Lora and I went to Cabela's yesterday afternoon, so I could get a look at the Marlin model 94 in 44 Rem.Mag. that dwoftx had pm'ed me about, after I mentioned on here that I was looking for one.

When we got there I went over to where Dave said he saw it, and looked around for a minute or two, and finally saw it. Nice looking gun for a used gun, wasn't really what I was looking for, I wanted the one with the tapered octagon barrel. Also it had a Weaver Micro-trac 1 to 3 power variable scope on it, and for some reason to me a scope looks out of place on a lever gun. :

To compound problems, while I was looking at the used guns, I glanced over at the shotgun rack that was right across the aisle from where I was looking at the Marlin, I noticed a nice looking side by side double. So I set the Marlin down and went over and pulled the sxs down and looked at it for a minute.

Now along about this point, is where the problem with the small child unfolded. Despite my disappointment over the rifle, I told Lora that it would probably be okay, so she bought it for me, . The problem came in when she saw me looking at the double. I am not really sure what it was exactly alerted her to the problem, may have been my eyes glazing over, the foam coming out of the corners of my mouth, or possibly the nervous twitch of my right shoulder, but she came over to see why I was in such a state, and noticed I was standing there, white-knuckled, holding on to the double.

After pring my fingers from the price tag, she said that if I wanted it she would get it also. Did I forget to mention the part that the double is a spanish made 10 gauge with 32 inch Full & Full barrels.

We walked out of there about an hour after we went in, with me carrying the Marlin and the 10 gauge. That is why small children should never be taken into Cabela's.

Randall, If your new double gun is an Aya it is most likely a very good shotgun...with one little piece of history you should know about. I used to hunt with a guynamed bill Moore I think it was back in the late 60's who loved to waterfowl with his Aya 10 guage ( when he had the only 10 guage I ever knew about) down on the coast around Rockport and always brough home max limits as the birds were accustomed to flying just out side the normal 12 guages range back in the days before Steel Shot was required. This one time he was late getting to the water and was using a borrowed wooden rowboat to get out to the blind...when he had a flock of Snows float over him...so snatchs up the double and hunkers down in the bottom of the skiff and raises up and touchs off as they are directly over head...and promptly has to stand up in waist deep salt water or drown as he has not only suffered a double fire...but has split the the bottom of the boat when the seat broke and his butt hit the floor... a long cold 1/2 mile walk back across Copano Bay dragging new shotgun, what remained of the boat that was still floating and more geese than his limit allowed. When he hit the beach the Warden was standing there laffing his butt off and helped him load the remains of the boat on the trailer ...and kept the over limit birds with a smile. Bill said the Warden told him that he had seen the incident thru his glasses and 1. knew he had only fired once and 2. if Bill had not picked up all the birds would have written him a ticket ...sunk boat or no boat....they were his birds.
Be careful with the high overheads as every Aya double trigger I ever saw back in the 70's was not only beautiful...but would double on you.
Ron

THANKS??? For the words of encouragement!!!!!

Yes, I have hunted out of a canoe with a 10 gauge double back in the 70's. I had put out a few decoys and then paddled to a big stump that was pretty well surrounded by willow brush. Every time I would take a shot, it would propel me and the canoe, out of the brush and to the end of the rope I had tied off with. Then I would paddle back into the brush and wait for the next shot. The only thing I hate, is that no one makes the 2 and 7/8ths inch shells any more. The only name on this gun is Mercury, and it is across the opening lever. On the right barrel it has Mercury Magnum, and Eibar, Spain. It has a beavertail forend, hinged front trigger, action is silver-grey with some rudimentary engraving, 32 inch full & full barrels with 3 and 1/2 inch chambers, and weighs in at 11 pounds 4 ounces. I see no cracks in either the forearm or pistol grip, and has 22 or 24 l.p.i. checkering, with a Pachmayr white-line recoil pad.

In picking it up and handling it I actually like the feel of it better than my BPS 10 gauge.

Randall,
I found this tidbit of info in a 1999 article in Guns Magazine online

"The first 10 gauge magnum I ever saw was a ponderous double carrying the "Mercury" name and imported into the U.S. by Tradewinds during the late '50s and early '60s. The hunter carrying it was pursuing whitetail deer in the thick coverts of New Jersey. Loading it with 00 buck, he declared his "Merc" was the deadliest gun in the Pine Barrens, and I have every reason to believe he was right

Randall,

Here's some more info for you.....
mercury thread

Hey another shotgunworld reader!!!
Good story and congradulations on the new to you guns.

Thanks for all the information.

I don't plan on hunting deer with it. Just doves till they ban lead shot. Until I find out some more I won't try shooting any of the harder stuff(Steel/Bismuth/Heavy Shot). This gun appears to be of better quality than the Richland Arms 711 SxS 10 ga. I had back in the mid 70's. With me, it is just the nostalgia of all the old stories I read as a kid of the old market hunters and the 8 and 10 gauge guns they used.

Again Many Thanks for the info.

I shure would like some video of doves eating 10 ga loads it will be instant Fajita meat with feathers

It don't take but 1 time turning one into feathered hamburger, , to make you start picking shots just a little farther out.

When I was in high school, the only gun I could afford was a Stevens 94 C in 12 gauge with a 36 inch full choke barrel. Inside of 30 yards, with a load of 8's from the Dove & Quail loads when they first brought them out, would cut the head completely off of a Mallard if you centered it in that pattern. As for dove or quail inside of 30 yards, if you centered them, it looked just like a clay target getting powdered.

What makes it worse or better using the 10, is that the only shells I can find to hunt dove with are Turkey Load 6's. I guess it is all a matter of perspective, it is better, cause it don't take but 1 or 2 of those size shot to bring a dove down. It is worse, if I don't know where everybody else is hunting, or they don't know where I am at, because 6's sprinkle harder than 71/2's or 8's.

If I had any sence I would be using a 28 gauge, except the shells are as high as for the 10 and are about as hard to find from what I have seen. I have owned a couple of 218's and they are neat guns. JMO

The 10's are just something I find fun to play with.

A sporting good store is toy store for me also. I walked into one a few years ago to buy a knife and I came out with a pistol.

Glad your trip turned out to be a double reward. And you didn't even have to post "PM SENT" like someone else we know. Congrats on the shotgun as well! Glad to hear it all worked out.

Many Many Thanks for passing the word to me about the rifle.

congrts CHC on the new guns, talk about Christmas this year coming early.

Thank You. I had originally planned on getting another CZ in 416 Rigby, but even handloading, it was going to be about $3.00 a shot. I still had all my loading stuff for the 44 Rem.Mag. after selling my pistol, and figured that the 44 lever action would be a nice little back up rifle on the Javelina hunts. The 10 gauge was what really made it Christmas.

Sounds you got a real winner with the Eibar made Mercury. Lots of the early 50 thru 70's spanish guns were made by several small family groups in a particular town...one family did the wood another would do the triggers and so on. The Eibar made guns as I remember it are top notch and were always pricier than the Aya's that I saw. Remember these guns were not made for the US market originally, some were imported for sure, but the craftsmanship was directed at the euro styles favored in Mexico, Central and South America, and were all hand made.
Ron