Parker factory Kautzky Triggers

Jim Thynne · 03-01-2013, 09:13 PM

Probably not known, But the Parker Factory "did" send Parker Shotguns out on request to Kautzky Sporting goods in Fort Dodge Iowa for requested single triggers. Joseph Kautztky was the inventor and installer.
We are not sure if A.H. Fox "who bought the rights to the Kautzky trigger in 1914" ever fitted facory triggers for new Parker guns.
As we have found out in our research the larger gun companies shared far more than we thought. They were careful of patent infringments, but cooperated with each other.
So dont get in a twit if your trigger isn't one of the annointed.

Fishtail · 03-01-2013, 10:53 PM

Is there proof of that happening?

Bruce Day · 03-02-2013, 12:21 AM

Thanks Jim. My parents and grandparents were from Fort Dodge and I remember visiting Kautzky's Sporting Goods on the town square. Our families were related by marriage and attended Corpus Christi church a few blocks away. Joe, Joe Jr , Rudy and Marie worked in the store and were accomplished trapshooters.

Pheasants were plentiful and the store sold lots of Win Mod 12's and Browning Auto 5's. I own a Mod 1912 and a Parker 16ga PHE that came from the store. Joe Sr was also the inventor of the Lazy Ike fishing lure, I have a small collection of them from early days.

I had no idea that any Kautzky single triggers were installed in Parkers. I knew they worked on Parkers and were a dealer, but that is interesting new information. I've never seen one, but will look for one, as it would be a nice to have and personally meaningful.

I have a combat knife Joe made for my father when he went off to WWII.

Again, thanks.

Jim Thynne · 03-02-2013, 12:25 AM

Marie Kautzky wrote an artical in one of the gun digests;"I will send you the gun digest #," and in this article she remembers the guns coming in from Parker to Kautzky from "Parker Brothers" prior to the A.H. fox aquisition of the trigger rights.
She was Joseph Kautzki's daughter and secretary, and is in the trapshooters hall of fame.
She used a Parker gun to win the Grand American Handicap in 28-29-and 40. She raised a family in the 30s.
I found this article with her statement in her biography while researching her fathers Fox gun.
You may find this part of the article in the Des Moines Register Historical pages. More than likely it is on line.

Jim Thynne · 03-02-2013, 12:47 AM

Look up Marie Kautzky Grant and 3/4 the way down she states that Parker Brothers were a customer. More than likely from customers that requested the Kautzky single trigger.
I had the great pleasure of meeting her and her brother Rudy in the early 60s and saw the "K" the first X grade engraved gun ever made. It was an early A grade gun that was sent to Fox for a re-fit of the ejectors. He shot the first ever 200 straight with this gun and they sent it back with a new stock and forend as well as the X grade engraving.It had a huge gold inlay with the letter K on the trigger guardI also saw Josephs 16ga hammer gun built by hand, stocked and engraved by the old master himself. And yes he did invent the Lazy Ike, probably more walleyes caught with this lure than any other. A friend of mine ownes the "K" gun and sent it to me for inspection a few years ago. I asked if I could shoot it. It was a magical 32inch gun that pointed out the clays and I ran all 25. It was the gun, the shooter, however poised ,just held it. I hadn't seen the gun since the meeting with the Kautzky family in the 60s It had been sold to Fort Dodge collector Bob Glazer who has since passed away. I wish I could have bought her, as she is magnificent.

Jim Thynne · 03-02-2013, 01:00 AM

Bruce,
I lived about 40 miles from Fort Dodge Iowa"Sac City" and remember seeing as new Parkers, or I thought they were, there as well as some new or newer Fox and "still in production" L.C. Smith guns. Lots of model 12s. Makes you wonder about how long those "new" Parker guns were there
My Grandfather took me there to see the place where they made the Lazy Ike lures, but talked too long to Rudy and we never got to see it. If I remember they were made away from the store. "Long time ago folks." "Grandfather passed away in 1951." It must have been 1948 or49. He bought a Iver Johnson Pistol that day. In later life I got to shoot it.

PML · 03-02-2013, 02:11 AM

Does anyone have a PGCA letter with reference to a factory Kautzky trigger? I think that would be a great letter to share. You could also add it to the Parker pages as the first Kautzky trigger found.

Patrick

Kevin McCormack · 03-02-2013, 07:32 AM

Jim; I had a chance to inspect the K-gun while it was on display at the Northeast Fine Arms Collectors Show the first week in January 2013 at the AH Fox Collectors Association booth. You are right; it is a beautiful gun and a wonderfully handling gun as well.

As an aside, I think the Kautzkys may have entered their store a time or two in the Remington Arms storefront contests that were held up through the 1950s and early '60s (not sure of the exact dates). The idea was to decorate the storefront windows for a full week with Remington products (guns & ammo etc.) to celebrate the kickoff of hunting seasons in early October every year. The stores would arrange their displays, take photos of them, and send them in to Remington to be judged for competition.

Some of them were really amazing; entire display windows turned into hunting camps, duck blinds, etc. Gordon Fosburg of the Remington Society of America (RSA) put together a wonderful article published in the RSA Journal a year or so ago showing a selection of photographs from various years of the competition, and later gave a presentation on same that was really wonderful. Thousands of stores competed over the years, from 'Mom and Pop' cubbyhole-sized shops to the large inner-city giants like A&F. Unthinkable today, how neat it must have been to wander through them!

Pa SxS · 03-02-2013, 07:50 AM

A quick search for the name Kautzky in the archived research letter database didn't turn up any hits.

If anyone has S/N's of guns they think have a Kautzky single trigger, let me know and I'll see if we have an order for the gun. Also, if you could give me a date range of when a gun may have been sent to Kautzky, I can look at the index at the beginning of the order books. Would the correct name be: Kautzky's Sporting Goods, Ft. Dodge IA?

Autumn Daze · 03-02-2013, 08:07 AM

Jim, The owner of the Kautzky gun is a good friend of mine. I have fondled this great gun at length and yes as Kevin states it was at the Stamford Show this year. Thank You so very much on this important link to the history of these fine old guns. It's great to hear from you and I hope "retirement" is going well.