House Brand Guns; Internet Hunting Society GunFax by William Miller July 2003 Indiana Gun Shows The onset of summer usually means fewer gun shows, so I only have two listings for this month. Both shows take place on the weekend of the 12th & 13th. Central Indiana Gunshows will be in Anderson at McClain's Historical Military Armor Museum at 2330 Crystal Street. Also, Northern Indiana Gun & Outdoors Shows will be in Crown Point at the Lake County Fairgrounds at 889 Court Street. For the very latest gun show updates, details, and maps, see my Big List of ALL Indiana Gun Shows at gunfax.com. Internet Hunting Society Claiming the largest collection of hunting information on the Web at 2,272 pages, the Internet Hunting Society aims to provide you with the quickest and easiest way to get the information you want about hunting, gear, rifles and much more. Chock full of game pictures, their Web site also features links to educational hunting resources, manufacturers, custom gun makers, fine gun dealers, publications, etc. They even offer a popular hunting game you can download free! See them at huntingsociety.org. Gun Q&A Q. I have an old double with hammers I'm interested in selling. All it says on it is American Gun Co., New York. Value? - Ken Q. via e-mail A. American Gun Company was one of the 100+ "house brands" of Crescent Firearms. House brands were names under which several million low- to medium-priced utilitarian guns have been made in the US. Such guns are generally not regarded as highly collectable. Many such remaining specimens are no longer in good enough shape to be safe shooters. House brand guns were stamped with the brand name of retailers for which they were destined, such as department stores, hardware stores, distributors, and mail order houses. Crescent Firearms was perhaps the most important of these manufacturers. The H&R Folsom Company distributed their guns. Through a variety of mergers and sales, these companies, along with Davis and Warner, were eventually brought under the Savage-Stevens umbrella. Your gun could have been of made between 1888 to 1893, or possibly as late as 1910. Whether it has Damascus or steel barrels, chances are it was designed for black powder loads, and cannot safely handle modern smokeless powder loads. In any case, a competent gunsmith who can determine the degree of function (and dangerous pitting) should definitely check it for safety. It may not be safe to fire at all - and a potential buyer should be aware of this! Guns of this type in 60% to 100% condition - percentage of remaining finish, pitting, damage, completeness, etc. - might sell in the range of $75 to $240. Guns with hammers must be in 80% or better condition before they can equal the values of the hammerless types. Smaller gauges or steel barreled models will bring about 15% more. Don't forget - they do make mighty fine wall-hangers! Supporting Our Troops US troops are still actively deployed in the Persian Gulf area fulfilling our commitment against the remnants of the Iraqi regime and aiding the Iraqi people. Regardless of your politics, these are America's sons and daughters - all volunteers - who have answered our nation's call to duty. I urge you to show them you care and support them. The USO Web site gives you details of a meaningful and practical way to do it. "Operation USO Care Package", which will last for the duration, lets individuals & companies financially support care packages to be delivered to service members overseas. A $25 contribution will purchase one Care Package, bringing a much-needed touch of home. "The Care Packages contain an assortment of items specifically requested by the military, such as prepaid international calling cards, disposable cameras, toiletries, and sunscreen," said Edward A. Powell, President and CEO of USO World Headquarters. In fact, many US troops are still in Afghanistan, too, and others are deployed around the world. The USO has programs to help all our service people. Donations can be sent to USO World HQ, P.O. Box 70264, Washington, DC 20024. You can contact the USO by phone at 202-610-5700 for full information. Their phone number for donations only is 1-800-USO-SHOW. Think of it as a birthday gift to Bob Hope, who is 100 years old this year! Gun Quiz Winner Roger G. of Marion was the e-mail winner of a pair of free passes to any upcoming 2003 gun show presented by Central Indiana Gunshows. He knew that the Browning A-5 (or Auto-5) was the gun over which John Browning had a falling-out with Winchester in 1902. After they refused to negotiate royalties for the gun with him, Browning manufactured it without them. The last laugh? It became his most commercially successful model!