My Father bought a 12-gauge 30-inch full choke The Sportsman from Seattle Hardware in 1938 for $35 with his employee discount, about a week's wages. He always talked about the Parker that was in their window display that he could have gotten for $100!!
For 21 years it was his waterfowl gun. By 1960 he succumbed to Jack O'Connor's short barrel writings and had it whacked to 26-inch with a Poly-Choke. Within a couple of years it was gone and he had a 12-gauge, 2-frame, 30-inch barrel VH as his waterfowl gun which now resides in my gunroom.
In 2003 when I was cleaning out his house in Seattle, where I grew up, I found the leather take-down case he had made for his Sportsman. Only seemed right to buy one to go in it and soon found one at the Washington Arms Collectors show at the Puyallup fairgrounds. That led to a 20-gauge in a pawn shop and a 16-gauge in another pawn shop.
Six Hundred Dollor Collection 01.jpg
Threaded Mode