Parker Bros. Employee Burt Becker??
 

In reading “The Best of Nash Buckingham” edited and annotated by George Bird Evans, I have read several references of Burt Becker (of “Bo-Whoop” fame) having worked at or for Parker Bros. before going to Philadelphia to work for Ansley. But, in reading the Workers section of The Parker Story I find not one reference to Becker anywhere.

I would have suspect he would have done chamber, barrel boring, or choke work, but I find nothing.

Does anyone have information on Becker working for Parker Brothers??





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As bad as the information GBE published on Harold B. Money, De Shootinest Gent'man, in that book, I wouldn't trust anything he wrote.

:rotf: Thanks Dave!

Actually those references to Becker having worked for PB were quoted directly from NB’s own writings, not GBE’s annotations.





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Burt (Bert) is in an 1895 picture of the Remington Arms Co. Shotgun Department I have, and has stated that he made their guns for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St Louis in 1904. Becker first appears in the Philadelphia City Directory for 1909. Burt was born in 1871, so would have been pretty young to be working on those Parker Bros. guns for the Columbian Exposition?!?

Mike McIntosh writes on page 213 of his Fox book that Burt apprenticed at Lefever Arms Co. and then in 1889 went to Batavia (Baker Gun & Forging Co.?). Mike writes he went to Remington in 1900, but my 1895 picture says otherwise. Then again, the January 22, 1940, Utica Observer Dispatch that published the picture and said it was from 1895 could have been wrong?!?

From a doublegunshop forum post.....

"Here's the sketch Burt Becker gave to Nash Buckingham of Becker's career making guns: Buckingham asked Becker was “Where and under whom did you learn the gun trade?” Becker, who was born in 1871, replied that after going to school in New York’s Oswego County until he was 14 years old, he started to work in Syracuse, New York and “went to work for Dan Lefever and worked for him for 4 years & learnt my trade.” Becker went on to Batavia Gun works (1889), Remington (1900), where he made six “fine” doubles for exhibition at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Finally, he went to work for Fox “and made some good guns for him”. (As reported in the Lefever Arms Collectors Association March-April '08 Newsletter, quoting papers of Nash Buckingham in the collection of an LACA member)"





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It's no wonder such confusion and conflicting information survives regarding the life stories of these guys; sort of revisionist history with a "Muderlakian twist", if you will. Consider this excerpt from the book "Mr. Buck", The Autobiography of Nash Buckingham edited by Dr. Dyrk Halstead and Steve Smith, who did in fact edit Nash's box of documents accumulated by him with the intention of writing his autobiography, which never happened.

I quote verbatim from p. 145: "Nash sent a series of questions to Burt Becker some time in 1956. Nash planned an article based upon Becker's answers, but no such article appeared in Gun Digest where Nash indicated he wanted to publish it. Becker's handwritten responses are nearly illegible in places, and certain questions were unanswered. Further research by Fox Gun Company expert Michael McIntosh reveals that Becker was never listed as an employee of the Fox Gun Company, and was probably an independent, doing contract work, most likely custom barrel-boring, starting in 1915."

With this kind of piecemeal and conflicting documentation, its no wonder Becker's name doesn't appear as having been listed as a Parker employee. It would be most interesting to "discover" a list of outsourced "contractors" used by Parker and Fox; a kind of "work from home" arrangement from yesteryear.

I agree Kevin, that one would expect to be able to refer to a list of contract workers who would have been independent contractors who might have done work for various gunmakers.
It is no secret that a number of the very best engravers of the day did contract work (presumably at their homes) for various gunmakers and we’ve seen this in print. But still there is no list.





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As I recall an article by one of the gun writers of the day on a tour A.H. Fox Gun Co. stated that Billy Gough was engraving a Savage pistol the day he was there.

Although George Bird Evans wrote of Nash Buckingham, maybe some would say extensively, it is known that Evans met Nash once, if ever.

I wonder if GBE actually ever met Dr. Charles Norris more than once?





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Not to get us too far off the track, but I'm curious why you would speculate this? I know they corresponded, but it would seem odd that someone would gift a gun to a person he'd only met once...but...

My comment was tongue-in-cheek... :corn:





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We need a better emoji for that!:banghead::rotf:

Gift a gun? Let's hear more about that.

Bill..... the Purdey.





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I think if we review the relationships among the Three Amigos, Buckingham, Dr. Norris, and George Bird Evans, we find that the two who do not seem to have met more than once are Evans and Buckingham. Dr. Norris and George Bird Evans were long time friends if I remember correctly. By the way, Dean, I found the person who placed the Norris Purdey on consignment, but he has been no help in finding the gun for us. It is in the wind.

