May 2018 Newsletter
For 12 years this newsletter has gone to more than 20,000 Firearms Collectors, Enthusiasts, Historians and Professionals Worldwide. We now reprint over 6000 Vintage Gun Catalogs, Books and Manuals from the 1840s to the 2000s
Inside:
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Back issues: you can view the newsletter on our website. For a downloadable copy of our catalog of reprints or manuals this will take you there. Also, we have Interesting downloads at our website. Please forward this letter to your friends.
Some Nanny Browsers have like Firefox and Opera have done a couple of things to "help" you. They sometimes block images... you can click the button to show pictures with no fear. They also sometimes cut off the bottom of the newsletter... scroll down and click the button to show the whole thing.
Good Week for Ten Mile Runs:
The Army said it may extend Basic Training by two weeks to cope with an influx of flabby, unfit recruits. Officials said the recruits were so out of shape and undisciplined that trainers and dieticians might be posted to active units abroad.
The Grass is Always Greener:
A federal judge has ruled that Carl and Janice Duffner of St. Peters, MO., must obey a city ordinance and plant grass in their front yard, even though Mrs, Duffner has a severe grass allergy. The couple's lawyer, David Roland, calls the ruling "outrageous," saying his clients face fines and a jail term "for what they've chosen NOT to plant on their property."
... so much for the "man's home is his castle" theory!
LONDON, who would have thought that a knife could kill you?
More dangerous than NYC? London's murder rate has overtaken that of New York City for the first time since records began in 1800, largely because of a spike in knife attacks in the British capital. There were 22 murders in London in March and 15 in February, one more than in New York for each month; 31 of the London killings were committed by knives. Both cities have similar populations of about 8.5 million people. But while New York's murder rate has dropped nearly 90% since the 1990s, London's has increased by about 40% in only three years.
The Week
thanks to John Campbell
This is a very poignant, two minute thirty second tribute to a young man who gave his life during WWII, "The Greatest Generation".
thanks to Jim Buchanan
In the 1890s Stagecoach Holdups in Texas sometimes resulted in swift justice. In the picture, though, I would almost be more worried about the dead branch falling on me than the tree hanging me.
Stagecoach Robberies
Stagecoach robberies happened so often it came to be considered something of a right of passage to hand over one’s money and valuables to a masked man with a gun on some lonely roadside.
“At one time,” wrote journalist Alexander Sweet in his humor sheet Texas Siftings, “the traveling public became so accustomed to going through the usual ceremonies that they complained to the stage companies if they came through unmolested. Being robbed came to be regarded as a vested right.”
Fifty-eight years after the fact, Austin resident Sam Moore still liked to talk about the time he faced highwaymen in 1879...
read on in the Texas Almanac
The abuse of opium in the United States began in the late 19th century and was largely stigmatized with Chinese immigrants. During this time the use of opium had little negative connotation and was used freely until 1882 when a law was passed to confine opium smoking to specific dens. Until the full ban on opium based products came into effect just after the turn of the century, physicians in the US considered opium a miracle drug that could help with many ailments. Therefore, the ban on said products was more a result of negative connotations towards its use and distribution by Chinese immigrants who were heavily persecuted during this particular period in history.
As the 19th century progressed however, there was a doctor by the name of Hamilton Wright who worked to decrease the use of opium in the US by submitting the Harrison Act to congress. This act put taxes and restrictions on the sale and prescription of opium, as well as trying to stigmatize the opium poppy and its derivatives as "demon drugs", to try and scare people away from them. This act and the stigma of a demon drug on opium, led to the criminalization of people that used opium-based products. It made the use and possession of opium and any of its derivatives illegal. The restrictions were recently redefined by the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970.
