Museum Inquiry

[Alfred Houde]

Good morning:

Here at the National Museum of the Marine Corps we hold two shotguns owned and used by J.P. Sousa. Both are L.C. Smith guns. One of these is an A2 Special, which also includes a trunk case and a spare butt-stock numbered to the gun.

Found in the collection, is a butt-stock with no tag or record. This is for a Parker SC Trap gun and is stamped in the tang area of the wood 196132 with a 4 below.

According to the Parker Serial Number and ID book, it should be for an SC Trap; 12 gauge; with ejector; a pistol grip; and 32" barrel.

My best guess is this was most likely also a spare stock, or perhaps the gun was re-stocked at some point and came into the collection when these items were donated to the museum by Sousa's grandson.

Any way of finding out if this gun was in fact Sousa's, and where it ended up?

Thanks in advance,

[OH Osthaus]

there are surviving records for that serial number

research may (or may not) say who ordered the gun and if it was returned for restocking

[Bill Murphy]

In my research of Sousa and his guns, I don't know of any Parker singles. However, JPS Jr. had an array of guns also.

[Spin Drift]

That museum should be on every abled bodied patriots bucket list to visit. Pretty daughter came out of it and wanted to join up, she was 9.