Was he able or willing to tell you the name of the retailer or auction house that brokered the sale?

Please remind me - was that the pheasant gun or was it the quail gun?





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Dean, it was what I would call his "woodcock gun", a light, nearly chokeless one barrel gun. The other gun was a two barrel set, the one I think he left to GBE. I don't know how the woodcock gun got into the hands of the person I talked to. He didn't seem to know where it came from. He put it on consignment at a store where I saw it and waited too long to make up my mind. I haven't seen it since.

The more this thread matures, the less sense it makes. Everyone is familiar with Norris' gifting of his Purdey (2-bbl. set??) to GBE. Where did "pheasant gun" and "quail gun" enter the vernacular inventory? Were they the Norris Purdey as gifted (pheasant) then the quail gun (as GBE opened the chokes via Ken Eyster)?? Not to mention the "woodcock gun" - " a light, nearly chokeless one barrel gun". Sounds like a cylinder-bored Browning A-5 16 ga. autoloader to me, but knowing the personae involved, I would seriously doubt it. What auction house? When? Where? Someone needs to use a pulley suture in this discussion and inter-relate what is being talked about. Few if any of the cross-comments make sense or give those of us who might know more a clue as to what is being sought here.

Dr. Norris gave GBE his choice of the good doctor’s two Purdeys, one lighter than the other. The only reason I assigned “pheasant” and “quail” to them was simply to differentiate between the two, not knowing with certainty what sort of gamebirds were his quarry but presuming only.





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Kevin, to clarify, the lightweight Norris Purdey is a "one barrel set" gun. The gun gifted to GBE is a two barrel set gun.

Is "gifted" the right word? I read that under the terms of Dr. Norris's will, that GBE was given the chose of which Purdy he would inherit.

To answer the initial question about Burt Becker, he did outwork for most of the big manufacturers of the day. He also did custom barrel work for professional trap and pigeon shooters. I have owned and seen Becker choked model 12 and 21 Winchesters, ithaca single barrel traps,and a few Parkers. Becker had a distinctive makers mark. A capital B and lower case b back to back. He put that mark supposedly on every gun he choked. That was his bread and butter trade along with building custom guns.

Hal Sheets, GBE was given the choice of Purdeys by Dr. Norris. He picked the heavier gun with two sets of barrels.

My memory might be wrong , but I thought he got to choose between "The Little Purdey" and a Churchill gun.

No, it was between the two Purdeys.





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I agree about GBE. I have read some of his writing and I think I would have to meet him in person to form a good opinion.

Maybe "bequeathed" would be a better word?





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Seems to me at his demise Norris possessed a pair of Purdey guns and a third gun (which I think was an H&H) of which GBE was to choose any of the three . I read this in one of GBE’s books which are no longer in my possession or I would quote it etc .

I haven't read all of GBE, but don't remember a Holland and Holland. He did own a Fox which he disgraced with a beavertail restock.

Does anyone have a picture of the mark Becker used on the guns he worked on that they can share?

To clear up the issue of the gun willed to GBE by Dr. Norris, refer to pages 210 and 278/279 of 'The Upland Shooting Life'. One Purdey Dr. Norris had built in 1929, for himself. The other Purdey and a Churchill box lock, had been "left to" Dr. Norris by his friend Lynford Biddle. It was this (Biddle) Purdey that GBE selected and refers to as the "little" Purdey. It had an extra set of more open 26" barrels. All 3 guns where 12 bore. GBE had his choice of the 3 and chose the "little" Purdey.

On the model 12 it was on the left side of the barrel near the receiver. Double guns were on the barrel flats. It is small and easy to overlook. He signed the guns he built completely like Nash's guns so I don't know if they had the stamp or not.

B. Becker Info
 

I figured I would post this here to help clarify some early histories. This is a letter that he wrote to Henry B about his 'history'. His personal notes and writings are a bit more comprehensive, but they are buried deep in a vault somewhere. I usually refrain from adding any comments on 'Fox' stuff as it just causes way too many issues. But, I am taking a break from "chasing ambulances to screw widows out of their dead husbands Fox Guns" (sic) and figured I would share a bit.

Burt didn't show up at the 1913 A. H. Fox Co. picnic list of attendees, and I have no payroll records of him prior to 1915???

Life is Good, Treat it with Respect!

Tom,

Many thanks for sharing some of your very neat stuff. Good to see.

Could be the “Line of the Year”. A knee slapper for sure!

That's It