Joe Knapp's Guns

Dean Romig · 03-03-2016, 06:26 AM

What do we know about the Joe Knapp guns? Apparently they each have a cast gold medallion in the lower edge of the buttstock with his bust in relief. There was an article recently in DGJ about Joe Knapp but I don't recall if there were any Parkers referenced. I have since learned that there were some exceptional Parkers attributable to him.

Do any of us have one of the Joe Knapp Parkers? May we see pictures please?

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Bill Murphy · 03-03-2016, 10:28 AM

These guns were not owned by Joe Knapp. The gold medallions only referenced membership in the "Joe Knapp Club". Google Joe Knapp and you may find a website hosted by someone who is studying the Joe Knapp family. It is very interesting. I have seen "Joe Knapp Club" guns by Purdey, Winchester, and Fox. I think David Trevallion wrote about a Fox. Joe Knapp was a founder of Ducks Unlimited, was a very wealthy publisher who had hunting grounds in New York and the Outer Banks. He helped to support poor Outer Banks residents and is still memorialized in the area with at least one school. He is a most interesting shotgunner who shows up in searches on lafoundation.com research pages. His shotgunning days go way back. My "Joe Knapp Club" gun was owned by extremely wealthy Michigan oil person and outdoorsman L. Nicolas Ruwe. My ownership of this gun is the result of an estate sale that included some of Lester's hunting equipment. The sale, in Bethesda, MD, resulted in the discovery of the remnants of his gun collection, which were being stored in a house in NW Washington, DC. One of our members dug deep and bought all the guns which were shared with his friends. Mrs. Ruwe was social secretary to Gerald Ford during his presidency. Nicolas Ruwe was ambassador to Iceland, lived with his wife in an outrageous home in DC during their time here. The Ruwes owned a thousands of acres hunting preserve in Ontario named "St. Hubertus" after the patron saint of hunting and blood sports. I have some of his interesting guns and some more than interesting hunting accessories, a result of attending the yard sale in suburban DC. Who, pray tell, do you think I met at the "Yard Sale"? No other than our friend Kevin McCormack.

Bill Murphy · 03-03-2016, 10:29 AM

Dean, is the article you mention written by David Trevallion?

Dean Romig · 03-03-2016, 10:47 AM

No Bill, I don't believe so. I'll have to look back at my DGJ's over the last two or three years to see who the author of the article was.

This thread was sparked by my conversation last night (he called at 9 p.m. and we hung up at 10:15) with David. David has an awful lot of connections and things such as this just keep popping into our conversations.

I've said this before and I'll say it again - I wish there was a way we could record all the history that all the old-timers have told us and can still remember. I fear that one day it'll all be lost.

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Big D · 03-03-2016, 12:21 PM

I hunt in Ontario, and pass the Ruwe marsh each time I'm over there. It sold about 4-5 years ago for a LOT of money

Fishtail · 03-03-2016, 01:01 PM

So...do these guns actually have the medallion in the stock? Did Parker make any, or just other makers?

Bill Murphy · 03-03-2016, 01:13 PM

Nicolas Ruwe's "Joe Knapp Club" gun is a wonderful Model 21 3" chamber 12 gauge with 30" barrels, rather outrageous wood with a Hawkins pad, and is in mint condition.

Fishtail · 03-03-2016, 02:14 PM

....and that outrageous wood, does it contain a medallion?

Dean Romig · 03-03-2016, 02:22 PM

To the best of my knowledge, all the guns he gifted to club members had the gold medallion.

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Bill Murphy · 03-03-2016, 03:57 PM

I don't think Knapp gifted the guns. All of these guys could buy gun factories if they wanted them. So far, we have a Fox, a Winchester 21, and a Purdey waterfowl gun with the gold inlaid medallions. Google "spooner central" for information on Knapp and his family. Mr. Spooner also wrote a book about the Knapps, "The Knapps Lived Here", a chronology of the Knapp family and their race cars, houses, boats, plantations, duck hunting properties, and whatever. Remember, this guy is a founder of Ducks Unlimited. The spooner central website is not easy to negotiate, but every link you click on is interesting. My Model 21 is even pictured on the website. The J.E. Fender article on the Super Fox Knapp Club gun is in the March-April 2005 Shooting Sportsman. Yes, Greg, the Model 21 does have the gold medallion. You can see the Winston Guest Purdey with the medallion by going to the past sales section of James Julia Auctions and search "knapp". I have had the Purdey in my hands many times, wouldn't pay the asking price, but now wish I owned it. It is a big 1 1/2 ounce proof 31" pigeon and waterfowl gun.