Old Imperials....what fun!

kawicrash said:
I still have a few boxes of the purple paper 3" .410's.
I've been getting reluctant to shoot them lately though, when they're gone they're gone..
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Same! But I will shoot some off at grouse next visit to see my father. He wants me to take all his guns home with me next visit as he says he hasnt hunted in years and likely wont again. Only one he wants to keep is the Ithica SXS w/20” barrels he keeps with him when travelling for protection.
 
Its great to hear all these stories people have shared. The very reason I started this thread...a trip down memory lane for everyone. For me, I have so many great memories with my dad in the field. Hard to believe its been almost 8 years since he passed. I have all of his hunting clothing sealed in a large Tupperware bin and I’ll open it every now and then just to catch the smell from it. It still has the distinct smell I remember when I was a kid with a hint of that Imperial smell from the thousands of fired hulls his pockets carried over the years. His leather shell belt also has that same lingering smell that warms my heart when I open up my cabinet. What I would give for another day in the field with him....
 
be2man said:
Federal still makes paper target loads. They still smell as good, can even reload them a couple of times. Showing in stock at Lawry's Caledonia, if you're feeling nostalgic...
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Whenever I could get my hands on Federal paper target hulls I would load them with 1 1/2 oz. #6's over some 4756, it was a published load in the Dupont manual. The crimp folded down nice and tight. It worked well for pheasants down on Pelee.
 
Mount Sweetness said:
I love them in 16ga, never a problem finding them at gun shows.
I do find them dirty though, plenty of unburnt powder left sitting in the barrel.
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Really? The one thing I noticed when I took my barrels off yesterday was that they were completely clean. I cant remember the last time I’ve had that. I’ve been shooting Federal and Winchester this winter and the barrels are always brutally dirty. When I dissassembled the gun yesterday it looked like it was unfired. Strange!
 
The sea-kritt is tuh pewt a small piece awf cheese close to the bolt face.
Dem Mickey &'n Minnies krawl up the bawrill an eat the cheese.
Dependith awn bore size reflects the shineynizz.
Well, the size awf the mowse dicktayt's the rub too...…………….:onCrack:
 
I shot Imperials, and Cannucks when I first started duck hunting, along with a super cheap shell I think was called Black Star. IIRC it was roll crimped paper. Probably the dirtiest shell I ever fired. Ducks didn't notice though.
I miss those old high brass Imperial shells. I might have half a dozen left.
 
i remember shooting Impérial,Canuck,and Maxum in 12 gauge paper shells , all made by CIL AND IVI in valcartier near Quebec along with Whizzbang .22 long rifle and centerfire cartridges,in around early 1960, still remember the smell,closest i find now is federal target papers.
 
Ive got a bunch of them tucked away that I was given by some family friends when they gave up bird hunting. I dont shoot many a year, my grandkids will still be shooting them at the rate I go through them.

The boxes are a step above what we get these days in terms of looks too. I use them in the gun room for storing stuff (12g chokes in a 12g box, 20g chokes in a 20g box etc)
 
I came into a bunch of the Imperial 2 3/4" 1 1/4oz. loads, mostly in 4, 5 and 6's. I used some on a pheasant tower shoot recently and yeah, great memories. If anybody wants to buy or trade for a box of 70's/80's-era Imperials, shoot me a PM. I don't shoot pheasants or crows enough to use them all.
 
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AHHHH-HAAAAaaa……………….found it...…………...:dancingbanana:

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