Perch-belly stocks

[bamboozler]

Did Fox produce any guns with perch-belly stocks? If so, would that be noted on a factory letter?

[eightbore]

The GAM guns had kind of a Germanic perch belly. The GAM D Grade is pictured in an old Double Gun Journal. I don't know that the L Grade GAM gun has been pictured.

[Researcher]

There are more G.A.M. guns than the two Bill mentioned. For members I've done "Cards of the Month" on two others, November 2010 and July 2014.

[Sporrns]

The GAM guns had kind of a Germanic perch belly. The GAM D Grade is pictured in an old Double Gun Journal. I don't know that the L Grade GAM gun has been pictured.

What is a "Germanic" perch belly? Is it like the arc of the abdomen of an over-indulged Hofbrauhaus regular hanging over his lederhosen? Are there other types of perch bellies - like other types of walnut for stocks?? Please elaborate. Thanks, K.

[eightbore]

There is at least one article on the DE Grade GAM gun in Double Gun Journal.

[spyder]

FYI Winter '90 for GAM article SN 21788. It's called a "rational stock" in the article. It's not really attractive at all, IMO - the stock that is.

[Fin2Feather]

OK; what are the G.A.M. guns?

[Researcher]

G.A.M. guns were guns with a lot of special and unusual features ordered by G.A. Manning, often with G.A.M. in gold on the trigger guard.

[jolly bill]

Was it called a "rational" stock or "national" stock?

Might have to do some digging to find out>

Jolly

[bamboozler]

Rational. I haven't seen all the GAM guns, but those that I have seen had a stock with a convex top line from the nose of the comb back to the heel, with a straight bottom line. Perch-belly stocks are just the opposite, having a straight top line and a convex bottom line.

[eightbore]

Has the GAM single barrel surfaced since Tony Galazan owned it?

[jolly bill]

Was it called a "rational" stock or "national" stock?

Might have to do some digging to find out>

Jolly

Spyder and Bamboozler are both correct in that the DGJ article by Tom Kidd in the Winter 1990 edition on the GAM gun call it a "rational" stock.

And I was thinking "national" stock. We're all correct.

Tom's article calls it a "rational" stock but I'm thinking Cote must have changed it from "national" to "rational".

Picture of part of Tom's article on the GAM gun.



I dug thru my stuff and found a copy of the original E. C. Crossman article in the Sporting Goods Dealer on How the "Finest Gun in the World" is Made. That article from around the late teens, maybe 1920. Couple pictures from the article below. One showing the stock on the GAM gun and then a couple pictures of Gough.



And a couple pictures of Gough.





So we're all correct but originally it was called the "national" stock.

Jolly

[Researcher]

Me thinks that may well have been a typo in The Sporting Goods Dealer. From The Gun and its Development, by W.W. Greener --

[jolly bill]

Yep, looks like E. C. Crossman and/or The Sporting Goods Dealer mis-named it!

[Researcher]

Well we have certainly drug this thread away from the OP's original question. I have seen a few Ansley H. Fox doubles with "perch belly" stocks that appeared to my eye to be factory work. I haven't noticed "perch belly" mentioned on any cards.