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Joined: Jul 2005
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Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,065 |
Should the word "Classic" and "American gun" really ever be used in the same sentence together? If you are into Grandma Moses, hey, go for it, but, the Mona Lisa came from elsewhere. This comment was posted this on this thread in the "For Sale" section: http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=352786#Post352786Didn't want to hijack the thread so I started this one. If you don't think that an O frame Parker sixteen gauge with 26" isn't a classic American bobwhite gun what can I say. And I own a little Parker AHE 20 with 26" barrels, 5-3/4 pounds, that was purpose made for Southern bobwhites. I also have a 5-3/4 pound Parker BHE that was ordered to be cylinder and modifed, the classic combination for hunting over pointing dogs. It is also barreled at 26". How can a Fox HE not be a classic American gun? And an eight pound Winchester 21 with Beavertail forend and single trigger, as classic and American as a Harley Davidson Electra Glide. Nothing personal Ted, just trying to stir some interest on a slow Sunday when I am sick at home.
Last edited by AmarilloMike; 01/12/14 02:51 PM.
I am glad to be here.
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2005
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And the Ithaca Super Ten? Another classic American gun!
I am glad to be here.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 9,350
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 9,350 |
To me, the word fits wonderfully for the American gun. My first thought is hardware store guns, not the iterations and embellishments. Of a standard, of a time. I think differently about them than any others of the genre.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,428 Likes: 315
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,428 Likes: 315 |
Whatever this fella was holding in his left hand to keep the foxes out of the chicken coop; very likely one of the "agricultural nonentities" that kept his family alive during hard times Let the condescension and patronizing superiority begin
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,096 Likes: 338
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,096 Likes: 338 |
If it was a going concern/company before 1940, and they made sxs shotguns, then their product would be an American Classic. End of story. JR
Be strong, be of good courage. God bless America, long live the Republic.
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Joined: Dec 2001
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 12,743 |
Classic; (1) Of the highest Class, Most representative of the excellence of its Kind. (2) NA here, applies to the Arts. (3) (Colloq) Famous as traditional or typical.
By definition 1 then only the highest graded guns by American makers could be called a Classic American Gun. By definition 3 a Trojan, Sterly, Field, etc or even a Crescent could be a Classic American Gun. A Purdey or a Darne would not make it on either account, simply because they are not American.
Miller/TN I Didn't Say Everything I Said, Yogi Berra
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,112 Likes: 595
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,112 Likes: 595 |
"Classic" should also include wholly-dependable function and honest value. As Mr. Roberts mentioned, before 1940 is a good demarcation.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 714 Likes: 9
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 714 Likes: 9 |
Doesn't each company (and even model) have its own "golden era?" Frequently it is "pre-war" but not always. Pre-64 model 70, Philly Fox, Pre-Marlin LC Smith....
One of the LC Smith's built in the '70's by Marlin isn't an American Classic, but one built by Hunter in the mid 30's is, even though they could be hard for some to tell apart.
CHAZ
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Joined: Mar 2005
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,021 |
I guess we would be comparing the European gun industry to the American industry. Are the European guns mass produced and distributed to hardware stores to sit on shelves waiting for a buyer or does the European maker wait for someone to come into their “shop” to be measured and fitted for a specific gun that has yet to be built.
Applying the painting comparison, are the two ever comparable in a sense where one is, bland, generic and workmanlike where some people like it and others don’t and the other is the “Mona Lisa” where everyone from all over the world acknowledges it as a standard for all classic paintings.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 9,767 Likes: 757
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 9,767 Likes: 757 |
If it was a going concern/company before 1940, and they made sxs shotguns, then their product would be an American Classic. End of story. JR Using Mr. Roberts definition, an "American Classic": http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=352807#Post352807It will be a classic at his house, not mine. I humbly submit that the overused term, "Classic" should mean more than just old. I'm afraid the rest of it becomes a comparison of blondes or redheads which won't get us anywhere. However, for every Parker 16 in the dimensions quoted by our friend from Texas, the same concern built dozens of 12s with 30" full x full choke barrels, that had 3" of drop in the stock, and weighed in excess of 7 3/4 lbs. They were by no means alone, here in the US, in that endeavor, either. It is difficult to find a gun with those same dimensions built anywhere on the other side of the pond. Because that style of shotgun isn't all that useful. I'll bet our friend can proudly tug on his suspenders, and tell you how his Parker 16 is one of just a few built in that configuration, missing the true implication of that small number. Classic is as classic does. Best, Ted
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