Collectors – they’re a crazy bunch. I’m always amazed by what people will pay for stuff. Just take a look at this cardboard box.
Winchester Model 37 shipping box
It’s an original shipping box for a 20 gauge Winchester Model 37 that went for .
The Model 37 is a hammerless, single shot, break open gun. You can buy this one for $395. It sure would look nice in that box.
Over the past few months, I’ve been reading a lot about bird dogs and field trials. One my favorite books has been Pointing Dogs: Their Training and Handling by Earl C. Crangle.
Earl Crangle was one of the most gifted field trailers and trainers of the last 50 years. He worked and trained hundreds and hundreds of dogs, including
Pointing Dogs: Their Training and Handling by Earl Crangle
some of the most successful English Pointers and English Setters ever. It’s safe to say that Earl Crangle knew what he wanted in a dog.
So what was his dream dog? What did Earl Crangle consider perfect? From his book:
“The following is my ideal: I would want him (or her) to have an unquenchable desire to find birds, to show strong determination under all condition, to have a keen nose to detect the presence of game plus the ability to locate it accurately and quickly by body scent.
He should adjust intelligently to terrain and cover, going from one birdy objective to the next with a pleasing gait, running with speed, independence and endurance while carrying a high and merry tail.
He should approach birdy objectives by going into the wind with his head held high, searching the air currents with his nose. His range should be to the front or either side, never behind. He should point his birds with high head and tail, being staunch and intense, displaying exact location.
The dog is to be steady to wind and shot. He should back a brace mate on sight, hunt dead and retrieve promptly and tenderly when called upon to do so. He should come when called and whoa, heel and sit on command. He should show good manners at all times and a deep desire to please the handler.”
There you have it. It doesn’t sound like too much to ask, does it? Well, before you start looking for a dog that can do all this, read what Mr. Crangle said about finding perfection:
“I have never seen the perfect bird dog and I know of no one who has.”
This book was published by Androscoggin Publishing, Inc. They’re part of Field Trail magazine, a must read if you’re interested in the sport of field trialing.
Here’s an update on last week’s good gun alert. It looks like one of the Foxes and the Parker double barrel shotguns went cheap. The other Fox and the Browning 28 gauge were good deals with prices below full retail.
Fox A-grades, both 12 gauges — Mon, 1/18, Chambersburg, PA
These side by side shotguns were at Gateway Gallery Auction.
They brought $375 & $950, before the buyer’s premium.
A.H. Fox A-grade 12 gauge - $950
VH Parker, 12g — Sat, 1/16, South Paris, ME
This clean double is coming up at Paul Arsenault Auctioneer’s.
Went for $475 before premium.
Browning Superposed, Field grade, 28g — Sat, 1/16, East Moriches, NY
This over and under is at South Bay Auctions on Long Island.
Brought $4700 plus the premium.
Browning Superposed 28 gauge over under - $4700
A few decent double barrel shotguns are coming to auction in the next few days: 2 A.H. Fox A grades, a 12g Parker VH, and a 28 gauge Browning Superposed. More info below. SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS
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Two A.H. Fox A-grades, both 12g — Mon, 1/18, Chambersburg, PA
These side by side shotguns are at Gateway Gallery Auction. This auctioneer is at 643 Kriner Road, Chambersburg, PA.
The Foxes guns are both 12 gauges with real nice round-knob grips. The barrels on both of them look long. I don’t know if either gun has ejectors. One shotgun is an early A grade with a serial number under 200.
From what I can see, the A grade with the later engraving may be refinished. But it’s hard to tell from the pics.
Most of the finish on the real early A grade looks original. The barrels may have been redone. Be sure you check for yourself. SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS.
VH Parker, 12g — Sat, 1/16, South Paris, ME
This clean double is coming up at Paul Arsenault Auctioneer’s. The auction is at the Four Seasons Function Hall, 187 Main Street, South Paris, ME.
This Parker is a 12 gauge on a number 2 frame. It’s a non ejector with a standard pistol grip and a splinter forend. It’s hard to tell much about the gun from the pics. The buttstock looks clean, though, and I would say the finish looks original. SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS.
Browning Superposed, Field grade, 28g — Sat, 1/16, East Moriches, NY
This over and under is at South Bay Auctions on Long Island. They’re at 485 Montauk Hwy, East Moriches, NY.
