Widgeon Duck Club guns

[MARK KIRCHER]

I recently purchased one of the eight listed Widgeon Duck club guns from the 1913 era listed in the Parker story.
The J.A. Hannah gun - The 8th of the 8 listed.
It has arrived ready to shoot just in time for our season and I will soon be reaching out on decoying ducks with those 32 inch 20 bore barrels. :rolleyes: One good fair weather hunt a year and back in the rack I expect.

I am hoping to learn more about the whereabouts of the other 7 guns. I see the Cross gun traded at Julias a few years back but I have not seen any information on the others.

Thanks in advance for any info that can be shared.

[Mills Morrison]

Good job! That is a choice snag there. Post some pictures if you don't mind. Our duck season starts in a few weeks and I can't wait

[Ed Blake]

How about some pictures? Congratulations on a great gun.

[Rick Losey]

Mark,

sounds like another great find- and with the forecast - you may have several bluebird days to take it out in the next week.

there are pictures of the Cross gun in this thread

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11682&highlight=Widgeon

and a search on the Widgeon club shows several thread discussing them but limited info on the where abouts

[Steve Cambria]

Nice pick-up, Kirch!! A storied gun beginning a whole new chapter on the marsh.
Hard to believe one actually escaped the clutches of "C- Note!"
Another "long iron" for the "Vandy" Pro Shop! :bowdown:
Can't wait to see some après hunt pics. Congrats.

PS--Put me down for a test-drive at the Bo-Whoop station next June. :bigbye:

[Eric Eis]

Congrats Mark what a snag, but you do seem to find them :cool: Like others have said pictures........ Eric

[George M. Purtill]

Congratulations.
I hope you got some provenance with it.

[MARK KIRCHER]

Thanks for the kind words guys! I am excited to have it. I will get some photos over the weekend and post early next week.

The gun is in great condition for an well used waterfowler - Can wait to lay down some ducks at Vanderbilt and make it a cost to coast gun!:)

[MARK KIRCHER]

George -

Yes I did - Hang tags & original photo of Mr. Hannah published in the "Baer" book, and an intertesting letter to Mr. Baer about the gun for his book -:)

[George M. Purtill]

Mark that is awesome.

[Chuck Bishop]

I went through the research letter archives, reviewed the order books for these guns, and looked at TPS. Here is what I've found.

1. We have research letters for 4 of the guns so we know how many are known. They are 159076, 159077, 159093, and 163962.

2. TPS has a mistake in the table. 159092 has the name of L.J Foris, the correct name is L.J. Foin.

3. A research letter was written in 2011 and the name of the guy ordering the gun was misspelled. It was written as H.T. Willis when it should be H.T. Miller. I'll contact the research letter requester and see if he want's a corrected copy.

Sorry, I can't give you the names of those individuals that ordered the research letters.

[James Palmer]

Not a Widgeon but close and pretty cool configuration...

159089 is a 16 ga VH with 32 inch barrels, Straight Stock, No Safety and a 1 1/2 Frame.

[MARK KIRCHER]

Thanks Chuck, that is great information and much appreciated.

[Craig Larter]

There's not a better Parker enthusiast who could care for this special Parker than Mark. He is a good friend and he will be sure to use this gun as it was intended. I am so happy he is the caretaker. Great purchase my friend!!!!!

[charlie cleveland]

what a great story this makes...charlie

[Phillip Carr]

I have always wondered since acquiring this gun if the owner was some how influenced by the Widgeon gun shooters or stories.
http://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/50365_1024x765.jpg (http://www.jpgbox.com/page/50365_1024x765/)

[Mills Morrison]

A year or so back, there was discussion about some other California clubs with similar orders. Hanford club, I believe

[edgarspencer]

Back in the late 70s, Possibly early 80s, my dad bought a VHE 20ga which was chambered for the 3 " shell, and had 32" barrels. He bought the gun from Gary Herman, at Safari Outftters, when they were still in Ridgefield, CT. The gun came with a LOM, and numerous pieces of documentation, indicating it belonged to a member of the Widgeon Club. I don't know what he did with the gun, but it was not in his collection when he died, in 1985.

[Bobby Cash]

A year or so back, there was discussion about some other California clubs with similar orders. Hanford club, I believe

Please allow me to drag up an old post.

