I am "Crossing Over", a bit....

[Adam Helmer]

I am on the wrong side of age 60 and have always loved walnut stocks, deeply blued barrels and finely fitted shotguns. My birthday is near and my caring significant other went out and got me a Mossberg 500A 12 gauge "turkey gun" that has a synthetic stock, full camo coloring on barrel and stock, detachable sling swivels, black nylon sling, recoil pad, choke tubes, and it is ported. Yep, it has two rows of four nice evenly spaced holes on either side of the ventilated rib.

I opened the box and looked at the "thing" and examined it with my skeptical eye and shuddered a bit. (Ok, old mindsets are hard to overcome). I took the gun to the backyard bench and patterened it, tested various slugs in it, swapped out the choke tubes, took it small game hunting and like the darn thing!

Actually, that synthetic gun is indestructable. I hunted in a light rain for an hour or two and it just kept on functioning. I liked getting the darn thing drenched and was glad I did not have my Browning Sweet 16 or Citori out in the wet.

Bottom line: I like that ugly shotgun and keep it handy as the house gun when I am not taking it afield. Yep, times, and guns, they are ah changing. I have "crossed over" a little bit.

Adam