The gun is a round-knob, long tang Browning Superposed, 28g. From what I can see, it looks clean and original. SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS.
2010 East Cost Fine Arms Show, Greenwich, CT.
I drove down Greenwich, CT, on Saturday for the 2010 East Coast Fine Arms Show. I walked in about 9:30am, full of caffeine and high expectations.
Ever since Vintagers pulled out of Millbrook, NY, this show has been THE place to see fine guns. In the past, dealers from all over have showed up with fine guns: Purdeys, Holland & Hollands, antique hammerguns, vintage Francottes, pristine Griffin & Howe bolt rifles and top quality antiques.
Unfortunately, this year was different.
While there were some nice guns at the show, the number of dealers and high-quality pieces was way down. Attendance seemed down, too. The only thing up was the prices. That being said, Greenwich still had far more fine shotguns and rifles than anything else going on in New England.
The dealers there included Robin Hollow Outfitters, Roger Bain, Jack Jansma’s Wingshooting Adventures, Wildwood Guns and Connecticut Shotgun. These guys had a a mix of old and new guns with them. Robin Hollow had this .410 Parker AHE on their table. While it’s a decent looking gun, a lot of the Parker guys think it’s an upgrade. For bolt rifles, Roger Bain had this 7×57 Hoffman with him. An impressive gun, for sure.
While I saw a few English and European side by sides (nothing special), I did see some fine American guns. There were a handful of Parkers in decent shape: a couple 16g VHEs (one with 32″ barrels), a decent 20g VHE, a 12g VHE Trap gun. There were also some nice AH Foxes, including gun #35. Number thirty five is an early production, high-grade double that was made for an executive at the Fox factory. A lot has been written about this gun – especially in The Double Gun Journal. In the past few years, I think this gun has been up for auction at least once. I’m not a Fox nut, but it’s a nice looking side by side. I think the price on it was $65,000.
I also saw some nice guns walk in, including a 20g Robertson percussion shotgun ($2500) and a 12g Charles Daly Diamond Grade like this one, but with a straight grip. The same guy also had a 20g Bernardelli Gamecock like this one, and a 20g Ithaca Flues with damascus barrels and a ton of original condition. Another guy was trolling around an AH Fox A grade 16/20 gauge combo. The gun had a refinished wood and a straight grip. He wanted $3500.
The Parker and Fox collectors had excellent displays full of beautiful guns. A couple private collectors had some gorgeous, hard-to-find American doubles on their table, including a nice L.C. Smith A2, a Nichols & Lefever hammergun, a high-grade Remington hammer gun and nearly new 12g & 20g Lefever HEs.
Connecticut Shotguns new A10 over-under sidelock shotgun
The most impressive gun of the show was Connecticut Shotgun’s new A-10 American. They had a color-case hardened 20g there that was real nice gun. With rose & scroll engraving, a solid rid, and a straight stock, this gun was a real elegant gun. While most O/Us leave me cold, this one fired me up. This O/U is available through their A-10 American Custom Shop.
Every year, I’m becoming more interested in field trials. I’ve been to a few cover dog trials in Maine and Rhode Island and I plan to attend a few more in the coming months.
Thinking about these trials has lead me to ask myself a few questions, specifically, what are trials good for and what is their point? For answers, I picked a few books, including the one excerpted below.
Below is a little of what William F. Brown had to say about trials. Mr. Brown was the editor of The American Field for a number of years and he was a big name in the world of field trials. The excerpt is from his book Field Trials: History, Management and Judging Standards, revised edition, 1982, A.S. Barnes & Co., Inc.
“The object of field trials is the promotion and development of the high-class bird dog. It is a means of enjoying the great out-of-door sport of bird hunting in the aesthetic fashion. It aims to provide competition of the highest kind among bird dogs, to stimulate enthusiasm among owners, and to act as a practical guide for breeders by setting a high standard of performance.
Field trials mold opinions of conformation and perfect mechanism of the ideal bird dog. There is a particular physical makeup of the well-bred bird dog that is indispensable to the performance of those duties wherefore he is highly valued. Without this equipment he is not so well fitted to perform those duties in a finished fashion. Bird dog trials thus influence physical standards. Although field qualities are all important in the utility bird dog, it is desirable to have beauty of conformation with brain power, intelligence, and bird sense.
