Making a "River Rat"

[Texas by God]

When I was a teenager, we rode the West Fork of the Trinity River in John boats or canoes for adventure. Back in those days Cottonmouths were so thick they would drop from tree limbs and every log jam held several. We called ourselves river rats and we came to favor customized shotguns for this use. An inexpensive single shot shotgun shortened for handiness with an ammo carrier was preferred. Cheap to replace if you lost it in a spill. We started calling these guns River Rats as well. .410 was ok, but 20 and 12 gauge was the business. We killed snakes, turtles, Nutria, Beaver, squirrels, and even a Bobcat once.
I decided to make another since I stubbed my last two into carbines.....I started with a CBC 12 gauge recently procured and added an Allen butt cuff. I then installed the new bead in line with the old one. Then I cut the 28" barrel down to 20" with a hacksaw and squared the muzzle with a mill bastard file. Usually I ported the muzzle to help with recoil; I may still do that to this one. Anyway, no big deal but a funner gun now!

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[Winger Ed.]

A fella I used to know would go up the East Fork near Coppell, and on towards the Lake Dallas dam like that.
He'd go 'squirrelishing'.

Put out some drop lines from overhanging trees for catfish,
then paddle up a ways and back knocking squirrels out of the trees up & down the river with a well worn Marlin #39.

[Texas by God]

Those were the days for sure! You learned quickly who would do to ride the river with and who would not. Never take anyone who is afraid of snakes.....
No one cared when we were kids but I found out later as an adult that it's illegal to use a rifle or handgun on the river. Nowadays we are sure to take some buckshot in case we see Hogs drinking. It is a major rush to float up within a few feet of a hog and shoot it with a shotgun.

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[koger]

I like that a lot, used the same type shotgun when I was a kid, we could buy old used Iver Johnsons 12, 16, and 20 gauges with a bulged barrel, or dented barrel for $25=30 bucks. We would saw the barrel off till it was barley legal. Then we would take a big old pipe cutter, take the blade out and we would slowly tight it up on the barrel until we could see some taper/choke in it. Then I would come back behind the muzzle about and inch and drilled and tapped it for a bead and put one in. These short handy shotguns would shoot the whole load into a 4-5 inch group at 15-20 yards. Your post brought back some good memories!

[Texas by God]

BTW, those are Federal’s version of the Aguila mini shell in the front of cuff. They are surprisingly spry and pattern well. I load them when my wife wants to shoot it. That’s Special Purpose ammo.

[jmorris]

We used frog gigs, you didn’t want to be the slowest kid when someone missed and the snake fell into the water.

It’s a wonder no one ever got bit.

[firebyprolong]

Something about single shots clipped back to a handy length seem to be universal. We always ran the river as kids with 22s about the same size. Mainly because 22 LR was under a dollar a box when I was a kid. Lots of afternoons spent paddling and shooting. Your post made me smile thinking about it. We lived a mile from the Kaw river and ran the creeks and the river all summer ever summer.
When the meth epidemic got really bad, two legged pests cooking became a much bigger concern and we added "cruiser guns" for the river, usually a model 12 or rem 11 that had a cutts comp or a poly choke removed and trimmed to 20-18.5 ish. They generally made folks with poor ideas rethink some choices more than two teenage hillbillies with beat up .22s would.

[mac60]

I've got his little brother in 20 ga.

Attachment 245796

I haven't touched it in years. Ran across a spare barrel - got it basically free. I lived in Euless, Tx. for a few years and we used to catch quite a few catfish in the Trinity river - this guy always went along for the ride.

[Drm50]

I got a H&R Hammerless cut down to 18.5" in the garage. I don't call it a rat, it's my Bar BQ gun. Unlike them Texas boys that tote S&W N frames with fancy grips and tooled holsters for Bar BQs. Mine is to knock down any
protein that runs across the yard that we can drag over to the fire. Then the Bar BQ starts.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I had one too got in old newport 12ga single shot when I was around 12 or 13 from a friend of my older brother it had a 28" barrel on it
i cut it down to 20" with a hacksaw I carried that little shotgun all over my woods jumped a lot of Ducks in ponds with it got a few Coons
lots of tree rats I even got a red fox one winter wish i still had it

dang it now you got me thinking i need one

[Texas by God]

Mac60, my 90 year old dad keeps the twin to your 20 gauge in his Mule 24/7. It has never bobbled so I jumped on this one when I saw it. It’s in the scabbard of my Mule now.

[mac60]

90 and still ridin' around on a mule carrying a sawed off shotgun? Tell him to be careful on that thing.

[lar45]

I've got a H&R topper 58 20ga that I used Dad's pipe cutter to chop it to 18.5" . Cutting it off also swagged the barrel down some to form a choke. It has taken piles of grouse.

[Texas by God]

90 and still ridin' around on a mule carrying a sawed off shotgun? Tell him to be careful on that thing.

If it was a 4 legged mule he would have already shot it with the 20
He and I care not for equines.

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[castalott]

You had me grinning... "River rats" in my area are potatoes quartered lengthwise and cooked over a camp fire..... jus sayin'... Dale

[Texas by God]

You had me grinning... "River rats" in my area are potatoes quartered lengthwise and cooked over a camp fire..... jus sayin'... Dale

We call those "tater wedges"

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[Texas by God]

It had to go along today because the hay yard has tall grass.....

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[augercreek]

What model Case you driven Texas?

[Texas by God]

That is a 1967 Case Model 430. We use it for putting out hay for the cattle and Hauling the hay rolls to the hay yard mostly. I should call it Lazarus because it has somehow returned from the dead a couple of times lol.

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[Sig556r]

Thing with most TX rivers, though technically state jurisdiction, the banks are likely within private properties. You'll easily find out if landowner is welcoming or not pretty quick.