I was stationed at Lejeune in 1964- bought a new Browning A-5 light 12 (8 lbs.) 28" Mod. vent rib barrel at the base PX with a case for $125.00 --We had a fairly active base skeet and trap range, plus dove and duck hunting in season. I kept it in the Armory and checked it out with the Duty Officer when I was going hunting- usually off base on weekends..
One of the civilian base employees bought one of those "Quails Fargo" 20 bores- most of the clay birds and shells came from Front Royal, VA- big supplier up there back then- Believe they were a Stevens-Fox action with the Simmons patented ventilated rib. Nice little bird gun indeed. I had that old "Hump-Backed" Browning for years, finally a duck hunting pal kept offering me $ for it and I sold it to him- he's still shooting it yet today, but with the steel shot regs. he sent the barrel to Brileys and had choke tubes installed.
If memory serves, I believe the late Gene Hill wrote about a sweet little Greener 16 bore he owned, with 24" barrels. I have no idea what a fair market value a VG condition Quails Fargo 20 bore would fetch today, doubt if many were made or sold, sort of like the Winchester M59 with the fiberglas barrel-a bit of a departure from the "usual" I guess!!
$175.00 in 1964- Yup--sure was!!
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