The vizsla’s stunning coat has been compared to burnished gold and cinnamon. It’s been called tawny, russet, firelit, sunset, and spice. Forever eye-catching, the vizsla’s coat is actually a mixed blessing. While its striking color sets a vizsla apart from other pointing dogs, it also makes the breed a desirable commodity for the show ring. that, in turn, means some breeders put color characteristics over nose, point, drive and temperament-the traits hunters look for in a great field dog. Given the right balance of breeding priorities, however, a vizsla can be an excellent upland hunter and dedicated companion.

Charley Dickey (1921-1998) was for many years one of America’s best known and most-loved sporting scribes. A generalist, he wrote on subjects ranging from deer hunting to trout fishing. However, his work is best remembered for warmth and wit and an uncanny ability to go to the heart of the matter with a few well-chosen words and some homespun philosophy.

Dickey could find humor in the simplest subjects and often poked fun at himself. “My most congenial behavior,” he reckoned, “always seems to happen when I’m with a person who owns a lot of quail land.” He spoke for every befuddled bird hunter in the midst of a mad search for missing paraphernalia the eve of opening day when he commented: “I’ve never known an outdoorsman who owned all the gear he thought he needed. Even if he owns it, the odds are that he can’t find it.”

“Absolutely stunning.” That was all my friend could say, and the fact that he was so impressed really impressed me. We were standing together, leaning over a sturdy oak table. Windows framed the room, and lined up in front of us were two vintage British shotguns-one side-by-side, one over-and-under-as glimmering as the day they were built.

The shotguns were part of a collection we were evaluating and appraising. Once we had lifted each from the leather luggage case and realized we had perfection, we had stopped to behold the sight before us. My friend has collected firearms for more than 25 years. He has seen it all-from vintage Purdeys made for British Royals to Hartmann & Weiss over-and-unders, perhaps the finest shotgun made today. For a firearm to impress my friend, it has to have it all: superb quality, exquisite physical condition, and once-in-a-decade rarity. The two shotguns before us on the table had all of that.

They were both 28-gauge and made by the exclusive London firm Boss & Co. In its history, Boss made just over 10,000 shotguns. Of those, fewer than 50 have been 28-gauges. The two we were looking at were 60 years old and as like-new as any vintage British shotguns we had seen.