REMEBERING KERRS

[John Allen]

When Kerrs went out of business,my friend and mentor,Don Criswell bought 5 Winchester model 21 20gauge barreled actions from them. Kerr would order the guns without stocks or forends and custom stock them for his customers. It must have been quite a shop.

[chuck brunner]

Hey Reggie
We did not get to Ames this year. I had a dog running with Mike Tracy at Union Springs AL at the Shooting Dog Nat. and they cross over..... The Rona B.S. shut down most of it.... Hope you are well!!!! Girls win!!!!!
Year of the female at Ames with Coldwater Thunder

[chuck brunner]

BTW
John Allen, My friend, is spot on! Rich's gun was originally fitted with a very different stock pattern from a "G" Parker.... Kerrs was the place to buy guns.. pre-communist California. John also lives within a close spin over to Ames and hunts the hallowed grounds of Mr. Nash..

[Bill Murphy]

Chuck, you are the man. Your experience with your pointers is what I want to have in my next life. The guns are great, but the dogs are what it's all about. By the way, I believe Kenny Barnes shot the first four by four in NSSA skeet. He is the only person to have shot a 4X4 with pump guns, three Model 12s and a Model 42. A great bird hunter also. By the way, I have moved four miles to the east and can't see your spread from my upper deck any more. I hope to see you at the Southern.

[todd allen]

Originally Posted by John Allen

When Kerrs went out of business,my friend and mentor,Don Criswell bought 5 Winchester model 21 20gauge barreled actions from them. Kerr would order the guns without stocks or forends and custom stock them for his customers. It must have been quite a shop.

I used to shoot with Don occasionally. Bought a nice BHE from him. I haven't heard anything about Don for some time. Any updates?

[chuck brunner]

Looking forward to seeing you guys Murph... Southern? We have had 3 litters this year... 7 pups with professional handlers in both circuits. We are blessed to have great friends in gun and dog world. Tell Linda hey!

[chuck brunner]

a lifetime of love

[chuck brunner]

The tri-fecta pic is 3 dogs 2 litters American field and 1st, 2nd and 3rd.... Miss Traci raises them right.

[Alan Phillips]

Originally Posted by todd allen

I used to shoot with Don occasionally. Bought a nice BHE from him. I haven't heard anything about Don for some time. Any updates?

When Don Criswell was active as a dealer in high grade shotguns (mostly 21's) he also shot skeet competitively and was very good at it. He used a 32" mod. 21 before long barrels gained favor. I shot on his squad for years. I think it was on Thursdays that Jerry Knight would put out all the new arrivals at Kerr's when he worked there. Don and I would always be at the store as early as possible with all the other dealers and collectors to view the new merchandise. Jerry would let some of the dealers, John Kilgore, Mike Weatherby, Bill Moore, Criswell to name a few take the guns home with no more than a handshake and try to sell them on commission. I remember one, a Purdy 20 ga. new in makers case that Kilgore had from Jerry that was offered to me for $5000.00 and I passed. Still lay awake at times just thinking how dumb I was. We won't see the likes of Kerr's and the people who frequented the store ever again. All the people mentioned here have passed away. Don Criswell died last winter 2020. His wife Donna passed about a month before Don. Jerry Knight moved to Minden, Nevada in the early nineties and continued to shoot skeet (mostly .410) and do a little varmint hunting until his passing about 16 years ago. An interesting note, the records from Kerr's may be out there somewhere. They were in bound books and I looked through them when Mike Weatherby had them. It seemed like every movie star from the era was a customer.

[chuck brunner]

Alan
Thanks for adding to the thread. I called Don about 10 years ago on a 21 that we purchased and originally was built for Kip Farrington. The 2 barrel set was cased and engraved. He spent over an hour on the phone talking about 21's and the good old days. You are completely correct. We will never see times like those again. Really a shame. The big box stores have taken the customer care and appreciation out of the retail world and technology has made it sterile. I used to really enjoy opening up Shotgun news or the Gunlist and browse the ads looking for a deal. I still have some old A&F catalogs from the fifties that belonged to my Grandfather and chuckle at the earmarked pages with an asterisks next to a Parker or Smith..... "fruit don't fall far"

A couple Years ago I tried to reach Kerr's daughter to research an A1 special Trap gun that came thru him. Jim Tyne provided her number. I called and was told the books no longer existed. Pretty short conversation. I often wondered if they were kept under lock to protect their customers identity..... May surface some day.