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Dick Carleton forwarded this story to us. Unfortunately, the original author didn't sign his name to it but we appreciate his story:
The "Bad Angel" WWII Story
We were in Hanger #4 of the Pima Air and Space Museum to view the beautifully re stored B-29, when I happened to take notice of a P-51 Mustang near the big bomber. Its name? "Bad Angel”. I was admiring its aerodynamic lines and recalled enough history to know that until the Mustangs came into service, the skies over the Pacific Ocean were dominated by Japanese Zeros. Then something very strange caught my eye. Proudly displayed on the fuselage of “Bad Angel” were the markings of the pilot's kills: seven Nazis; one Italian; one Japanese AND ONE AMERICAN. Huh? "Bad Angel" shot down an American airplane?
Kill marks on "Bad Angel”. Was it a terrible mistake? Couldn’t be. If it had been an unfortunate misjudgment, certainly the pilot would not have displayed the American flag. I knew there had to be a good story here. Fortunately for us, one of the Museum's many fine docents was on hand to tell it.
In 1942, the United States needed pilots for its war planes . . . lots of war planes; lots of pilots. Lt. Louis Curdes was one. When he was 22 years old, he graduated from flight training school and was shipped off to the Mediterranean to fight Nazis in the air over Southern Europe.
 Lt. Louis Curdes. He arrived at his 82nd Fighter Group, 95th Fighter Squadron in April 1943 and was assigned a P-38 Lightning. Ten days later he shot down three German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters. A few weeks later, he downed two more German Bf -109's. In less than a month of combat, Louis was an Ace. During the next three months, Louis shot down an Italian Mc.202 fighter and two more Messerschmitt's before his luck ran out. A German fighter shot down his plane on August 27, 1943 over Salerno, Italy.
Captured by the Italians, he was sent to a POW camp near Rome. No doubt this is where he thought he would spend the remaining years of the war. It wasn't to be. A few days later, the Italians surrendered. Louis and a few other pilots escaped before the Nazis could take control of the camp.
One might think that such harrowing experiences would have taken the fight out of Louis, yet he volunteered for another combat tour. This time, Uncle Sam sent him to the Philippines where he flew P-51 Mustangs. Soon after arriving in the Pacific Theater, Louis downed a Mitsubishi reconnaissance plane near Formosa. Now he was one of only three Americans to have kills against all three Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Up until this point, young Lt. Curdes combat career had been stellar. His story was about to take a twist so bizarre that it seems like the fictional creation of a Hollywood screenwriter. While attacking the Japanese-held island of Bataan, one of Louis' wingmen was shot down. The pilot ditched in the ocean. Circling overhead, Louis could see that his wingman had survived, so he stayed in the area to guide a rescue plane and protect the downed pilot.
It wasn't long before he noticed another, larger airplane, wheels down, preparing to land at the Japanese-held airfield on Bataan. He moved in to investigate. Much to his surprise the approaching plane was a Douglas C-47 transport with American markings. He tried to make radio contact, but without success. He maneuvered his Mustang in front of the big transport several times trying to wave it off. The C-47 kept ahead to its landing target. Apparently the C-47 crew didn't realize they were about to land on a Japanese held island, and soon would be captives.
 Lt. Curdes read the daily newspaper accounts of the war, including the viciousness of the Japanese soldiers toward their captives. He knew that whoever was in that American C-47 would be, upon landing, either dead or wish they were. But what could he do?
Audaciously, he lined up his P-51 directly behind the transport, carefully sighted one of his 50 caliber machine guns and knocked out one of its two engines. Still the C-47 continued on toward the Bataan airfield. Curdes shifted his aim slightly and knocked out the remaining engine, leaving the baffled pilot no choice but to ditch in the ocean.
 The big plane came down in one piece about 50 yards from his bobbing wingman. At this point, nightfall and low fuel forced Louis to return to base. The next morning, Louis flew cover for a rescuing PBY that picked up the downed Mustang pilot and 12 passengers and crew, including two female nurses, from the C-47. All survived. Later, Lt. Curdes would end up marrying one of these nurses!
For shooting down an unarmed American transport plane, Lt. Louis Curdes was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Thereafter, on the fuselage of his P-51 "Bad Angel", he proudly displayed the symbols of his kills: seven German, one Italian, one Japanese and one American flag.
