Before America Was Afraid of Firearms...

[Sluice Willis]

They were sold as casually as cameras, fishing gear and watches, and just as commonplace. Just about any type of firearm or surplus could be ordered through the mail.


1903 Sears catalog.




Sears catalog unknown year.



1908 Montgomery Ward catalog.





A. J. Aubrey revolver as advertised in the early 1900s by Sears, Roebuck and Co.



New England single barrel shotgun offered in 1908 Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog.



1905 Iver Johnson Revolver Hammer the Hammer ad.



Winchester Fishing Tackle.



Red Ryder BB gun ad from the 1930's



1947 Savage’s Stevens Bolt Action Cal. .30-.30 Carbine Type Repeating Rifle.



1957 Duck Hunting Shotgun Miss Rheingold Beer.



1956 Marlin High Powered Rifle Les Bowman.



1959 Crosman’s Pellguns.



1956 Stoeger Arms Shooters Bible.



1961 Smith Wesson .22 Center fire Magnum Handgun.



1962 Beretta’s Shotguns.



1980's unknown ad.



A few more at this link Vintage Guns Advertisements

 

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[Sluice Willis]

A Look at Vintage Firearm Advertising

A Look at Vintage Firearm Advertising: By Robert Reed. As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, February 2009.

The Civil War era saw the dawn of wide scale advertising of major firearms, although certainly they were advertised well before that time.

However it was that decade of the 1860s when production and public interest in firearms moved significantly in the same direction.

“The development of the breech-loading rifle and shotgun and the coming of the Civil War combined to change firearms forever,” observes Ralf Coykendall, Jr. author of The Complete Guide to Sporting Collectibles. “The war issued in mass-produced American firearms, and the breech-loader opened the way for all that followed, including the lever action, pump or slide action, and the semi-automatics we know and used today.”

Likewise printed advertisements followed the same inevitable commercial path across the country.

“Names like A. H. Fox, Baker, Ballard, Lefever, and L.C. Smith completed for attention in a time of plenty, and American sporting firearms were plentiful and available at prices to fill all pocketbooks,” adds Coykendall. “It is fair to say that these and other American and European firearms makers set the table of that we savor today.”

Advertisements not only promoted those firearm products, but in retrospect they served to authenticate and document those products.

As early as 1864 Wilson and Evans advertised in the San Francisco Business Directory and Mercantile Guide to call attention to the two California locations. They advertisement further offered, “Colt’s Rifles and Pistols, Sharp’s Rifles, Gun Materials, Power, Caps, Wads, etc.

In 1867 the Tyron Brothers and Company of Philadelphia advertised the Superior Derringer Pattern Pistol in one of the city's newspapers. They assured the derringer was “our own make, and superior to any others in the market. The Locks, Barrels and Rifling are of the best material, and the Pistols are beautifully finished."

Most of the vintage advertisements offered the real thing. But there were toy firearms as well. In 1872 Lenhart's Patent Toy Rifle was offered “to teach the use of the rifle without danger." It was being made by the Toy Rifle Manufacturing Company in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Smith and Weston published some splashy advertisements in the 1880s to hawk their latest hammerless revolver. The revolver in 32 and 38 calibers was, “a perfect and safe arm for the house and pocket."

One further stated: “The accidental discharge of this revolver is made impossible by the application of the Safety Device, which insures protection against accidents so often occurring in the handling of this class of arms, and renders it safe in the hands of small children."

The hammer was included in the Swift Double-Action Revolver also generously advertised in the 1880s. Concluded the illustrated ad, “don't buy until you have seen the Swift. Ask any dealer." Yet another merchant from New York City offered a Springfield rifle for $7.50. The advertisement, apparently with tongue-in-cheek, added this warning:

“Remember this is not toy Rifle, not a catchpenny but a regular long range Rifle, good for game, deer, buffaloes, wild geese, bears, or burglars, road agents, and Indiana."

Elsewhere in New York City the 1886 edition of Bloomingdale's illustrated catalog offered hand guns including three variations of the six shot Blue Jacket. The wood handled model was 75 cents, ivory handles were $1.49, and the ultimate pearl handles Blue Jacket was $2.50.

Beyond the dozen hand guns listed, Bloomingdale's promised, “a full line of firearms, sporting goods and ammunition constantly on hand."

Harper's Weekly in 1889 carried an advertisement for Colt repeating rifles, “new from the factory." The price was $11. The advertiser based in Boston also offered a catalog containing firearms, fishing tackle, sporting goods, and bicycles. Still another Harper's Weekly advertiser during that same year offered pistols for 75 cents, rifles for $2, and “double breech-loader" guns for $6.75.

Firearms were widely advertised and widely sold in 1890s America. The 1895 Montgomery Ward mail order catalog, for example, listed 42 types of handguns alone. They ranged from a “vest pocket issue for 50 cents to Colt's new Navy revolver for $12. Somewhere in between was Harrington & Richardson's Improved Automatic Shell Extracting Double Action Self-Cocking Revolver. It was priced at $5.

The firearm advertisements at Montgomery Ward that year carried one qualifier. “In accordance with the following extract," it read, “we cannot sell a minor resident of the State of Illinois a revolver. This law does not apply to any state except Illinois."

Early in the 20th century the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog devoted several pages to the mail-order of firearms. One page featured a huge illustration of the of the New England Single Barrel automatic ejector shotgun. According to the ad the shotgun was “made for us under contract by a large New England manufacturer, every gun guaranteed for strength, durability, shooting qualities and construction." The price was $3.49.

In 1908 Sears also used a full page to advertise the A. J. Aubrey hammerless revolver. At $4.50 it was offered for “one-half the price at which revolvers that will in no way compare with it sell, we urge you to order this."

