[John Farrell, Charter Member #33]

Building a 12 1/2 lb gun with steel tubes probably stretched Parker Bros. ability to produce it since the suppliers could not or would not do a one off order for steel that thick within the 32" length. The twist steel ribbons were probably still lying about as excess inventory. So they were utilized to fill the order and the #6 frame was built to handle the excess weight hanging on the hinge pin and the lockup system. Talk about going the extra mile to fill an order. I would in interested in knowing the difference, if any, between the NH on a #3 frame and the #6 bolt-to-slot locking system, hinge pin size and doll's head dimensions.

This oversize example provides evidence that in the olden days manufacturers valued their customers above and beyond today's standard. The gun was ordered for a buyer that lived, in 1903, in a still existing hamlet 28 miles SW of Columbus, GA. The largest body of navigable water is the Chattahoochee River between Columbus and Phenix City Al. A fur piece to go for river ducks. Maybe its intention is to be used for upland birds such as quail or turkeys.

This could add another redneck joke to the repertoire of Jeff Foxworthy. "You might be a redneck if your quail gun weighs more than 12 pounds and you never come home with birds suitable for eating."