Favorite scene engraving

[Jay Oliver]

This isn’t anywhere near the same level as others have shared, but I liked the engraving on this trigger guard so much it made me buy the gun. It is a German percussion sxs 15 gauge with 34” barrels. I just loved the fact that there was a picture of someone loading his gun(with a ramrod) and his dog by his side…right on the trigger guard!

I guess you could say it was the subject of the engraving that made me like it so much.

[Researcher]

Page 544 of John Houchins’ L.C. Smith “The Legend Lives” shows a price comparison between Smith and Parker guns. Prices for both, and in every grade, fell from 1908 to 1913. The $105 2E in 1898 went for $95 in 1908, and became the $75 AE Specialty grade in 1913.

That price drop reflects the change from publishing the high "List Prices" in their catalogs to publishing the actual "Net Selling Prices"


The A.H. Fox Gun Co. catalogs from 1905 to the 1908 "Campfire" catalog showed list prices --

A - Grade ...... $50
B - Grade ...... $75
C - Grade ......$100
D - Grade ..... $200
F - Grade ..... $500
Ejectors ........$15

By the 1911 A.H. Fox Gun Co. "Campfire" catalog they were publishing both the "List Price", the same as 1908, and the actual "Net Price." They also published an Export Edition of the catalog with only the "List Prices" but with a little salmon color insert giving the "Net Prices."

By the 1913 A.H. Fox Gun Co. "A Fox Gets The Game" catalog they only give the prices that were the "Net Prices" in the 1911 and 1912 catalogs.

A - Grade ...... $37.50
B - grade ...... $50
C - Grade ......$70
D - Grade ..... $140
F - Grade ..... $350
Ejectors ........$12

By 1915 Ejectors dropped to $7.50 and C-grade and above were only offered with ejectors. Prices started up during 1916, and by the February 1st, 1920, Price list the were --

A - Grade ...... $68.25
AE- Grade ..... $80.75
CE- Grade ......$115.00
XE- Grade ......$175.00
DE- Grade ..... $275.00
FE- Grade ..... $500.00

[jeffery c]

Originally Posted by Jay Oliver

This isn’t anywhere near the same level as others have shared, but I liked the engraving on this trigger guard so much it made me buy the gun. It is a German percussion sxs 15 gauge with 34” barrels. I just loved the fact that there was a picture of someone loading his gun(with a ramrod) and his dog by his side…right on the trigger guard!

I guess you could say it was the subject of the engraving that made me like it so much.

That is really a nice scene, I get why you bought it.

[Researcher]

It seems that many of our double gun manufacturers shot for a $25 actual net selling price gun -- Remington K-Grade, L.C. Smith 00-Grade, Lefever Arms DS-Grade, A.H. Fox Gun Co. Sterlingworth. Parker Bros. tried with the Trojan, the very first flier giving a price of $25.50, but they couldn't do it and by the second flier the price was $27.50. Ithaca gun Co. came in even cheaper With their $30 List Price Field Grade with an actual net selling price of $19.50, claiming they could put out the gun for less money because of their water power.

[jeffery c]

It does seem that way! $25 must have been a practical and psychological price point threshold for farm and blue collars back then. I remember reading that the Flues Ithaca had few parts, fast lock time and was inexpensive to make.

[Researcher]

Originally Posted by jefferyconnor

It does seem that way! $25 must have been a practical and psychological price point threshold for farm and blue collars back then. I remember reading that the Flues Ithaca had few parts, fast lock time and was inexpensive to make.

Farm & blue collar workers got cheap Belgian imports (T. Barker, Sam Holt, W. Richards, etc.) or Crescents Fire Arms Co. under their numerous trade brands, J. Stevens, H & R, Iver Johnson, W.H. Davenport, etc. That $25 price point was for prosperous farmers and young entrepreneurs.

[jeffery c]

Makes sense. Even then though, some of those cheap old guns shot loose pretty fast, so it would have made sense to save up for at least a Stevens. H & R and IJ might have been okay too?
Actually, what do you think of the functionality of the cheaper guns, Researcher? I'm kind of showing my own assumptions when I rate them that way. I've always thought of Stevens as solid guns, though.

[charlie cleveland]

the old stevens is a solid gun in my book....charlie

[Researcher]

J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. and the J. Stevens Arms Co. made a lot of shotguns under their names and numerous "trade brands" with most have stood the test of time. I started my bird hunting career with my Mother's RANGER trade branded version of a J. Stevens Springfield No. 315. It had been restocked to a straight grip for her with a quality trigger guard by my great uncle who was a gunsmith in Seattle. I'm not much of a mechanic, and try to let those who know what they are doing go on the inside, but I suspect Crescents of soft parts. IMHO the best of the lower priced doubles are Ithaca's Lefever Nitro Specials.

[WHO]

This is an Ithaca Crass Grade 6 which is one of my personal favorites.