Shotguns

John Sigler knows a thing or two about guns. As past president of the National Rifle Association, his opinion matters. So what did he think of the round-body, 20-gauge Excalibur from FAMARS di Abbiatico & Salvinelli?

If you’re a fan of disco, the shuttle ride from the airport in Seville, Spain to the historic Hotel Alfonso XIII in the heart of the city got an upbeat start as the gray-haired bus driver played the Pointer Sisters’ “I’m so Excited” on the radio.

For 2012, the Vintagers Order of Edwardian Gunners — fondly called the Vintagers — revisited their original venue for the 16th Annual Vintage Cup sporting clays and stalking rifle competitions, with a bevy of merchants populating the expansive white tents.

The clock is ticking to buy one of only 200 Ithaca Model 37 pumps custom built to commemorate the American icon’s 75th anniversary.

The newly minted 75th Anniversary Model 37 exemplifies Ithaca’s limited-edition tribute shotguns released during the remainder of the year, including the rare Larrabee, which honors the Sousa-grade Knickerbocker trap guns introduced in 1922 with approximately 11 new, exquisite replicas.

An over/under priced at $1,199 is leading the charge of fabled gunmaker Webley & Scott’s return to the U.S.

And after shooting 100 rounds of sporting clays with that new, affordable WS 900 K Sporter, Safari Club’s Nelson Freeman gave it an emphatic thumbs up – suggesting that Webley & Scott may very well succeed with its smartly priced shotguns for wing and clays enthusiasts.

A few years ago I experienced a moment that is now seared into my memory. The moment began inconspicuously. I and some of my Rocky Mountain Vintagers pals were ambling from station to station at Jerry William’s superb Quail Run Sporting Clays Club in Kiowa, Colorado.

Fate! Mark Reynolds saw the gun’s potential immediately, an impulse founded on years of experience as much as upon carefully reasoned thought. Ambling about at the 2009 Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, Mr. Reynolds met Iñigo Lopez, director of the prestigious Spanish sporting arms maker, Aguirre y Aranzabal (AyA), at its exhibition booth.

Locked in international tournament combat with Krieghoff and Perazzi, the Beretta DT10 has taken more medals in competitions than any other shotgun. In fact, since 1956 Beretta shotguns have dominated the Olympics.