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Mauser M48-48a Yugoslavian Manual : 4 pages, about 11" x 8",flyer. New re-print from an OK original. Printed on high quality 20# 97 bright acid free paper. Fully Illustrated. Original copy was a bit smudged so this copy isn't perfect.
 Massive rip off, payed $10NZ literally for two photocopied A4 pieces of paper Member id: lovreuge (New Zealand)
Dear Mr. Lovric,
I am sorry to have upset you with the Yugoslavian Mauser manual we sent you. Actually the paperwork, protective plastic display envelope and packing materials only cost $2.95 and the rest was postage. Of course Ebay and Paypal take their chunk (on the postage too!) so there was precious little to be made in profit for us when you consider the handwork too.
Anyway we hope you will reconsider the negative you gave us and give us the OK to refund the whole price you paid under our guarantee of satisfaction and also let us send you a revision form (Ebay insists it be done this way) to revise your feedback tp positive. We have over 19000 positive feedbacks on eBay and a negative just encourages others to do the same raising prices for everyone.
Abby and I are retired and this is more of a service for us to our friends in the firearms community than a big business, just the two of us run it.
Cheers,
Rob Mouat
No Response from our dear buyer so at Ebay we said:
Whoa Big Fella! $1.03 profit after we PAID (note spelling) fees, matls & $5.50 Intl. ship to New Zealand
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ARMS HERITAGE MAGAZINE
SEVENTH ANNUAL COMPENDIUM OF ALL
2017 ONLINE ISSUES IS NOW
AVAILABLE IN PRINTED-BOUND FORMAT
Take a look at what you get:
Volume 7 – Number 1
Crudely Sophisticated By Staff
An OSS Colt By Charles Pate
The “Tuning Folk” Matchlock By Staff
Early German Powder Flasks By Staff
A Swedish Pressure Test Gun By P. Breakey
Volume 7 – Number 2
Edward Maynard’s First Model Carbine By Staff
Washington’s Pistols By Peter Bower
Early Colt Automatic Pistols By Dick Herman
Armed Images Part III By Frank Graves
Volume 7 – Number 3
The Collier Flinklock Revolver- Revisited By Ben Nicholson
A Unique Armed Image By Frank Graves
Model 1812 Standard Pattern Flintlock Muskets By Kent W. Johns
Grandfather Strawn’s Colt Revolving Rifle By Charles Pate
Smith and Wesson’s Model 35 Pistol By Alan Samuels
Volume 7 – Number 4
Pocket Revolvers of Eli Whitney, Jr By Daniel E. Williams
The Luger Manufacturers By Dick Herman
Superimposed-Load Flintlock Pistols By Matthew Scheiderman and John Burgoyne
The Last Dragoon Revolver Shipment By Charles Pate
Volume 7 – Number 5
The Last Chapter on Circumvention By Staff
The 45 National Teat-fire Revolver By Jeff Goodson
Swiss Lugers By Dick Herman
Two Campfire Mis-matched C.W. Revolvers By Charles Pate
Volume 7 – Number 6
History of the Savage Repeating Firearms Company By Ken Thomsen
The Elegant Cantarini Air Pistols By Larry Hannusch
The Finnish Luger By Dick Herman
A Spotsylvania Battle Tree Trunk By Charles Pate
VOLUME 7, all six issues bound as one
-----------------------------------
Read this and dozens of other terrific articles in Arms Heritage Magazine. A year subscription costs a mere $19 and you can have access to this year plus the last six years!
