Does anyone have any articles or information about try guns and the history of them please.

Charles Lancaster An Illustrated Treatise on the Art of Shooting
https://books.google.com/books?id=O2GzwW9tKCoC&pg=PA15&vq
The author has invented an adjustable try-gun (patent), which is constructed with the stock perfectly rigid in the hand, being made to move in right lines (and not bodily, by the means of a knucklejoint in the hand of stock, which necessarily describes the section of a circle), therefore the author's does not give an excess of bend or cast-off, yet it can be adjusted for cast-off, bend, and length, also for set of toe or heel of stock, so as to be correctly adjusted to what is required for any individual sportsman, to enable him to make accurate practice when firing at either targets or game ; or the author's original adjustable gun (with specially constructed fittings) can be handled to demonstrate that the measurements taken by him are correct as to bend, length, and cast-off, thereby showing that the gun to be supplied will be suited to the purchaser.

Greener
https://books.google.com/books?id=InYSAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA405&dq

Jack Fanning, the A.P. Curtis try gun, gun fitting and shooting style
Recreation, December 1914, “Your Shotgun Affinity”
https://books.google.com/books?id=DYA7AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA323&lpg
https://books.google.com/books?id=DYA7AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA347&lpg

Parker 1915
https://books.google.com/books?id=EpcwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA257&lpg

I couldn't find the A.P. Curtis try gun patent, but he designed try guns for Hunter Arms, Lefever and Ithaca

Westley Richards
https://www.theexplora.com/the-westley-richards-try-guns-for-shotgun-measurements/

Of interest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVCsoO5Ncvg

H&H try gun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7ZMeiKkp-Y

Perazzi at about 4 min.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkdRji7BTo0

I believe there is also an A.P. Curtis Parker try-gun in a personal collection as well.

There is quite a bit about them in Crudgington & Baker's British Shotgun Volume 3. Lagopus…..

Thank you everyone so far , still searching. It is to me a very interesting subject .

I do know if you want one you cant find one and if you have one to sell you cant find a buyer . Strange that .

Griffin & Howe owns and continues to use a Boss & Co. 20 gauge SxS try-gun at Hudson Farm. The gun was first received at Abercrombie & Fitch on March 26, 1937 which means that it has been in use for almost 82 years. At that time A&F had a second Boss & Co. SxS try-gun in 12 gauge which they inherited when A&F merged with Von Lengerke & Detmold 1929. That one disappeared from inventory at A&F in 1966 without explanation.

Bob,

This is a Boss try gun from 1891. Interesting it is a boxlock with a sidelever.

Boss TG

Ken

Fanning seems to be using an L.C. Smith A.P. Curtis built try gun in the Recreation article. At other times, he seems to be using a Parker Curtis built try gun. Some Fanning pictures seem to include a Curtis gun in boxlock style, others in sidelock style. The Parker Curtis try gun with Fanning, pictured by a PGCA member, appears to be, in his opinion, the one in my collection. Maybe he will post those pictures here. My gun came through the Parker-Whelen gun shop on 14th Street in northwest Washington, D.C. John Hutton was the master stockmaker in that shop and took the try gun with him when he relocated after quitting his position at Parker-Whelen. It ended up with skilled gunsmith and stockmaker, Ben Toxvard at Shenandoah Guns in Berryville, Virginia. After hounding Ben to sell me the gun for many years, I finally caught him in a weak moment in about 1971, and he sold it to me to pay for a new Hardinge lathe that he had recently unpacked. It is the only Parker-Curtis try gun I have seen, but mine is marked #5. The assumption is that many try guns were restocked in normal configuration and the try stock discarded. There are also Ithaca and Lefever guns converted to try guns by A.P. Curtis.

If anyone is looking for an O/U try gun I have client wanting to sell one. Built on a Spanish action, not sure which maker.

Just wondering here, Mr. Murphy. Would he be one and the same designer who developed the Curtis style forearm release for the extractor L.C. Smith from aprox. 1913-1920 era?? RWTF

Same guy, a major gun designer. Wrote some great stuff in early American Rifleman magazines. The Smith-Curtis forend release was a bit weak but an interesting design. I have a minty Ideal Grade ten with the Curtis forend release that works just great, but will fail if abused. He was plant supervisor at Hunter Arms, but I'm not sure of his titles at other companies.

Thank you for the confirmation, Eightbore-- wonder if by any chance he was related to the late Captain Paul A. Curtis? I still re-read his 1934 book: Guns and Gunning"-- would love to have some of the fine guns pictured therein, in that same configuration and condition yet today.

Of all shown, the R.G. Owen sidelock 12 bore made for Captain Curtis is my first choice-- IF----

I know of a real try gun. Built that way from the ground up. Made by Churchill. One of 12 made. Two are in Houston. One came from A & F that I know for sure. Even has the box


John Boyd

6-12-1919 SBT try-stock

http://library.centerofthewest.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/WRAC/id/7577/rec/50



http://library.centerofthewest.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/WRAC/id/7693/rec/2

Drew, I enjoyed the video of the Perazzi fitting with the try gun very much. Thank you for posting it. Had a fitting done many years go with a try gun at Deep River Sporting. I have shot Perazzi guns a "right smart", and the video of the trip over to Italy to have the fitting done there "has me head a'reeling".

SRH

To me this is an interesting topic.
H&H London have a number of Try Guns both SxS & O/U in various bore sizes . West London SS & EJ Churchill do also have a number as does Ian Coley at Andoversford , so they are certainly about and made by various makers . But is surprising how few people use them for a purpose made fitting , often preferring to hack wood off or put it on to their usual gun . Strange breed the Shooting Man.

Paul Curtis has no family connection with A.P. Curtis. Additionally, the L.C. Smith drawing shows Curtis design features, but the knuckle at the grip is an unnessesary part that adds cost and possibility of breakage to the Curtis design. The original Curtis stock has all the adjustment of the Smith drawing without the "knuckle".