Gun trader's guide to shotguns : a comprehensive, fully illustrated reference for modern shotguns with current market values

650 Pages·2015·14.69 MB·English

by  Sadowski

Contents
Introduction
How to Use GTG Shotguns
Firearms Grading
Online Auctions
Gun Shows
Shotgun Action Types
Stock Styles
Shotgun Testing & Evaluation
Short Hairs, Long Barrels, and Fast Feathers: CZ Hammer Classic Side-by-
Side and a Rescued Pointer
Stoeger Condor: Are Inexpensive Over-and-Unders a Good Investment?
Spring Turkey Circa 1887: Old School Runnin’ and Gunnin’ with a Puma M-
87
Inertia Driven Operator: Benelli M2 Tactical
Shotgun Provenance
John M. Browning’s Winchester Model 1893 Trap Gun
Ernest Hemingway’s Browning Superposed Over-and-Under Shotgun
A Shotgun Collector’s Bucket List
Classic American Shotgun Manufacturer: L.C. Smith
Featured Shotguns
Shotguns
Appendix
Curios and Relics
State by State Firearm Purchase Permit Requirements
Choke Tube Compatibility
Choke Tube Designations
Shotgun Collectors Organizations
Index
Introduction
This is the first edition of the Gun Trader’s Guide to Shotguns or GTG
Shotguns for short. In the tradition of the Gun Trader’s Guide, GTG
Shotguns gives professional and private shotgun collectors a complete
reference guide to identifying and determining the value of modern
shotguns made between the late nineteenth through to the twenty-first
century.
SPECS AND PHOTOS
Included are specifications and illustrations or photographs for
thousands of different shotguns. The easy-to-use format is simple and
straightforward. All shotguns are listed in alphabetical order by
manufacturer or importer name, and the models are also in alpha-
numeric order so you can find a specific model fast. The index also
makes it easy to find a specific model by a manufacturer. Entries are
alphabetized by manufacturer and model and further divided by
action type if applicable. Full specifications include: • Manufacturer
• Model Name
• Model Number
• Gauge
• Barrel Length
• Overall Length
• Weight
• Distinguishing Features
• Variations of Different Models • Grades
• Dates of Manufacture (when they can be accurately determined) • Date of
Discontinuation (if applicable) • Current Value (by condition) PHOTOS
OR ILLUSTRATIONS
A full-color section, Featured Shotguns, with detailed information
on more than thirty collectible shotguns contains detailed photos to
help aid in identifying shotguns. Also included in GTG Shotguns is
information on how to grade firearms, buying and selling shotguns in
online auctions, what to expect at gun shows, the AFT definition of
curios and relics, state by state firearm purchase permit requirements,
how to identify old and new shotgun types, shotgun collector
organizations, online auctions, and more.
ACCURATE SHOTGUN VALUES
We have made every effort to ensure the information listed here is
current and up to date. Not every shotgun ever manufactured can be
listed in a reference book of this size, but we have made every effort to
include the makes and models most popular with American owners
and collectors. Please note GTG Shotguns does not include antique or
recently manufactured black powder firearms. Values shown are
based on national averages obtained by conferring with
knowledgeable gun dealers, traders, collectors, and auctioneers
around the country. The values listed accurately reflect the nationwide
average at the time of publication. Keep in mind that the stated values
are averages based on a wide spectrum of variables. No price given in
any such reference book should be considered the only value for a
particular shotgun. Value is ultimately determined by the buyer and
seller.
In the case of rare or one-of-a-kind items, such as the Parker
Brothers Invincible or the Parker Brother AA1 Special shotgun in 28
gauge, where very little trading takes place, active gun collectors were
consulted to obtain current market values. In researching data, some
manufacturers’ records were unavailable, and at times information
was unobtainable. Some early firearms manufacturers’ production
records have been destroyed in fires, lost, or were simply not
accurately maintained. These circumstances resulted in minor
deviations in the presentation format of certain model listings. For
example, production dates may not be listed when manufacturing
records are unclear or unavailable.
As an alternative, approximate dates of manufacture may be listed
to reflect the availability of guns from a manufacturer or distributor.
These figures may represent disposition dates indicating when that
particular model was shipped to a distributor or importer. Frequently,
and especially with foreign manufacturers, production records are
unavailable. Therefore, availability information is often based on
importation records that reflect domestic distribution only. This is
meant to explain the procedures and policies used for these published
dates and to establish the distinction between production dates, which
are based on manufacturers’ records, and availability dates, which are
based on distribution records in the absence of recorded production
data.
To ensure GTG Shotguns has the most accurate information
available, we encourage users to contact the research staff at Skyhorse
Publishing to forward any verifiable information they may have,
especially about older out-of-production models.
In addition to shotgun identification and values, GTG Shotguns