Here's a Tulare Duck Club (Hanford) Gun
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk136/2low8s/Parker%20DHE%2032/photo61jpg_zpsd926941e.jpg

Kasper Eisenlauer was a young man in Germany in the late 1800's. Like many eastern Europeans, he knew his future lay in America.
Of all the classes he could have chosen to travel aboard that ship, "stowaway" was not his first choice, it was his only choice.
Upon discovery, Kasper was made to work in the galley for the duration of his cruise. It was there that he learned to cut meat. They called it "swinging beef".

Not much is known of his first years in America but in 1897 Kasper finds himself ascending the Chilkoot Pass.
He'll make a small fortune in the Klondike. When he returns to the lower 45, he settles in central California.

He begins buying tracts of land, rectangular in shape. His cattle's journey begins on the southern boarders of his property and he grazes them north, where at the top, he's built a meat packing plant. Along with two partners, the wholesale butcher company of Cadwell, Kelly & Eisenlauer was formed. Kasper sells his beef from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. Together with his brother Lawerence, the family accumulates cattle under one of their registered brands, the "Christmas Tree".
The meat packing business was a success. Like Grandma said,"they gotta eat".

Kasper likes to hunt ducks in his spare time. A founding member of the Hanford Duck Club (same longitude and latitude as the Wigeon Duck Club), he and his buddies are fortunate to be shooting in the middle of the largest duck flyaway in North America.
Bagging birds was easy. 12 gauge was no longer a challenge.

In April 1911, Hugh Poston, a Remington executive, orders 10 Parker DHE's for the Hanford members. 20 gauge, 32" barrels, no safeties. 2 5/8" chambers, 4 lb trigger pulls, "Must be good shooters". These guns pre-date the Wigeon guns by 1 year.
Kasper receives Parker 156168, the only 1 of the 10 with surviving information.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk136/2low8s/Parker%20DHE%2032/photo48a_zpsd3df6c84.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk136/2low8s/Parker%20DHE%2032/photo41aa_zps0091c479.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk136/2low8s/Parker%20DHE%2032/photo53_zps1a610d5d.jpg


Acre for acre, the Central Valley of California supports more wintering waterfowl than anywhere else in North America.
At peak times, this region hosts 5 to 7 million wintering waterfowl—more than 60 percent of the Pacific Flyway’s ducks and geese.
As you would expect, the high ratio of birds to habitat results in some superb waterfowl hunting.
After a few years, the Hanford clubs members contemplated long barreled Parker .410's.

[John Dallas]

One of our members recently showed me a VHE 20 with straight grip and 32" barrels. Don't remember if it had a safety or not, but it is choked .041 in both barrels! Tight for a 20, I'd say.

[greg conomos]

At 7lbs., are these guns #2 frames or?

[charlie cleveland]

this story just keeps getting better...i once came across a v grade parker 20 ga 3 inch chambers so marked and 32 inch barrels..often wondered if this gun belong to a duck club...yep it was one of those guns i should have bought.....charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Phil Carr's letter is interesting. Boston area dealers Iver Johnson and Orren R. Dickey ordered more than a couple 3" chambered 32" 20 gauges. My old 153,333 was ordered at eight pounds to shoot 1 ounce loads. My present #2 frame 32" 20 also is chambered for 3" shells. Both of those guns came from Orren R. Dickey.

[Dave Noreen]

In the letter for 177597, "Iver" is misspelled. Ivar is a well known Seattle seafood restaurant.

[Jay Gardner]

This is the 20 ga VHE "Big D" referenced earlier. It has a fair amount in common with the infamous "Widgeon Club Guns." It's a #1 frame, 20 ga VHE, with 32" barrels choked F(.38) and F (.41), chambers are 2-7/8", straight stock and is DOES have a safety.

