|  01/07/2013

This is My Classic Shotgun: Pre WWII Webley & Scott


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Matt Hover, his classic Webley & Scott and his German shorthair, “Stella,” teamed up for this rooster near Beaver City in southwest Nebraska.

In the Hover family, it was something of a family tradition that a gun was passed down from father to son on a special occasion. So when Matt Hover earned his Master’s Degree in 2004, the only question was if the shotgun would be shiny new or a classic double.
 
“Coming back from a fly fishing trip in Wyoming, we decided to stop at Cabela’s in Sidney, Nebraska,” Hover said, “While I was checking out the new Citoris, my dad went into the gun library and a Webley & Scott caught his eye. He and I both agreed that giving a classic old gun a new life was better than a brand new weapon, so that’s what we did.”
 
Hover’s English double sees field action each year – typically early season when the shots are close over “Stella,” his 5-year-old German shorthaired pointer – and has brought him even more meaning as the years have passed. “I never plan to get rid of this gun, as my dad, who was always my main hunting partner, is in the advanced stages of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (he was diagnosed at age 58, he’s now 62) and he hasn’t been able to hunt for a few years now. I terribly miss being able to have him hunt with me, but I will always carry great memories, especially using that Webley.”
 
Do you have a classic shotgun with a story to tell? Email a photo to Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor, at ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.