I think I’ve told this story before, but your post reminded me of it. In the late 70’s when I was about 9 or 10, I killed my only banded duck off a spring fed pond on family land south of Jet, and it was a ridiculously long shot that actually got me in trouble with my Dad. I had to walk about 400 yards to get around the pond and out onto a wheat field to get it, and I was shocked when I got to it and saw the band. Back in those days, lead shot was legal for ducks, and I hit it with one pellet out of a full choked Westernfield bolt action 20 gauge with 2 3/4 #6’s.Sounds like your hero quote that spreads BS.
When my dad and his friend showed up about a minute after the shot and seen the deer laying there gasping for air they asked me what I shot it with and where was my shotgun.
Being young and my first deer i was excited to get to the deer and left the shotgun against the tree.
I had to go find the tree i was sitting in and the shotgun.
Opened it up and out popped an empty bird shot case.
I got a cussin for that.
They just shot up a deer that refused to die with a 30-30. Nothing left but hamburger meat.
The deer I shot had no blood and we did not know what "downed" it until we skinned it and seen the small blood clot spot on the hide in the neck area. A single hole in the esophagus.
It was put out of it's misery from a follow up shot to the head with a 30-30.
I could never hit crap with that Stevens 20 gauge.
Hunted ducks for 3 years and all flew off.
Finally got to use a 12 gauge and it was my grandfathers A5 that was a game changer.
The trigger had broke on the 20 gauge.
I gave that 20 to a friend years later and he took it to the gunsmith in Moore OK and the smith told him it had a bent barrel!
That made me feel much better about crappy shots.
Ya can't make this stuff up.
If you think I am a liar then that is on you. Not me.
I still have the gun and wonder how the scrawny kid I was back then carried the heavy thing all day bird hunting.