Mr. Conrad sent a note along with the letter indicating it was the first time he had seen the same gun sold twice. As you can see from the letter it was originally sold in April 1917 chambered for 2-1/2" and 2-3/4" shells to Cline and Cline in LA and again in October of 1917 with 2-7/8" chambers to a gentleman in San Francisco. Given the configuration and the location it was surely used for ducks along that flyway. Weight is 6-lb, 12-oz.
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n308/Doublegun_2006/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-10/D18CF1D8-0AEA-4BE4-8334-517F6D032A16_zpsyh6hz1fi.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n308/Doublegun_2006/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-10/D4877801-EB30-42B5-91BA-2D0D2ACD685D_zpsxvpx78ey.jpg

Note on the photo of the barrel flats "22" is stamped on the left flat. A repair code, perhaps when the chambers were lengthened?
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n308/Doublegun_2006/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-10/39702AFB-DF16-4866-8B13-3F108E7B1FA9_zpsvvzcgkeq.jpg

[George M. Purtill]

[QUOTE=Jay Gardner;180627] Given the configuration and the location it was surely used for ducks along that flyway. Weight is 6-lb, 12-oz.
QUOTE]

But they didn't have those nice TALL LL Bean hunting shoes out in California.

[charlie cleveland]

even this gun was ordered with 2/3/4 inch chambers and the 20 ga shells were only 2 1/2 inch at this time...in 1917 the guy that ordered this gun was maybe loading his own shells for primed empty hulls could be ordered in up to 3 inch in 1917 at that time...charlie

[Dave Noreen]

even this gun was ordered with 2/3/4 inch chambers and the 20 ga shells were only 2 1/2 inch at this time...in 1917 the guy that ordered this gun was maybe loading his own shells for primed empty hulls could be ordered in up to 3 inch in 1917 at that time...charlie

While the 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shell was the North American "standard" shell in that gauge, 2 3/4, 2 7/8 and 3-inch 20-gauge shells were available. In the 20-gauge, the maximum loads offered in the "standard" 2 1/2 inch case were 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 18 grains of dense smokeless powder such as Ballistite or infallible pushing 7/8 ounce of shot. In the 2 3/4 inch and longer 20-gauge cases one could get 2 1/2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 20 grains of Ballistite or Infallible pushing that same 7/8 ounce of shot a bit faster.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Rem-UMC/20gaArrow27801.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Rem-UMC/20-gauge3-inchRem-UMCArrow.jpg

These were the shells for the famous Hanford and Widgeon Duck Club Parker Bros. 3-inch 20-gauge guns and the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.'s No. 200 pump.

[Craig Larter]

Dave: How about these 3" 20ga shells. I would guess being from California they were used.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t2/clarter/1022_zpswqtiuszq.jpg

[charlie cleveland]

nice shells...these are hard to come by for sure....charlie

[Michael Moffa]

I have a three inch 20 also, it is a GHE, ball grip, 30" PST tubes, splinter on a 2 frame, SN 157187. The pic is the ass end of a "2" frame next to a "0" frame set of barrels. Sort of looks like a .600 Nitro Express. Maybe we can start a 2 frame 20 club.

[Alfred Greeson]

I still wonder about my little VHE 20 ga. with 3 inch chambers, 176850 but it has 26" barrels. Will a letter possibly confirm if it was ordered as a 3 inch chamber gun?

[Dean Romig]

There is factory information on 176850. It may or may not address the chamber length IF it was ordered that way.






.

[MARK KIRCHER]

Men - As promised a few photos. Clearly I am not a photographer. The one in the rack gives a nice glimpse of the tall 32's next to my "go to early season" DH 20 with 28" barrels on a 0 frame for duck hunting.

[Bill Murphy]

Michael, do you have a PGCA letter on 157,187?

[Dave Noreen]

Dave: How about these 3" 20ga shells. I would guess being from California they were used.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t2/clarter/1022_zpswqtiuszq.jpg

Great box of shells. I love that they give the actual wadding on the label, "Thin Grease Proof and 3 Black Edge" --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Rem-UMC/Grease-Proof%20Card%201905_zpse2ecgwrk.jpeg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Rem-UMC/Black%20Edge%20Wads%201905_zpsz2cgchw6.jpeg

Truly a custom load, UMC wads in a U.S. Cartridge Co. AJAX case with Schultze powder and Selby shot.

The Remington - UMC boxes of long 20-gauge shells I have or have seen just have a "Special Wadding" label --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Rem-UMC/20gaArrow27804.jpg

From some of the old west coast shoot reports in my archives, it seems the big ammo companies in the east shipped a lot of NPEs out west to be loaded by local companies of which Selby in California was certainly the largest. California Powder Works was another large one. Honeyman Hardware in Portland, Piper & Taft in Seattle, Hardy Hall in Seattle, Miller Bros. in Tacoma and Ware Bros. here in Spokane.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Winchester/1901No10WareBros_zps7c72ca7f.jpg

[Michael Moffa]

Bill, no I do not.

