I drove back, deerless again, this morning. None of us saw any of the "big boys" that we were looking for, so not a shot was fired. We saw the bruisers, it's just that they were out of reasonable range and just would not stand for a stalk. One of the neighbors, a hunter who won't shoot anything less than a high wide 4X4, also came up empty. At least that was up 'til last night. I don't know what he might have done today. I didn't go out this morning, but 2 guys went out after the buck we saw last night, but I haven't received a report.
That Model 12 was very reasonably priced, at $550. We settled for that amount sent 2 day delivery by UPS. The gorillas failed to break the well packaged gun, too. I think that they are actually being more careful, finally. I'll see what it does on the 30 circle at 40 yds. If the results aren't good enough, I might have it opened to modified, the perfect diameter for steel. I won't wast money on Bizmuth, or tungston. Heck, at 3 bucks a pop, it just ain't worth it.
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale, and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged"....President Abraham Lincoln
Anyway, this sweet Model 12 3" Duck arrived yesterday from, of all places, Cabela's. It is a 1961 manufactured gun and is every bit as nice as the seller advertised. I can't wait to see how the full choke patterns No 4 steel shot. Contrary to what everyone claims, steel shot has no effect on these guns, as the shot is copper plated and surrounded by a shot tube. The only guns that are problematic with larger steel are the thin barreled Browning Superposed. I use 4s for all of my duck shooting, mostly because I only shoot when they are in absolute killing range. Here's a pic of the gun, taken quickly this morning. I'm headin' to the ranch for the last deer weekend and will return on Sunday afternoon. 
Thing looks new.
