Factory record checks

[Silvers]

So about 4 months ago I came across a screamer 1883 Colt damascus hammerless 12 gauge, very high collector quality. I sent off for a Colt factory letter. I got my letter yesterday..... $100. research fee and 4 months wait. Letter states the gun was shipped on X date in 1892 to William Read & Sons; internet search tells me Read was a large sporting goods dealer in Boston. Barrel length matches the gun and about the only thing that's perhaps unusual is it confirms the rib is "flat matte". Oh yeah, the letter has some really good scoop - the "Type of Stock" is noted as "wood". Oh really! No details on the stock drops nor LOP, no mention of grip style. Chokes aren't shown.

Sure, I know that once in a while the research might show the gun was ordered by some famous gent. Luck of the draw and it happens both ways with Colts as well as Foxes.

And what does this have to do with Foxes? Good food for thought: that letter cost me 100 bucks, it took 4 months for the research, and in this case I didn't learn that much. In comparison, anyone joining up here as an AHFCA member gets one free card lookup per year, and additional lookups are $25.00. Graded guns only, no Sterlingworths. The AHFCA has access to about 85% of the graded Fox cards. Members post their request on the Members Forum, and a jpeg image of the card gets emailed to the requestor in about 1-2 days at the most. Then, depending on what you learn, a request to Mr John Callahan for a Fox factory letter only costs $40. for graded guns and it usually takes about 8-10 weeks, sometimes less.

Like I said, it's food for thought for those of our forum readers who've been considering AFHCA membership and need a little push. $30. per annum gets you the Newsletters, access to our Members Forums, and ability to get production cards looked up pronto. Silvers

[sidreilley]

Frank - Beautiful gun, thanks for posting the pics. Boy, that "wood" really makes a nice looking stock. Good points about the advantages of membership on the Fox side also.

Cheers

[mc15426378]

Super nice gun Frank. The engraving looks brand new and hardly touched. If you have any I'd sure like to see some more pics of the gun. What pattern is the damascus?

mike

PS: the lumber is, as our British friends say, smashing!

[Silvers]

Thanks boys, my intent in posting was to show some advantages of AHFCA membership when it comes to researching guns.

However, now that you ask.... yeah Colt made one cool gun. This one has s/n 643x. Gun weight is 7-7 and the barrels weigh 3-13. Bores are perfect, with .734/.735 diameters, and chokes are both .030". Chambers 2-5/8". The barrel hinge mechanism is supposedly a patented type that has an eccentric setup to really hold the barrels on the face.

Besides Foxes, I do some shooting of damascus guns. But this Colt is a little too nice. Drew House has helped me with the damascus ID. These tubes are "3 Iron Turkish". Frank

[TOOL MAN]

God bless those craftsmen from The Nutmeg State!!!! What they were capable of producing from within the walls of those dingy, dank, dim-lit factories, is simply astonishing. Talk about a gun lover's triangle; Colt/Parker/Winchester...all within a 30 mile radius of Hartford!!! Pain-staking, unaltering attention to quality.......with rudimentary tools & manufacturing processes, compared to modern day. How did they do it?? So sad, when compard to the "Do it fast /Do it half-assed" mantra of this generation. Beautiful gun Kermit!!!! -------TOOL