Shotgun & Rifle Q&A; Gun Hoaxes GunFax By William Miller December Gun Shows On the weekend of Dec. 4th & 5th, Central Indiana Gunshows brings a show to the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown Point. On Dec. 12th only, Midwest Gun Traders visits the Allen County Fairgrounds in Fort Wayne. The weekend of Dec. 18th & 19th finds Central Indiana Gunshows at the Kuhlman Center at Richmond's Wayne County Fairgrounds, and Clay City Shooting Sports brings a show to Brazil's Clay County 4-H Fairgrounds. For the very latest gun show information, details, and maps, please see my Big List of ALL Indiana Gun Shows at gunfax.com. Promoters are urged to use the online form to list their 2005 free of charge. Gun Hoaxes? Since the birth of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s, it became easier to spread rumors - and to debunk them. But it seems like the second half of that equation is often slow in coming, if at all. Some of the rumors out there are actually very interesting, but often quite alarming, too. Is it true that the Federal government was going to recall the new Massachusetts State quarters because they include a depiction of a firearm? Messages circulated on this subject mentioned a few well- known folks on both sides of the gun rights issue. For the most part it sounded pretty plausible, considering the zeal of some radicals. But it was just a hoax. Did duck hunters lose their Jeep Cherokee to the depths of a less than frozen lake when their eager dog retrieved a stick of dynamite they had tossed? Was singer John Denver really an Army sniper during the Vietnam War? Find the answers to these and other scintillating questions at snopes.com. It's one of those Web sites so full of interesting and controversial information that you can poke around on it for hours. It's my first choice for checking the truth behind some of the e-mail stories and claims that occasionally get forwarded to me. I highly recommend that you bookmark it in your favorites. Riverside Shotgun Q&A Q. Can you tell me anything about the Riverside Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, Mass.? I have a 410 gauge side by side with double triggers and solid ribbed barrel. It has a patent date of April 20, 1915. It has a walnut stock and forearm and is engraved only on the stock grip. Thank you for any information you can give me. - Brian Z. via e-mail A. According to the sources I found, this mystery gun is actually a J. Stevens Arms (or just Stevens) model 315. It was also produced with several brand names, including Springfield. In the late 1940s, new owner Savage dropped the J. Stevens nameplate from their arms. They were offered in 410, 20, 16, and 12 gauge bores and were hammerless with dual triggers and extractors. Gunstock Industries, Inc. (of Boyd's stock fame) says they think the best identifier is the upper tang, which is 2-5/8" long on the model 315. Also, from the side view, the front edge of the stock is square (not notched) where it mates to the frame. Numrich Gun Parts Corporation has a list of parts available for them, too. I looked at the barrel part numbers for the Riverside side by side and the Stevens 315, and interestingly, the part numbers differ only in the suffix. Savage and Stevens guns were usually made for shooters, not collectors, so current values will range from $100-225 depending on percentage of finish and market interest. Hawthorne Sentry Q&A Q. I recently purchased a little .22-LR single-shot bolt-action rifle with the words "Hawthorne Sentry" and "Montgomery Ward-558" stamped onto the barrel. The gun is in good condition. Could you possibly tell me who made it for Montgomery Ward? It doesn't have a serial number on it, so I am assuming it was made before 1968. Any information you can provide is greatly appreciated. - Herb B. via e-mail A. I'm not certain, but I think there's a good chance this is actually a Colteer 1-22 model made by Colt. I've sent you a photo of one via e- mail, and that should tell the tale. Colt made fifty thousand of the Colteer 1-22 rifles between 1957 and 1966. They were available in .22LR and .22 magnum calibers, with barrel lengths ranging from 20 to 24" and with plain walnut furniture. Values will probably range from about $80-725, depending on the remaining finish and current demand. As always, you can usually find and download technical and values information about your guns from the online Blue Book at tinyurl.com/BNKML9P.