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The Internet Browsers we all use to look at emails – Firefox, Edge, Opera etc – have all decided to truncate or cut off the bottoms of long emails. While there is a tiny note at the bottom allowing you to retrieve the rest of the email we decided to reduce the number of Letters from Readers to shorten this newsletter. Rob and Abby
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(Dear Abby) Do you really have both Vol. 1 and 2 of the P.O. Ackley Handbook for Reloading and Shooting in-stock? Vol 2 actually says Vol 2 on the cover. Please advise. Thanks. CW
Dear CW, We print to order- all 6000 of the publications- so things are always "in stock" so to speak. Regarding the Ackley Handbooks, each volume is different on the following list but you are right about the "volume 1 and 2 question", we call the 1966 version volume 2 to make it different than the earlier one in an attempt to reduce confusion about which is which. Here are all the Ackley books we reprint in chronological order: ACKLEY, PARKER O. - ALL CATALOGS AND MANUALS Cheers, Abby
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(Dear Abby), Guerillas V. Tanks c1940 Illustrated Manual (UK) cool, intresting WW2 tank manual. I like ww1 and modern warfare better thought and armmourd cars. this is a long ref-rance manual, 50 pages. most manuals are short I'll buy it soon. Thanks DAVE-Fisherman.-N.Y.
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Dear Abby ..As always pleasure is all mine...you guys do a great job and are good to deal with ..had to add a few more Bannermans after 1st one damn interesting operation and time in history ...thanks Bill
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(Dear Abby) Why was it not stated in your auction that this title was not in hand and had to be printed? This not acceptable to me finding out after you taken my money for the item, will have to report this to Gun Broker! duane
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(Dear Rob) Good day, I've been wrestling with a Winchester 94 trying to get it to feed correctly. I see you offer a takedown manual 62pages, and an operations manual 32pages. Since I can't preview the books, could you possibly describe more about what is in them? To me operations sounds simple like put a cartridge in receiver, operate lever then pull trigger to fire, or it could possibly be more technical which is what I need. The takedown manual I'm sure would show how to disassemble the rifle, perhaps in 5 pages with all the variations over the many years filling the rest of the manual? Please illuminate me, correct me if I'm wrong, sell your product. Mike.
Hello Mike, Yours is the sort of question that is very hard to answer. The takedown manual is pretty well described in the advertisement but to that I can add that it is the most comprehensive manual of its kind for dismantling and handling most problems. The entire manual is singular and not repetitious. Note that is was written prior to the major change of manufacturing methods made in 1964 when Winchester went to some stamped parts, so if your rifle is newer than 1964 this manual would not apply. It also costs only $10 so you haven't got a lot to lose! Cheers, Rob
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(Dear Rob) Handbook on the Armalite AR-10 Infantry Rifle Cal 7.62 NATO. The Portuguese issue of the Armalite Ar 10 Infantry Rifle was 1900, there are more of this model firearm in New Zealand than any other country, no doubt you will post to a "Ally Alien" Regards Kevin, Ao-Tea-Roa, Land of the long white cloud.
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(Dear Abby) Winchester 1962 Firearms Catalog - Texas (or Arizona) Rangers. Could you sell me just the cover print? I have a original print of the full company along with roster of the Arizona Rangers and would like to have this cover photo to display also. prisonguard99 (ebay)
Dear prison… I'm sorry it would cost more to print just one page than to print the catalog given the way things are set up. We get tons of requests for "Just the page that..." and we have to decline. You can request the catalog unbound though. By the way, our catalog has a bonus story in it not in the original about one of the rangers. Cheers, Abby
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(Dear Rob) I have just received a book copy from you called Birmingham & London january 1893. Thank you for fulfilling my order. Unfortunately the booklet did not show the information I was seeking. I am looking for information about a side by side shotgun that Iaac Hollis& son made around 1920—to 1945. It is branded ‘panmure’ along the top rib of the double barrel. Question; have you any books or info that may have Iaac Hollis and son gun makers that cover that era? Once again many thanks for sending me that 1893 series of Hollis guns. Regards john Shanahan (Australia)
Dear Mr. Shanahan, What you bought from us is an 1893 Isaac Hollis catalog of guns they made in 1893. They had locations in Birmingham and London (England). So, the name of the catalog was Isaac Hollis, not Birmingham and London. It was common for companies to indicate their locations on the cover of their catalogs. The Hollis company went through some changes over the years and you can read a bit about that on the web page featuring the catalog you bought.
