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Knowing the American
birdhunters have a genetic inclination to want
to hold wood in the palms of their left hands --
a condition brought about by close association
with over/under and semi-automatic shotguns for
long periods of time -- Kimber wisely threw
tradition to the winds and installed a
nine-and-three-quarters inches long forearm on
the Valier II. Guys who try to hold an
ordinary-length splinter forearm (like they are
about to take a bite off a bratwurst) are going
to shoot a short left arm; which leads to all
sorts of unhappiness -- like jerky swings and
lifted heads (the second most common reason for
missing birds). Someone at Kimber knew this. The
near ten-inch forearm is an invitation to shoot
a longer left arm. To put the left side of your
torso into the game. To keep your head down on
the stock -- and not least of all -- take
repeated retrieves from your adoring dog. This
is a well-executed $5,000 birdgun with enough
built-in prompts that most right-handed (and
right dominant-eyed) shooters will shoot well,
just as it comes out of the box. Going into
their second year of production, Kimber will
accept Special Orders to accommodate left-handed
(and dominant left-eyed) shooters, with cast-on
guns.
A sneak peak at Kimber's
follow-up program of the Valier product line
includes a 16 gauge side-by-side built on the 20
gauge frame, due on America's shores in late
2005; and 16 and 20 gauge sidelock over/unders
down the road.
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CZ-USA -- the world class
Czech Republic maker of pistols and rifles has added
shotguns to their portfolio with exclusive distribution
rights for Huglu, the primary, large volume producer of
shotguns in Turkey.
Equally important, they wisely
chose to work closely with Huglu's American
representatives -- guys who knew how to connect what
American birdhunters' wanted in a side-by-side -- to
Huglu's CDC equipment in Turkey. You can tell that those
American reps are on the same page as the rest of us when
they wrote the 2003 Huglu Armsco catalog:
. . . upland game in America is
normally taken over a pointing dog at the
flush. Whether ruff grouse from thick New
England cover or bobwhite in the Georgia
pine, American upland game shooting is as
often as not the quintessential
snap-shot.
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The CZ Ringneck model with single trigger, Prince of
Wales grip and false sideplates has a MSRP for 12 and 20
gauge guns of $869, while the 28's and .410's are $1,045.
The CZ Bobwhite model with double triggers, straight
English grip and case colored receiver has a MSRP of
$$695 for the 12 and 20 gauge guns and $869 for the 28's
and .410's. They are built on frames proportionate to the
gauge, which means with 26" barrels the 12 weighs 7.1
pounds, the 20 gauge - 6.1 pounds, 28 gauge -- 5.7 pounds
and the .410 -- 5.3 pounds. All gauges come with five
chokes tubes: C-IC-M-IM-F except the.410, which is IC/M
fixed. Stock dimensions are 1-1/2" x 2-1/4" x 14-1/2"
with about 1/4" cast-off to a rubber pad. The pad has a
hard-plastic horseshoe at the top that slides on a
sweater or hunting jacket instead of hanging up like a
lot of plain rubber pads do.
The Prince of Wales grip on the
CZ Ringneck is an attractive feature because it gives
your little finger something important to do. The round
knob acts like the rudder on a boat. Your little finger's
job is to keep it on an even keel and prevent you from
canting the gun.
The specially designed forearm
deserves mention. Most American shooters have a terrible
time coping with a typical 7" splinter forearm. It
encourages shooting with a short left arm, a recipe for
missed birds. CZ-USA puts a 9-1/2" modified
semi-beavertail forearm with a little Schnable tip on
their side-by-side models. A very nice touch that
encourages shooting a longer left arm, which helps keep
the head down and the game bag full. The raised rib does
a good job in picking up the target and it's not
ventilated, so you won't have to pick out the weed seeds
when you get home. Top it all off with 3" chambers (not
on 28 gauge), choice of 26" or 28" barrel lengths and
good wood-to-metal fit.
These CZ-USA guns have
extractors, not ejectors. When you consider that a
handful of empties on the ground are a dead-giveaway to
the location of a covey, roost, covert or other avian
hideaway, it's a good idea to put your empty hulls in
your pocket anyhow.
Although priced more like "entry
level" guns, these CZ-USA doubles possess a degree of
design sophistication and manufacture not commonly
associated with low-cost doubles.
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