Parker with gold Inlay - Page 3

Drew Hause · 10-20-2011, 10:41 PM

Long way from Missoula to Young's Pier, and 'POTT', not Potts, but interesting
http://web.mac.com/robertdotson/iWeb...nz%20Pott.html
There is definitely a 's' engraved?
Could #717 be a fly pattern?

CSL · 10-20-2011, 11:46 PM

There was a "Frederick Potts" who shot trap & live birds in the New Jersey area, and at the Lakewood country club during that early time period... This would be fairly close to the Dupont shooting school at the end of Young's Pier... Looks like this fella also competed against the well known Parker shooter Capt Money... Perhaps there is a connection here between this "F. Potts" and the "F.B. Potts" on the 20ga DHE Dupont Parker???... The shooting history and close proximity to Atlantic City is certainly there.

This from 1901... http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstrac...DA405B818CF1D3

Best, CSL
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Bruce Day · 10-21-2011, 12:02 AM

Chris, wonder who the manager of the Dupont School would be? Might there be records to check the Dupont employees?

CSL · 10-31-2011, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

Chris, wonder who the manager of the Dupont School would be? Might there be records to check the Dupont employees?

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Not sure if there are surviving Dupont Powders records from that far back (almost a 100 years)... I do know the man in charge of the school at it's inception in early 1916 was Henry "Hank" Stevens, a professional shooter and former factory rep for Remington... Hank was also known as one of the best shooting instructors around... Hank's assistant in the new Dupont Powders shooting school venture was Hayes Apgar, son of well known professional shooter Neaf Apgar... Hank Stevens is shown at left in the photo below, middle is Jack Fanning a Dupont rep, and at right is Neaf Apgar a rep for the Peters Cartridge Co... These three men were all well known and respected shooters of their day...

Best, CSL
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Bill Murphy · 10-31-2011, 08:43 PM

In my records I have the names of some of the "wheels" at the Dupont Shooting School. I'll try to locate the names. By the way, the Frederick A. Potts from Lakewood only shot registered Interstate Association or American Trapshooting Association targets in one year between 1913 and 1922, the years that the School may have been active. That year was 1916. He was referred to as middle initial A in the 1916 average book, so I guess he is not the guy whose name is engraved on the gun. I think I mentioned earlier that there are at least two D Grade 20s sent to the School. The School was mentioned in early publications as using 20 gauge guns exclusively. The School try guns, however, seemed to be 12 gauges, at least the ones I have seen. At least one is a Parker GH Grade and at least one is an Ithaca single, both try stocks made by Arthur P. Curtis. The Parker ended up with Colonel Townsend Whelen and was used by stockmakers in his gun store in Washington, D.C. until the store closed. Walt Snyder probably knows which of the Flues Ithaca single barrel Curtis try guns were sent to Dupont. I have the impression that there are more than one Curtis Ithaca out there, but I don't know which ones were sent to Dupont for use at the School.

Drew Hause · 10-31-2011, 08:46 PM

Neaf and Hank 1913. Hank now shooting a Remington pump
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL6104017.PDF

Bill Murphy · 10-31-2011, 09:02 PM

Another 20 gauge Dupont Shooting School gun is #172,459, a VH Grade ordered in 1916. It had (or has) "The Parker Gun" in white letters. The GH Curtis try gun, mentioned in The Parker Story, is #158,664, ordered New Years Eve 1914, in time for the opening of the School, as I recall. No brand identification was placed on that gun.

CSL · 11-03-2011, 06:38 PM

The more I've studied and researched the early Dupont related "Try-Guns" the more it seems they had less to do with the Dupont Shooting School at the end of Youngs Pier, and more to do with being on the road with a select group of Dupont Powders factory reps touring as many gun clubs as possible in their respective territories... I'm also inclined to think there may have been more than one Curtis equipped Parker Try-Gun, but only the person in charge of the Parker records would know for sure... From what I've been able to find in my research, Jack Fanning was initially going to be in charge of the Atlantic City shooting school, but for whatever reasons, Hank Stevens assumed that Dupont position at Youngs Pier in early 1916... Fanning went on the road with his Try-Gun, which was probably the best way for Dupont to utilize a man of his skills and celebrity shooting status...

I have always suspected there was a great untapped story with the relationship between Parker Bros and Dupont Powders... I believe (head Parker store guy) Louis Parker and Jack Fanning were probably good pals. And who better to grease with gun favors (like a gratis Parker Try-Gun) than "Jack", an aging pro-shooter and respected shooting instructor who could recommend Parker Bros guns to people at gun clubs all day long... This would be like having Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth hanging out at the ball park telling kids what brand of baseball bats and gloves to buy... A sure thing, money in the bank...

Murph had mentioned an Ithaca single Curtis modified Try-Gun, which may well be the gun that Jack Fanning is sharing with other Dupont reps in the 1915 image below. Also looks like there is another single Try-Gun leaning against the table behind them...

Best, CSL
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Dean Romig · 11-03-2011, 09:21 PM

Thanks Chris - now I see the gloves. I guess I just never looked close enough at the pictures but the one I referenced is just so obvious, being such a large (and likely lined) glove.

Mark Conrad · 05-16-2013, 07:59 AM

Chris, I passed the records off to Chuck Bishop last year. He may see this post or you can PM him. Mark