That's a great letter. Couldn't ask for much more info than that. Definitely unusual.

The Monte Carlo stock is very rare in that era and still quite scarce later on. The fact that your gun belonged to a very prolific professional shooter of the time makes it interesting to those who collect early competition guns. Mr. Stair was apparently a trade representative, but I don't know for whom. Harry E. Stair, of the same town, was a representative for Peters Cartridge Company. I would assume that J.H. Stair may have represented Peters also. He shot Peters cartridges at one shoot in which he placed high. He was near the top in many shoots he attended, including one where he was second place for a Smith shotgun and one in which he was second place for a Parker shotgun. All these references are from la84.com, Shooting Life magazine.

I wonder if J.R. Allen was the first owner of the gun? My grandpa grew up on a farm in Foreston, MN and eventually moved to Brooklyn Park, MN. His mother and father being Wilma & Roy Atkinson. (Roy L. Atkinson and Wilma Britton married 1919). I am curious as to how they acquired this gun...

The Monte Carlo stock is very rare in that era and still quite scarce later on. The fact that your gun belonged to a very prolific professional shooter of the time makes it interesting to those who collect early competition guns. Mr. Stair was apparently a trade representative, but I don't know for whom. Harry E. Stair, of the same town, was a representative for Peters Cartridge Company. I would assume that J.H. Stair may have represented Peters also. He shot Peters cartridges at one shoot in which he placed high. He was near the top in many shoots he attended, including one where he was second place for a Smith shotgun and one in which he was second place for a Parker shotgun. All these references are from la84.com, Shooting Life magazine.

I was thinking while I was looking at the records that he hit a "Home Run."

It's nice to do that kind of letter, sometimes you strike out, sometimes you hit the jackpot.

Contrats, Dane!

How do you find all of this info? Do you think it is true that this belonged to a professional shooter named J.H. Stair? Or a the initials a coincidence?

Some J.H.S. shooting results I found.

...

No, it is not a coincidence. He owned your gun. The Allen guy was probably a local dealer who received the gun from the person who ordered the gun. Such a gun would only have been ordered by a shooter of the significance of Stair. It was definitely his gun. As I said, my research material came from la84.com search function and American Trapshooting Association average books from the era. I am glad to furnish you this information if you keep me in mind when you want to sell your gun. Congratulations on a great gun.

Thank you for your help. I do not intend on selling it. Do people insure guns? Do you have a rough idea of what it would be worth?