The Topper

When the ranch hand was near 15 year old, he purchased a .12 gauge single shot shotgun from Papuh (grandfather) for the magnanimous price of $15.

Yeah, it had a metal screw for a front sight...and there was black electrician's tape around the forearm to keep it on the gun...and there were wooden match sticks driven between the tang and the stock to keep the stock from "wigglin", but it was heaven to a Wright City boy wanting to hunt "birds"!

Course, shells was hard to come by. Lester Sala who owned the drug store in Turnertown would sell boys shells in amounts less than a box. Ya had the money for only three bullits...Mr. Sala would cut a deal. (Now imagine how carefully your neophyte "bird" hunter would choose them shots knowing he only had 2 or 3 chances for the day???)

On occasion, an adult would "gift" some shells to a poor country boy. Only thing, ya never knew what the "load" was....the ammo bag would have a mix of bird shot, squirrel shot, buckshot, rifled slugs, or whatever...they was bullits..that's all that mattered to a rural young'un....even if ya splattered a poor hapless varmit with a heavy load while bruising a shoulder?

Many was the time the ole fat boy hoofed it down Rusk County Road 4151 in search of winged quarry with that venerable H&R Topper one hole scatter gun. Dove, quail, and the unfortunate meadowlark (mistaken for a dove/quail) succumbed to the wanna-be Daniel Boones' marksmanship.

Time passed...and now there resides in the ranch gun safe (in addition to the "Topper") guns of considerably greater cost and craftsmanship. This opening weekend of the 2012 dove season opened with yours truly "blastin" down at the pond with one them high dollar twice-hole models...but been thinkin'....

Wouldn't it be cool to dust off Papuh's ole popper and down a dove like the old days...now that would bring back good memories.