features Shotgun Testing & Evaluation, a testing and evaluation
section with a hands-on review of a variety of shotguns from a pair of
reproductions (CZ Hammer Classic Side-By-Side and Puma M-87) to
an inexpensive over-and-under (Stoeger Condor) and a best-in-class
tactical shotgun (Benelli M2 Tactical).
The Shotgun Provenance section looks in detail at one of John M.
Browning’s personal shotguns, a Model 1893 pump. Browning’s
influence on firearm design was wide and far-reaching. By 1900, more
than 75 percent of the repeating sporting arms in the United States
were John Browning’s designs. Even today, many firearms
manufacturers use a modified version of a John Browning design.
Finally, all shotgunners—from die-hard collectors to hunters to
competitive shooters—have a bucket list. Let us know if we’ve
included your must-do items in the Shotgun Collector’s Bucket List.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The editor and publisher wish to express special thanks to the many
collectors, dealers, manufacturers, shooting editors, firearm firms,
distributors’ public relations and production personnel, research
personnel, and other industry professionals who provided us with
specifications and updates throughout the year. We are especially
grateful for assistance and cooperation in compiling information for
GTG Shotguns and to reproduce photographs and illustrations of
collectible firearms. Special thanks to Mike Bishop of Bishop’s Fine
Guns in Fitzgerald, Georgia, (bishopsfineguns.com) for many of the
detailed color photographs; the Union Station for access to the John
Browning collection in the John M. Browning Firearms Museum
(theunionstation.org); the John F. Kennedy Library (jfklibrary.org);
and the help received from J. David Williamson, Journal Editor and
Technical Advisor at the L.C. Smith Collectors Association.
Finally, GTG Shotguns thanks all the dedicated shotgunners who
collect, hunt, compete, or defend their home with a shotgun. We
welcome your comments. Please send comments or suggestions to:
Robert A. Sadowski, Editor Gun Trader’s Guide to Shotguns Skyhorse
Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10018
[email protected]
How to Use GTG Shotguns: Shotgun
Buying and Selling Strategies
The price of shotguns fluctuates just like the prices of gasoline, smart
phones, and real estate. Shotgun prices are not as volatile, but there
are yearly changes in prices due to the seasonality or popularity of
certain models. The number one question asked by gun owners,
collectors, hunters, competition shooters, or those who have inherited
a shotgun: What is it worth?
To know what a shotgun is worth, you must start by knowing
exactly what it is. The first questions to answer: Who is the
manufacturer? What is the action type? Model? Gauge? Barrel length?
Grade? Are there any markings other than model?
Another question that could mean the difference between a junker
and a firearm worth more than the normal price: Who owned it?
Famous and infamous people having owned a shotgun give that
shotgun provenance. A Winchester Model 12 owned by Ernest
Hemingway will fetch much more than a Model 12 owned by an avid
bird hunter in Wisconsin.
Know what it is to know what it is worth. This is where GTG
Shotguns is a valuable resource. In this book, we identify models,
include specifications and dates the model was produced or imported
in the United States, and provide photographs.
They say a photo is worth a thousand words, and images are
extremely helpful when trying to identify a specific model. In this way,
GTG Shotguns is unique in providing hundreds of photos to help aid
identification. Providing an image of each shotgun would be
impossible—and it would create a book that would require a hand
truck to tote around. The images in GTG Shotguns are carefully
chosen to provide a representative image of a model. The text helps to
narrow down the model to a specific variant.
POPULARITY
Some shotguns are always going to be popular and in demand. Parker
Brothers, L.C. Smith, and A.H Fox side-by-side shotguns will always
fetch a high price. Many of these grand old American shotguns have
die-hard followings and organizations where members gather to talk
shotguns in person or online in forums. Many of these fans know how
many of a certain model were made, who has which model, which
models have been refurbished, and which ones to stay away from. If
you are interested in any of these shotguns, consult with some of these
enthusiasts. You will not be disappointed. They have encyclopedic
knowledge of the guns and are more than happy to share their
knowledge. But be aware, once you start collecting old guns from
America’s golden age of shotguns, you may be afflicted for life.
SEASONALITY FLUCTUATION
You may be less a collector of fine shotguns and more of a hunter in
need of a goose gun. Or your neighbor is selling a worn pump that
might be a good starter gun for a novice bird hunter. First, don’t buy a
shotgun a week before hunting season opens, as prices are high and
you will have less negotiating power because shotguns are in demand.
Buy that goose gun after hunting season when a hunter may trade in a
nearly new gun because he or she didn’t like the way the gun fit them.
I recently came across a Beretta trap shotgun made in the late 1980s
that was literally used by a little old lady only on Sundays. Really. She
shot trap with her late husband on Sundays at their club. The asking