Fishing and Hunting Magazine provided a series of relatively lavish full-color advertisements from firearms manufacturers during the1920s. Outstanding among them was the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, Connecticut. Some of the Winchester ads featured not only firearms but other products including fishing rods and reels, knives and even roller skates.

Winchester remained in the forefront with advertising during the latter 1940s with advertising in popular men's magazines. The firm used a full-color page in one which promoted four different Winchester rifles and shotguns. Again the ad included a multitude of products including roller skates, batteries, and flashlights.

Other major firearm advertisers of that era included The Marlin Firearms Company of New Haven, Connecticut. One particular item featured in the ads was the Marlin Model 39-A lever action repeating rifle. The 25-shot firearm was priced at $50.45 in 1948. Some of the Marlin advertisements also mentioned dingle and double edge shaving blades.

Today so many of the classic old firearms of the past are highly collected. At the same time many of the vintage advertisements which document and detail the glory days of some companies and their firearms remain worth saving too.

 

[BC1969]

Nice post, this rivals a Nugs post.

BC

 

[kayakpat]

America has never been afraid of guns, been with us all over since the beginning, just that they never were considered a fashion accessory or hyped fad like they are being today. They were no big deal when I was a kid, you got them for you 10th birthday, bought them sold them , carried them, used them, whenever you wanted big deal, nobody cared, you had gun clubs at school, merit badges for shooting, it was boring to most.

 

[NHBandit]

I'd like to jump into the "wayback machine" and go shopping at Bannerman's

 

[sanddigger]

THE GOOD OLD DAYS ! I WISH THEY COULD COME BACK !

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Thank you for sharing the interesting material.

 

[Flapjack23]

Very different times now. I remember in elementary school I wanted to bring my dads AR-15 to school for show and tell. Teacher made him drop it off at the office for me to pick up. After show and tell I put it under my desk and brought it home on the school bus. Not a chance anyone would even think of something like that today...

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Thread can stay, please keep political comments out of posts... (Okay so far)..

 

[bzbadger]

Amazing looking at the old advertising and the way you could get what you needed without red tape. We still have a 12guage single shot my great grandfather bought from a local seed and feed store through the sears roebuck catalog. He paid $5 which was his week's wages in the coal mine, was a $1 extra for the barrel rib. Fired it one time and been wrapped in oil cloth for a 80 years except when get it out to check on it.

 

[Sluice Willis]

Amazing looking at the old advertising and the way you could get what you needed without red tape. We still have a 12guage single shot my great grandfather bought from a local seed and feed store through the sears roebuck catalog. He paid $5 which was his week's wages in the coal mine, was a $1 extra for the barrel rib. Fired it one time and been wrapped in oil cloth for a 80 years except when get it out to check on it.

Alot of those catalog guns from Sears are worth a pretty penny nowadays!

 

[bzbadger]

This shotgun looks like brand new, as I said it was fired one time. I have worked with, bought and sold a lot of guns but never bothered to even check the value of that old gun. I bet it does have some value but worth more to me considering it was my great grand father's. Even have my great grandmother's snub nose s&w 32 bought from a catalog, was only way back then up in the mountains of Kentucky

 

[Sluice Willis]

please keep political comments out of posts...

I agree, and I know it may be hard to refrain considering the topic.

 

[Sluice Willis]

This shotgun looks like brand new, as I said it was fired one time. I have worked with, bought and sold a lot of guns but never bothered to even check the value of that old gun. I bet it does have some value but worth more to me considering it was my great grand father's. Even have my great grandmother's snub nose s&w 32 bought from a catalog, was only way back then up in the mountains of Kentucky

You would be surprised at what some old guns are worth. Some of those catalog guns were only available through the mail, today they are sought after by some collectors. Alot of the ones bought through Sears were marked with the Sears logo on the but plate.

 

[Slingshot]

I remember going to the General Store when I was a kid and they stocked common groceries, hardware, clothing, household goods, and always had ammo and guns, usually a few .22 rifles and several shotguns. They were thought of as tools more so than anything else. I can remember debating whether to pay the extra few cents difference for box of 50 .22 long rifle rounds versus the .22 shorts. I usually went with the shorts, didn't need any kind of ID to make an ammo or firearms purchase either and this was several years before I turned 18. A different world for sure. Cheers!!

 

[Gold Maven]

Read an article in a trapping magazine by Maj. Boddicker, a trapping icon, he was saying the same thing.

He included a picture from a field trip he took a group of 8th graders on back in the 50's.

They went Prairie dog hunting, and the pic was of their school bus with a rifle sticking out of every window on one side.

I can't find it on line, it looked pretty cool.

 

[piegrande]

In the 50's, we could still go downtown at lunch time. Many of the farm kids would go to Tom's gun shop and look at guns. Though the only sales usually were a box of .22 or shotgun shells which were taken home on the school bus. Tom loved guns, and with no paying customers at that time, didn't mind if we hung around.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I remember being able to buy guns from magazines no questions asked....

My first gun was a BB gun, maybe 10 or 11 years old, can't remember right now.

 

[Boatlode]

They were sold as casually as cameras, fishing gear and watches, and just as commonplace.

Don't know what its like where you live, but I walked into my friendly neighborhood gun shop and walked out 15 minutes later with a brand new Bushmaster AR-15.

I guess I still live in the U.S.A.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Don't know what its like where you live, but I walked into my friendly neighborhood gun shop and walked out 15 minutes later with a brand new Bushmaster AR-15.

I guess I still live in the U.S.A.

Rifles no problem here either, pistols are another story unless you have a conceal carry license it is a 3 day waiting period.