With changing conditions have come new concepts…Present day standards glorify the intelligent, stylish bird dog, the “classy” performer. Bird finding is still the exalted desideratum, but the manner and quality of the performance eclipse the simple finding of game.
The field trial conception of the ideal bird dog is well defined, rational, sound. To measure up…a bird dog must possess speed, range and style. He must manifest method and an intelligent pattern in his negotiation of the terrain. He must exhibit character, animation, independence, and initiative. His work must be incisive and merry. He must show intensity and steadiness on game. He must handle. The ideal bird dog, in short, is the polished product, a high-class, thoroughly broken performer that excites constant admiration by the excellence of his work.”
That’s a pretty succinct explanation. For more of William F. Brown’s thoughts on field trials and gun dogs, go here.
On January 1, the E.M Reilly 4 bore side-by-side hammer shotgun I posted the other day hammered down for $4,700. With the premium, that comes to $5,170.
E.M. Reilly Shotgun
I talked to the purchaser. He didn’t inspect the gun before he bid, so he’s a very brave guy. He said he has been looking for a double-barrel 4 bore shotgun for a long time. I guess they’re quite are. The buyer plans to clean the gun up as best he can. He’ll report back when he’s through.
There’s an interesting thread about the gun here. One of the posters pointed out that this Reilly was converted from a breechloading pinfire to a breechloading centerfire. Check out that thread for the details.
You can see some excellent pics of how pinfires work here.
The gun: an E.M. Reilly 4 bore side-by-side, double barrel hammer shotgun. 36″ damascus bbls, Jones-under lever action. Probably circa 1870. Being sold with NO RESERVE.
E.M. Reilly & Co. London
Who has it: Brzostek’s Auction Service, 2052 Lamson Road, Phoenix, NY 13135 (a little northwest of Syracuse)
When’s the auction: Friday, January 1. 2010
The good news: A top-quality, London-made big-bore double, probably owned by a serious waterfowler. It looks pretty original and unmessed with. It’s in its original case. The auctioneer says it came out of a mid-Atlantic estate. Nice engraving.
The bad news: There’s a lot of rust on the outside of the barrels and on the forend iron. There doesn’t appear to be too much rust inside the bbls. The external rust may be superficial and it may clean up pretty easily. Or the bbls may be scrap. I don’t know.
Modern Italian sidelocks side-by-side shotguns are common guns. Nice doubles from makers like Rizzini, Piotti, Bosis, Bertuzzi, Beretta and SIACE are easy to find
Manufattura Gardonese Sidelock 12ga, 2 3/4
Older Italian sidelocks are another game, though. While I’ve seen some nice SxSs from the ’50s–mainly Franchi’s and Berettas– I’ve seen very few pre-WW2 Italian sidelocks. I don’t know why.
That’s why this double barrel shotgun caught my eye. Hallowell & Co has it in their inventory right now. It’s a 12 gauge by Manufattura Gardonese. I think that name means it was manufactured in Gardone Val Trompia, a town in the northern Italian province of Brescia.
Like the rest of Europe, Italy had a fair number of arms manufacturers in the 1920s and 1930s. Some of them must have turned out shotguns. If they did, I don’t know where their guns went. For whatever reason, you just don’t see them on the American market.
Manufattura Gardonese Sidelock Double Barrel side-buy-side 12ga shotgun
This gun looks like a solid, medium-grade gun. It looks like it has a push-in hinge pin, very common on Italian, Spanish, and other Euro guns. It looks like a non-ejector built on a Holland-style action. The reinforced action looks Belgian to me. I wonder if it was sourced from the Liege area? The engraving is nice. It reminds me of the work you see on 1950s-era Beretta SO-3s.
Manufattura Gardonese Sidelock 12ga, 2 3/4
Brescia is home to a number of modern Italian gunmakers, including Beretta, Piotti, Abbiatico & Salvinelli and Perugini & Visini. I wonder if the people who made this gun. Who knows? Perhaps the hands that made this old sidelock belonged to one the current Italian gunmakers grandfathers.
Pics by Hallowell & Co.