12-bore Vickers Boxlock - 1930s

[Mortblanc]

Probably not for "bird control" on an American base.

This firearm comes from a time when there was a strong tradition of sport shooting in the American, and the British military. On an American base there were certain facilities that would be built before the air fields were completed, the Officers Club, the golf course, and the Skeet Club.

Air bases almost always had extensive shooting facilities that were used for both training and recreation. They valued skeet shooting as gunnery practice for bomber crews and fighter pilots. When not in use for training the ranges were open for sporting activities and at the base in my home area it was open two days a week to the public. (just try that today!)

At most of these ranges they would have loaner guns for use due to the transient nature of the clientele, most of whom could not transport their personal firearms abroad.

One of my bosses that had been the Commander of of an air base once told me that they always built those facilities first because they were always under budgeted. They knew they could always get "emergency funds" to complete the runways but not to complete the recreational/training facilities.

There was a strong tradition among the staffs of these facilities to keep records of the number of shots fired through certain of the firearms. There were instances of firearms with round counts in the millions and the needed repairs of each. It was excellent reliability information.

I have read of Remington Nylon 66 rifles and Ruger Mk1 .22RF pistols with counts of over a million rounds and a couple of Mossburg pump 12ga shotguns that were allowed to go up to 5,000 rounds between cleanings, just to see if they could take it.

Congrats on the "win" CH. Only at an auction is the person that offers to pay the most considered the winner!