Spin

[CraigThompson]

Men - As promised a few photos. Clearly I am not a photographer. The one in the rack gives a nice glimpse of the tall 32's next to my "go to early season" DH 20 with 28" barrels on a 0 frame for duck hunting.

If I might ask what is the gun on the far right with the beavertail ?

[Michael Moffa]

Shots of the flats.

[Dave Noreen]

My big 2-frame early GH-Grade 32-inch 12-gauge weighs over nine pounds. It got a later set of 32-inch long 3-inch chambered Vulcan Steel barrels that swamp in very fast and give it a weight of 8 pounds 4.5 ounces. The barrel flat weight on the 20-gauge barrels is 4 -5 --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Parker/56213%2020-gauge%2032-inch%20barrel%20flats_zps44uldnfb.jpg

any idea what the 153 means?

The 12-gauge Damascus barrels have a weight stamp on the flats of 5 -8 --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Parker/5621307_zps4cd8930c.jpg

[charlie cleveland]

i think i have found my new love...the big 2 frame 20 s are something else...thanks fellows for the picture of these fine guns....charlie

[MARK KIRCHER]

Craig - Gun on far right is a 12 bore Winchester model 21- 30 inch DT with as nice a piece of wood as I have ever seen on a 21. Not a gun I would normally get excited about but this gun patterns wonderfully!. Crushes ducks at 40+ yards. - Recognize- I would rarely take a shot like that on a live target but when I have with this gun they fall dead. :shock:

[MARK KIRCHER]

Hunted the J. A. Hannah widgeon gun yesterday (I nicknamed her Daryl - long legs!) for first time since I took possession. I expect its the first time it has been in a marsh in many many decades. Had a big hunt! Took 5 widgeon (and shot a double) -My hunting partners dog Hannah (not kidding) Retrieved them all! Going back to same hole on Saturday and she is coming with me!

I have not had a widgeon only hunt in Vanderbilt since October of 2011. I should probobly put her on the rack while I am way ahead? But i won't..........:rotf:

[Mills Morrison]

I would say Mr. Hannah is smiling down right now.

[Steve Cambria]

Geeeeeeze-Louizzzze, Mark...a storied duck gun burning powder once again, a doubles pin headed your way, a widgeon-only bag and a retriever bearing the name of the original owner? Next you'll tell us that Rod Serling (who BTW, is buried in Interlaken) was your loader!! How juicy can it get? :whistle::bowdown:

[CraigThompson]

Get a couple boxes of the Federal Supreme 20 gauge 3" that are loaded with #2 buckshot and waylay a New York deer ���� Well atleast that's what I might do if it were in my possession . And more then likely I'd load the shells myself ��

[Rick Losey]

shotgun slugs only here

[CraigThompson]

shotgun slugs only here
What the Bunny Warden doesn't know won't hurt him :whistle:

But if that's the case I might turn to Brenneke slugs !

[Jay Gardner]

Just had a chance to read the article about the "Hanna" gun in the Doublegun Journal. A great read and a great story. It's wonderful to see a great old gun with so much history still getting the job done.

Are there any books or online resources detailing the history of California duck clubs?

Thanks,

JDG

[Rich Anderson]

I doubt all 32 inch barreled 20ga's are affiliated with a duck club. I became caretaker of just such a gun. It was ordered by a gentleman from San Francisco if I remember correctly. It's a straight grip BHE 20, 3 inch chambers and 32 inches of full choke barrels. One big difference between this and Marks gun is that mine is on an O frame while all the so called duck club guns I have seen reference to are 1 frame guns I haven't connected mine to a specific duck club....yet:)

[Kevin McCormack]

Oh so very well said, Rich! As in, "straight grip and no safety does not a pigeon gun make", as so many would so wishfully have! I fairly bent myself into a pretzel trying to vet my 20 ga. 1 frame 32" DHE into a CA duck club gun (153XXX SN range) but there simply was no "there, there." Sometimes, they're just GUNS someone ordered that way!