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Dogchaser37
PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:56 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Central CT

Can someone point me in the right direction as far as information about Hunter Arms and more specifically about their Hunter Special and Fulton models. Old books, articles, website, etc.

Thanks.

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skeettx
PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:33 am  Reply with quote
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http://www.lcsmith.org/shotguns/history.html

1889 Hunter Arms Company completed a factory in Fulton, NY to build the L.C. Smith gun.

1892 Automatic ejectors were available. Qualities 1 through 5 and Grades Monogram, A1, A2, and A3 were offered.

1895 The Pigeon Gun ($125), No.1 Grade ($60), and No. 0 Grade ($42) were added.

1898 The No. 00 Grade was added.

1904 The Hunter One-Trigger was available.

1908 Featherweight guns were offered.

1913 Names, grades, and engraving patterns were changed to Field, Ideal, Trap, Specialty, Eagle, Crown, Monogram, Premier, and De Luxe.

1917 Ownership of the company changed to a group of Fulton citizens. A One-Barrel Trap gun and vent rib on the single barrel were introduced.

1920 The Hunter Arms Company was purchased by Gifford K., A.T., and H.K. Simonds of Fitchburg, MA.

1924 The Long-Range Wild Fowl gun was introduced.

1925 Vent Ribs were introduced as an option on double barrel guns.

1929 The Skeet Grade was offered.

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skeettx
PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:36 am  Reply with quote
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Serial numbers for the period of 1946 through 1950 include Hunter and Fulton shotguns.

http://www.lcsmith.org/shotguns/manufacture.html
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JNW
PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:50 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Posts: 1358
Location: Twin Cities, MN

Here you go.

https://www.amazon.com/L-Smith-Shotguns-William-Brophy/dp/0917714091

https://www.amazon.com/Plans-Specifications-L-Smith-Shotgun/dp/B000M0Q6P6

https://www.amazon.com/L-C-Smith-Legend-John-Houchins/dp/B0045DYGYE

The Fulton is an entry level boxlock meant to compete at the low end of the “hardware store” market. They are okay guns. Not fabulous, just all right.
Brophy’s book is the original. Houchin’s is very pretty, but my fancy signed copy is delicate. It does have fabulous color photos of rare high grade guns. I recommend picking up a nice step lock from the 1800s.

http://lcsmith.org/images/grades/LC-Gr-7-RHfull.jpg

The Plans and Specs book is for true afficianados and gunsmiths - I don’t have that one.
Jeff
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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 7:42 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2787
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

I always recommend both Bill Brophy L.C. Smith Books and the Legend Lives Book by John Houchins. Great factual information on Hunter Arms/L.C. Smith.

If you want a Plans an Specs Brophy book, plan on paying about $300.00 for one now, shipped to your home. Mine was a gift from Lt Col William S. Brophy long ago.


Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

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Dogchaser37
PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2018 4:26 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Central CT

Thanks to all for the info!!

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gunut
PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 8:02 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 219
Location: Sussex Wisconsin

I have a 36 vintage 16ga Fulton from the John Houchins estate...…..also a Gladiator Tournament grade...sold by Sears back in 1918-19.....


had 3 others that I sold in the last few years....one Keystone branded 16ga from 1920.....a 1920 12ga Royal Arms branded gun.....and another Fulton 16ga from 1936.....they are well made shotguns with a slightly unusual action....

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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:47 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2787
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

gunnut,

If you are looking for a high quality American Classic Box Lock double gun look at the the Fox or the Ithaca, the Fulton is the entry level Hunter Arms double gun, and not built with the same quality as the L.C. Smith. In fact the Fox gun is considered the real L.C. Smith Box Lock double gun, quality wise, by most of the old timers in the Hunter Arms business. In fact most of the Fox employees came from the Hunter Arms Company.

The early Ithaca guns were great guns also, very high quality, the oldest Hunter Arms brother, broke away form Hunter arms to help form the Ithaca Gun Company and was grated permission to use a lot of the L.C.Smith Engineering design work, including the Brown Rotary Bolt.

Just some history for you to know about.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

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Dogchaser37
PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 4:25 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Central CT

Thanks Pinecreek/Dave, but I bought the Hunter Special because of nostalgia. I am merely an average shot with a O/U, pump or semi-auto......put the best SxS in my hands and I become completely incompetent.

I only want the information for the Hunter Arms company and the guns with their name on them.

I will leave the L.C. Smith, Fox, etc, for folks that can shoot them.

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fin2feather
PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 4:54 pm  Reply with quote
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The Hunter Arms guns are really nice; definitely a cut above the Stevens, Nitro Specials, etc. that they are often lumped together with. I don't know where my good friend Pine Creek Dave gets that the Foxes are the real LC Smith box locks; I've not heard that said elsewhere, but who am I to argue with LC Smith Man Wink ?

I almost bought one in 20ga; I had Cabela's bring one in to the Kansas City store from afar a few years back and drove 200 miles to look at it, and would have bought it except someone had cut the stock down to fit a butt plate that was too small - literally looked like it had been done with a hatchet, a fact that Cabela's neglected to mention in their description and photos. Had they priced it accordingly I might have bought it anyway, but they didn't and wouldn't.

On the way home the Good Wife said "Why don't you buy the one you really want?" which was a Fox Sterlingworth I'd looked at also but was more money. If I'd ever had a doubt that I had picked the wrong WOMAN (which I hadn't) that would have convinced me right there Very Happy ! I bought the Sterly and never looked back, but that Hunter Arms gun was sweet ('cept for the hatchet job). I hope you enjoy yours.


Last edited by fin2feather on Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:34 am; edited 1 time in total

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fred lauer
PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 7:01 pm  Reply with quote
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Just curious Pine Creek/Dave, what exactly is the source of the information on the Fox? I am well aware of the use of the rotary bolt through the rib extension but see no other similarities to either an L.C. or a Fulton other than having 2 barrels side by side. As you also mentioned, the rotary bolt was also used on the NID Ithaca.

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Researcher
PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:59 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Jun 2009
Posts: 695
Location: WA/AK

Let us just say that Bean's perception of reality differs greatly from actual published history!!

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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 1:56 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
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Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

Researcher,

Don't believe everything you read! Especially where Hunter Arms/L.C. Smith is concerned, lots of misinformation has been published. The best source of historical information on these gun companies are from the people who actually worked for or invested in the companies operations.

Reading both Bill Brophy's books and John Houchins Legend lives book is a good place to start your Hunter Arms education.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

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tramroad28
PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 5:09 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 20 Jul 2011
Posts: 625
Location: Ohio..where ruffed grouse were

Very Happy ....great stuff on gun knowledge....an Internet tradition all it’s own.

There have been a peck of nice scatterguns made, here and abroad......imo, an appreciation of them is best developed apart from puffery or imagination.
Dem guns deserve that respect.

Actually, few do not go boom or fail to last the span of a man’s reach, before and after his time.
Buy what trips some internal trigger and enjoy without need to puff.
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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:46 am  Reply with quote
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fin2feather wrote:
If I'd ever had a doubt that I had picked the wrong women (which I hadn't) that would have convinced me right there Very Happy !


Just curious, how many women did you pick? Laughing

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