The name "panmure" doesn't register with any search at our website but many companies sold Hollis guns during the period you mention. If you enter the name "hollis" in the search bar at our website you can see the names. One in particular I noticed was the Hartley Sports Stores (Australia) c1939 Gun Catalog. They sold Hollis guns called the 206, 206P, 84, 84 D'B and 84P with Vine Fences. I'm sorry I can't be more help. Cheers, Rob
Rob, many thanks for the info you have sent. I do appreciate your feedback. Best of luck to you mate. john
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Hi Abby, Received the catalogs yesterday. Thank you so very much for the extra Winchester 1894 catalog you included! Totally unexpected, and very generous of you. I greatly appreciate it. All the best, Roger Smith
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Hello - FN FAL Light Automatic Rifle Competition Model Manual (in English). I am interested in your reprint of the FN FAL brochure (I say brochure, as I once had an original of this publication, that I was given nearly 50 years ago in Herstal, Belgium, and it was intended as a promotional brochure at that time). I have had one prior transaction some time ago with your company, and I returned that purchase (and you folks were very gracious and prompt in facilitating my return), so before I purchase again, I would like to know more about the quality of the resolution of the pages - specifically, the parts diagram page you indicate is light compared to the rest of the resolution of the reprint. Would it be possible for you folks to email me that specific page (like in .pdf format) so I can see it before I buy again? Thank you for the courtesy of your reply. Mike Anderson, Fall City, WA (ebay)
Hi Mike, I'm sorry, ebay just isn't the place for us to try to send samples of pages. With feedback always a threat we just try to keep our noses clean and not rile our community. The refunds we send are extraordinary because we sell reproductions of old sometimes tired copies and people expect perfect forgeries. So with the FAL, it was copied in the Netherlands on a small copier in four sections and shows folds and all- not a good copy, as we said. We sell at ebay because we have to- to keep us afloat, but we just can't offer the degree of service we would like to. Best wishes, Rob
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Hi abby, Strange request, but can you help me. I was wondering if you have a catalogue which would include this A G Parker .22 rifle cleaning kit along with a description of its original contents, possibly from the 1930s? If so Ill order one. Eddie
Hi Eddie, Not strange at all, we get two dozen requests a day for specific research for everything from plumb bobs to tent cases. Good news though, this Parker has six pages of .22 cleaning supplies: Parker 1933, AG & Co. Small Bore Catalog 10J Cheers, Abby
(Abby) Thats great. Ill leave it a little while as I have to go away from home for a few weeks. Eddie
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Dear Abby, Thank you for sending me the 'Factory Rendering' of the I-J Safety hammerless Automatic Revolver. I copied it to newsprint stock and have it in my I-J file. Don't know what we would do without you folks. Regards, Roger
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(Dear Abby) Merrill Rifles Factory Manual and Sales Brochure – 1864. I bought a Merrill carbine 2nd and need to know the part ids and names on some. Does this booklet have a complete list of the parts and diagrams on how the all operate? Any extra pics to show I'd get what I need with this booklet? Thanks, Eric.
