Widgeon Duck Club guns

[Fishtail]

At 7lbs., are these guns #2 frames or?

[charlie cleveland]

this story just keeps getting better...i once came across a v grade parker 20 ga 3 inch chambers so marked and 32 inch barrels..often wondered if this gun belong to a duck club...yep it was one of those guns i should have bought.....charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Phil Carr's letter is interesting. Boston area dealers Iver Johnson and Orren R. Dickey ordered more than a couple 3" chambered 32" 20 gauges. My old 153,333 was ordered at eight pounds to shoot 1 ounce loads. My present #2 frame 32" 20 also is chambered for 3" shells. Both of those guns came from Orren R. Dickey.

[Researcher]

In the letter for 177597, "Iver" is misspelled. Ivar is a well known Seattle seafood restaurant.

[Setter Man]

This is the 20 ga VHE "Big D" referenced earlier. It has a fair amount in common with the infamous "Widgeon Club Guns." It's a #1 frame, 20 ga VHE, with 32" barrels choked F(.38) and F (.41), chambers are 2-7/8", straight stock and is DOES have a safety.

Mr. Conrad sent a note along with the letter indicating it was the first time he had seen the same gun sold twice. As you can see from the letter it was originally sold in April 1917 chambered for 2-1/2" and 2-3/4" shells to Cline and Cline in LA and again in October of 1917 with 2-7/8" chambers to a gentleman in San Francisco. Given the configuration and the location it was surely used for ducks along that flyway. Weight is 6-lb, 12-oz.



Note on the photo of the barrel flats "22" is stamped on the left flat. A repair code, perhaps when the chambers were lengthened?

[George M. Purtill Member #28]

[QUOTE=Jay Gardner;180627] Given the configuration and the location it was surely used for ducks along that flyway. Weight is 6-lb, 12-oz.
QUOTE]

But they didn't have those nice TALL LL Bean hunting shoes out in California.

[charlie cleveland]

even this gun was ordered with 2/3/4 inch chambers and the 20 ga shells were only 2 1/2 inch at this time...in 1917 the guy that ordered this gun was maybe loading his own shells for primed empty hulls could be ordered in up to 3 inch in 1917 at that time...charlie

[Researcher]

even this gun was ordered with 2/3/4 inch chambers and the 20 ga shells were only 2 1/2 inch at this time...in 1917 the guy that ordered this gun was maybe loading his own shells for primed empty hulls could be ordered in up to 3 inch in 1917 at that time...charlie

While the 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shell was the North American "standard" shell in that gauge, 2 3/4, 2 7/8 and 3-inch 20-gauge shells were available. In the 20-gauge, the maximum loads offered in the "standard" 2 1/2 inch case were 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 18 grains of dense smokeless powder such as Ballistite or infallible pushing 7/8 ounce of shot. In the 2 3/4 inch and longer 20-gauge cases one could get 2 1/2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 20 grains of Ballistite or Infallible pushing that same 7/8 ounce of shot a bit faster.





These were the shells for the famous Hanford and Widgeon Duck Club Parker Bros. 3-inch 20-gauge guns and the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.'s No. 200 pump.

[Craig Larter]

Dave: How about these 3" 20ga shells. I would guess being from California they were used.

[charlie cleveland]

nice shells...these are hard to come by for sure....charlie