Ventilated Rib

[Dean Romig]

Which American gun maker was the documented first to make a sxs shotgun with a ventilated rib?

I know this has been discussed before but I don’t remember if there was any conclusive evidence…





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[Brian Dudley]

Was it baker? Didnt they make the first single barrel trap in the US?

[Dave Noreen]

Don't believe I've ever seen a Baker side-by-side with a vent rib nor a Baker catalog listing for such.

Ithaca began offering a vent rib on doubles of No. 3 or higher grade with the introduction of the NID in 1926. I have seen both Flues & NID doubles factory retrofitted with vent ribs which have a ramp similar to Parker Bros. vent ribs.

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Parker Bros. is offering the vent rib on doubles in the 1927 pocket catalog, but the next earlier Parker Bros. catalog I have is 1923 which doesn't offer a vent rib for the doubles.

Fox first lists a vent rib for doubles in the 1931 Catalog and price lists.

[Bob Brown]

The earliest U.S. patent I could see was Clarence A. Godshalk, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fliled in November of 1914, and granted in February of 1915.
The patent referred to the rib allowing for the heat expansion of the anchor points. I feel like I should know where Godshalk worked, it rings a bell.
Sorry, it was Fox of course. According to Bing, he and Edward Godshalk bought Fox out of receivership in 1912. Thats a long time before it's mentioned in the 1931 catalog.

[Randy G Roberts]

There has been a documented Parker BH of 1918 vintage with a VR discussed here previously.

[Ken Descovich]

So far for the first L.C. Smith sxs with factory Vent Rib is March 6th 1925 on a eagle grade, I say first meaning that one individual has reported this on the L.C. Smith website there could be a earlier gun not reported yet.
Ken

[GunnerGrilli]

Don't Forget this Beauty!!!!

Or Dean, did you mean a "raised sighting plane"?

[Randy G Roberts]

So far for the first L.C. Smith sxs with factory Vent Rib is March 6th 1925 on a eagle grade, I say first meaning that one individual has reported this on the L.C. Smith website there could be a earlier gun not reported yet.
Ken

Interesting. I have a Dec. 1925 LC Specialty 20 gauge that letters as a VR gun.

[Brian Dudley]

Are we talking first vent rib on a double gun, or vent rib on a shotgun in general? I thought we were talking in general when the OP first posted. I may have missed the SxS part of the question, or maybe it was edited. That is why I mentioned Baker and their single barrel trap. 1909 was the first SBT from them with 1915 being the start of them with “floating rib”.

[Dave Noreen]

The earliest U.S. patent I could see was Clarence A. Godshalk, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, filed in November of 1914, and granted in February of 1915.
The patent referred to the rib allowing for the heat expansion of the anchor points. I feel like I should know where Godshalk worked, it rings a bell.
Sorry, it was Fox of course. According to Bing, he and Edward Godshalk bought Fox out of receivership in 1912. Thats a long time before it's mentioned in the 1931 catalog.

The Godshalk patent was used on the Fox SBT which got delayed by war production for Europe's unpleastness, and wasn't introduced until late 1919. The earliest ad I've found is in the September 1919 issue of Field & Stream --

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and the J-, K & L-Grades are listed on the November 30, 1919, retail price list.

Remington Arms Co. added the extra cost option of a raised solid rib on their autoloading shotgun in their 1907 catalog and began offering a ventilated rib in their 1910 catalog.

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[Dean Romig]

More information in the form of a letter from PB


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[Dan Steingraber]

So far for the first L.C. Smith sxs with factory Vent Rib is March 6th 1925 on a eagle grade, I say first meaning that one individual has reported this on the L.C. Smith website there could be a earlier gun not reported yet.
Ken

Coincidentally, I was reading the LC Smith Summer 2022 Journal this afternoon and it talks about the Trap and Skeet guns. It says that the LC Smith SBT (aka One Barrel Trap Gun) was introduced in 1917 with a “Compensating Ventilated Top Rib”.