Dear Eric, No. The 1864 Merrill catalog was written about 40 years before most manufacturers thought to include a parts breakdown and some 85 years before exploded parts views came into fashion (cutaway drawings came first). There were basic instruction about how to operate the weapon but nothing to tell you how to dismantle and reassemble it. This is a typical advertising piece of the time. Cheers, Abby
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(Dear Abby) Good morning, I have a question about your Winchester catalogues. Im a Winchester model 42 collector and i'm doing research on the model 42. Im wanting to find out what was offered by the factory for the model 42 in the Winchester catalogues from 1933-1964. Im not wanting to purchase the entire catalogue, but rather only the pages that pertain to model 42 info, giving the descriptions and corresponding part number/symbol listings. Some catalogues only offer brief descriptions while the full catalogues offer descriptions, part numbers/symbol numbers to order and reference from. With you having digital copies, do you have the ability to only print only the corresponding pages that im interested in. I actually only need digit copies , but either would work. Let me know if this is something you are able to assist with and what the cost would be. I wanted to check with you before i went out and stating buying the original catalogues to research. Thank you for your time. Loyal777 – ebay
Dear loya... I am afraid the cost of researching the Win 42, finding the pages in the catalogs, printing them, marking what they are, explaining to ebay what I did (and figuring how to pay them) then sending you the pages (or preparing an annotated PDF) would far exceed the cost to you of just buying the reprints. So, despite many requests from people for "just the page that..." from our over 6000 reprints, we have to decline. Sorry to disappoint, Abby
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Dear Abby, Colt 1855 Roots Pocket Revolver Ad. Received the item and left an A + on your feedback. Thanks, Tony
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Dear Abby, I received (the catalog) from you today and it arrived a couple days early! Good thing it did as now I have something to pass the day with Sunday along with the fine snowstorm which is putting down yet another useless layer of work! I also have a Colt Model 1901 New Army handgun acquired today I am going to put in the parts cleaner tomorrow to see if it is worth getting into shooting shape. Thanks again for your fine publications and I see your business mentioned more and more in the various gun magazines I subscribe to. Hopefully you will get the intro to this snowstorm tonight so that you can enjoy it with me tomorrow! Regards, Greg Topp
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(Dear Abby) Xould tou please help me to identify this gun please: Sondra
Hi Abby, the Iver Johnson revolver (April Newsletter) looks like a 1st model Safety Hammerless Automatic. It has the forward facing lever and the forward facing owl, as well as no locking recesses in the cylinder, just the cuts (the pressure of the hand would hold the cylinder bottomed in the cuts against the cylinder stop as the gun fired - you hoped). The hammer cover was a separate piece. Perhaps the  cover in the picture is a replacement, but it has the fasteners front and back as its should, or perhaps the plating was holding onto the metal due to the composition of the metal, as the cover wouldn't have to be as strong as the frame and might accept the plating better, hard to say.
I always enjoy your newsletters. Sorry you have to put up with some of the customers you deal with. A guy I used to work with said, "90% of the people you meet are all right, but 10% are here just to keep you guessing". Thanks for all the great work making old manuals and other information available to all of us collector nuts. Brian
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Hey (Abby), thanks for the publications. I have a question about a Luciano Rota SXS shotgun I have which was imported by Tristar about 1998-2000. Modified and Full, 26", blued, extractors, walnut, checkered, rubber pad, and case colored. Really nice quality. Do you have any publications that are applicable for this gun? Ed
Hi Ed, Sorry, doesn't ring a bell, we are just now moving into the 21st century so have not done a lot for the period. Abby – Readers??
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Dear Rob, Felt inclined to drop a note to say 'well done'. Your website is concise.. your prices cheap. How can people complain? Thank you very much for tolerating the idiots out there and servicing your appreciative customers. You do a public service spreading gun related information that is already hard to find. I tip my hat to you (and Abby) Ed DeDona
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(Dear Abby) Felix Sarasqueta SA c1985 (Spain) Gun Catalog. Hi, I ordered a book about Felix Sarasqueta's shotguns. I am very disappointed with the book. I wanted a book showing schematics, parts and information about the shotguns. How much they are worth and how to tell when it was made. The book I received has nothing but the product line which doesn't mean anything to me. I can't even tell which shotgun I purchased. It looks like a model 11e but I really can't tell. I'm not going to the trouble to send this book back. I will just consider the purchase a loss of my money. I am not being mean or unreasonable I was just expecting more for the amount I paid.
Stan Rogers
Dear Stan, We reprint old gun catalogs and that is what you bought. Abby tries to help you make a decision before buying by listing an index of contents with each publication. Gun catalogs typically do not contain schematics of guns they manufacture and none have serial number and date of manufacture because they are usually made to help sell guns not yet produced. If you would like a refund for your purchase, please write back to Abby and ask her for one. She can take care of that next week when we return. Sincerely, Rob Mouat
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email Rob or Abby
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