What’s Your Gun’s Name?
Here's Bo Whoop (James Julia photo, click to see bigger).
We uplanders talk a lot about dog names, not as much about gun names – you have names for your guns, don’t you?
Here’s a good story (condensed version) about a gun named “Bo Whoop.” First saw it discussed in the Autumn 2010 issue of The Upland Almanac, but the whole story is here on gardenandgun.com.
Nash, Bo, Dog.
The gun, a 12ga HE Grade Super Fox (32″, chambered for 3″ Mag!), was owned by Nash Buckingham. If you’re not familiar with him – or with the name but not the man – Nash was an outdoorsman in the heyday of being an outdoorsman…in other words, when you could be famous – instead of infamous – just for being a hunter and writing about it.
He grew up in Tennessee, went to Harvard (Jay, being a Dartmouth guy, won’t hold that against him), became a sports writer (also a glory job in those days), then abandoned that promising career for one consisting entirely of being in the outdoors and writing about it.
Gotta love that.
Nash was a huge bird hunter, and hunted almost up until the day he died. Obviously he was Serious.
Anyhow, as Upland Almanac tells it, “Bo Whoop was named by Buckingham’s good friend and hunting buddy, Col. Harold Sheldon. Buckingham doubled on mallards with his first two shots fired from his new gunning iron, and Sheldon celebrated the gun’s sound by bestowing the nickname.”
(Buckingham lost the gun during an Arkansas duck hunt in 1948. Eventually it was found, restored and recently sold for $175,000 at auction. With commission, it was $201,250 total.)
Bo Whoop is a heck of a nickname for a gun. Can’t decide if it sounds dated or not. What’s yours?
A detail shot of Bo Whoop (James Julia photo, click to see way bigger).
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Yes, My shotguns have names and everybody I hunt with knows which young lady will be taken to the dance on a particular day. My 20ga. Beretta 687 Silver Pidgeon is named Mabeline. She is my very favorite upland gun. We have traveled a lot of miles together and she will be laid to rest beside me in my casket. (My son and one of my best friends have very specific instructions fot things that I want to take with me to the Great Hunting Ground) My Beretta 687 Sliver Pidgeon 12ga. is called Peggy Sue. When I take her to the sporting clays grounds, no one wants to take a friendly wager even if I spot them 8 targets. My Bereta 687 28ga Silver Pidgeon is called Honey. She is just sexy. The rest of my Shotguns have dumb names like Skeet gun and Thumper and Canoe Paddle.They all have a place in my heart and arsenal. Just not the same place as Mabeline, Peggy Sue & Honey.
A couple of my doubles are named in one way or another after my wife, cause well, I love to hold all of them. My favorite baby, which is my Fox Sterlingworth 16 Ga carries the name Light Peach. My old LC Smith 12 Ga Field model is Ol’ Peach. My J.P. Sauer is appropriately named Eva, and my CZ BRNO carries the moniker EBA, short for my Eastern Block All-star. That one just popped in my mind after I had a few, and just kinda stuck.
My Red Label is Mr. Ruger because he speaks with authority. The 1100 Special Field is Shorty.