Back to being a kid

[bigted]

Been contemplating a short, lite camp/survival gun for awhile. I wanted something easy to carry. Needed to be versatile in the max. Easy enough to carry so it would be a natural buddy in a boat, atv, pickup or on the trail.

Reason for this new to me build is to get back to simple and fun times with a cheap and easy to feed gun.

I imagine being in the Cascades or western Coast range in the off season and feeding myself with self cought fish, small game and upland birds. Also a carry arm that will take Deer as well.

Enter an NEF 12 gauge single barrel, singleshot break open inexpensive acquisition.

Shortened the 27 inch full choke barrel to 19 inch full open cylinder bore. Added a front sight from an old TC Hawkins rifle. Also added a full adjustable barrel peep sight for the rear sight. Added a nice slipon recoil pad so my clavical stays attached

Also added a .22 lr chamber reducer, 357 reducer, 45 Colt reducer and a 44 Mag reducer.

All in all I think my trail buddy is pretty close to what I had in mind.







All that's left is to begin with some new shot shell hulls, shot, patched roundballs. Load up some 357's , 44 Mag's , 45 Colt's and begin experimenting for accuracy loads in all chamber reducers as well as shot loads in 12 gauge, round ball loads in 12 gauge and general get to know each other. Hoping for a harmonic relationship with this little jewel.

Its main requirement is relaxed fun and table fare ( er campfire fare ) for this old fat man that requires a nice fun experience like the experiences I used to have as a carefree kid.

[copdills]

Looks Good, Great job

[rancher1913]

I have thought about getting some adaptors but always wondered about their accuracy.

[bigted]

Thanks. Added bonus is how fast it shoulders. It just jumps into the correct spot every time. The natural pointer of the single shot with the added help of a large ghost ring and a very visible front sight.

Simple, not complicated and pretty cheap as well as versatile .

[Cargo]

That's just about impossible to beat. I'm not sure which chamber adapters you have but from my experience the smoothbore adapters prefer slower moving bullets.

Some of my best days ever spent in the woods involved an old H&R Topper 20g.

[bigted]

I have thought about getting some adaptors but always wondered about their accuracy.

More news later. Pretty cheap on fleabay. 25 bucks apiece. Hope they are minute of squirrel/rabbit. This at 25 or 30 yards or therebouts

Just for grins ... not planning to take over anything with it, no self protection stuff and not meant to make anybody grin but me while packing it or shooting. Just the kid inside being fed.

[bigted]

That's just about impossible to beat. I'm not sure which chamber adapters you have but from my experience the smoothbore adapters prefer slower moving bullets.

Some of my best days ever spent in the woods involved an old H&R Topper 20g.

Rifled 22 LR, 357/38 Special, 45 ACP, 45 Colt and 44 Mag/Special. Oh and have a 410 adapter coming as well.

[Cargo]

Rifled 22 LR, 357/38 Special, 45 ACP, 45 Colt and 44 Mag/Special. Oh and have a 410 adapter coming as well.

Nab you a 12 to 20g adapter if you can. It's nice being able to use just about any shotgun or pistol caliber you can find. I also have 9mm, .32acp and .40 adapters for mine. I'd like to hear how the .357 and .44 mag shoots for you.

[lar45]

I have a Topper 20ga that I took a pipe cutter to and shortened the barrel to 18.5".
Cutting the barrel with the pipe cutter swagged the inside of the barrel down some. I was going to ream it out, but tried it first and it acts as a great choke.
I have taken more grouse with it than anything else in my inventory.
Nice gun btw, I really like the sights and whole execution of it.

[bigted]

Thank you

[Stephen Cohen]

Come on mate you can tell us we are an understanding bunch. Heading should read, Still a kid at heart. Regards Stephen

[AndyC]

That's excellent and gives me a big grin. How did you attach the sights?

[bigted]

That's excellent and gives me a big grin. How did you attach the sights?

Having solicited advice from fellers that are way more experienced then myself, I used JB Weld. They advise that the JB will withstand the rough handling and recoil.

Being a doubter ... I withhold opinion as to the success of the adhesion but the fellers are in the know from way more experience then myself ... sooo ... more news at 11 so to speak after shooting some molar shaking rounds.

[bigted]

Come on mate you can tell us we are an understanding bunch. Heading should read, Still a kid at heart. Regards Stephen

It is true. After 64 years of being ... surprising myself ... I AM "still a kid at heart".

[MrWolf]

More news later. Pretty cheap on fleabay. 25 bucks apiece. Hope they are minute of squirrel/rabbit. This at 25 or 30 yards or therebouts

Just for grins ... not planning to take over anything with it, no self protection stuff and not meant to make anybody grin but me while packing it or shooting. Just the kid inside being fed.

Also wondered just how accurate the adapters would be. Looking forward to your results. Good luck.

[missionary5155]

Have "played" with the longer rifled barrel inserts of 8 inches and 12 inches. They are as accurate as a hand held. But if they do not fit snug (O rings help) they do wobble out in the barrel.
Those short adaptors ??? Maybe smoothbore derringer accuracy ?

[missionary5155]

Feller I grew up with had a "poachers" 20 gauge that folded in half with a short barrel.

[longbow]

I grew up with Cooey single shots in Canada. I converted one to a slug gun about 50 years ago and added a Pachmyr Pow-R-Pac choke tube set up to it with cylinder bore choke. I had picked up a used set of choke tubes but no adapter/muzzle brake so made those in high school shop and silver soldered the adapter to the shotgun barrel. I drilled a pattern of holes all around the stainless steel muzzle brake. Looked pretty good! With BP loads under a 0.690" RB there was a giant fireball at the muzzle end!

After many years without a simple single shot I found an old Cooey just like the one I had back in the 70's so bought it, cut it down to 20" barrel and soldered a rear flip up sight and front blade sight on it. Works great and takes me back to when I was a kid! I'd like to add a Pow-R-Pac too but they are few and far between these days.

Light, handy and simple! What's not to like!

The chamber adapters would be a nice touch too. I'm not sure if they are legal in Canada. I should check. I made a 9mm chamber adapter for mine out of an old Sten gun barrel (long story!). It seems to work okay but I haven't used it much because I don't think it is legal.

Yours looks way nicer than mine! I should spend some time to restore it.

Longbow

[bigted]

I had the thought to take the adapters to a machinist and have an O-ring groove milled in the muzzle of mine. They have windage in my new to me camp shooter but in my TC Encore with the rifled 12 gauge barrel they are pretty snug.

[Cargo]

After many years without a simple single shot I found an old Cooey just like the one I had back in the 70's so bought it, cut it down to 20" barrel and soldered a rear flip up sight and front blade sight on it.

Longbow

Sounds just like my Winchester 184 which had Cooey beginnings. She's a sweet old girl too.