish, were hunting a PRIME area and a huge herd was jumped. Both wardens dropped NICE bucks, buddy made an excellent shot on a doe. They wrote him up on the spot!

REVENGE! Buddys dad, last year, shot a sweet 4x5 cous (whitetail AZ style) at a water hole. PROBLEM....his tag says Mule Deer :rotf: Now the issue I have is the responding warden gave him a WARNING :shocked2:
They do stick together. :shake:

Gotta love them smoothies. :thumbsup: