doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bogardus duck club Illinois

A friend has two shotguns made by W & C Scott, a 16 gauge and a 12 gauge that has the inscription Bogardus duck club on the rib. I think I remember an article in one of the shotgun magazines, either the Double Gun Journal or Shooting Sportsman that stated That W&C Scott manufactured 10 shotguns and sent them to the Bogardus duck club in Illinois because he used one of their shotguns in pigeon shooting competition. Can anyone give me information on this article? Thank you.Randy

I know that I have seen listings for a “Bogardus Gun Club” model made by W&C Scott. Adam Bogardus did shoot Scott guns during his career and perhaps was sponsored by them hence the named model. I can’t recall seeing a “Bogardus Duck Club”, though. Looking through my new DGJ I & R I also didn’t see an article referencing such a gun but under W&C Scott there is a full column of references to DGJ articles that could be gone through. As for here, there are some “search engine masters” (I’m not one.) who could perhaps find a mention or past discussion for you. Let’s hope.

Both he and I think we have read such an article of where W and C Scott sent 10 shotguns to the duck club, they’re being a couple of 10 gauges 216 gauges and the rest 12 gauges of Damascus barrel hammer guns. I know they had a Bogardus grade, I think as the article said stemming from this gift to the club

https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/help-with-id-of-a-w-c-scott-shotgun.504806/

Short history on Bogardus
https://mchistory.org/research/articles/adam-bogardus-world-champion-wing-shot

I've never seen confirmation that he actually had a gun club. He did however have several indoor glass ball shooting ranges (one on S. Clark St., Chicago) and the Bogardus Hot Springs Shooting School



They are not uncommon
https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...-gun--london--12-ga.cfm?gun_id=101982533

https://stevebarnettfineguns.com/archive-16/wc-scott-bogardus-gun-club-sxs-hammer-gun-12-gauge

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...ne-out-and-try-it--.cfm?gun_id=101631070

Thank you so much, Drew. But it begs the question of why a gun manufacture in Britain would have a graded shotgun named after an American trap and pigeon shooter.

The US was a very big market for Scott in the late 1800's, particularly before the large tariffs were imposed (I think by McKinley??). Scotts were often seen in the pigeon match results where gun makers were reported.

While never having read the above mentioned article(s) I have read a considerable amount on Bogardus, and his shooting matches against other renowned wing shots of the era. I scanned quickly through my copy of Capooth's excellent tome The Golden Age of Waterfowling yesterday afternoon, which has more info about famous duck clubs than any other resource I am aware of. But, I found no reference to a Bogardus Duck Club. I could have overlooked it easily, as i was really looking for a picture of Bogardus which might help me home in on some information to help you out, but I found none.

An excellent image of Capt. Bogardus from another fine book I own that speaks off his exploits, Live Pigeon Trap Shooting by Cyril Adams.




Your friend may indeed have two very desirable guns, due to provenance. I hope you can help him confirm that.

Best, SRH

Matt is correct. Look at the beginning of this document
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D8QkBDo-KIQYk2G8lkE-kHLUybB5NJzBahX_eFKEyuY/edit?tab=t.0
The McKinley Tariff was 1890 and the most popular Live Bird guns until about 1895 were by Scott and Greener.
In 1895, Mr. Will K. Park, Gun Editor for Sporting Life began to aggressively promote American maker's guns in a series of editorials.


Feb. 16, 1895 Sporting Life (Spelling is as written)
During the past three years on visits to such sporting clubs as Larchmont, Carteret, Tuxedo and Riverton, we have noted the peculiar fact that out of 20 or 30 guns on the grounds at one time there will possibly be one gun of American manufacture. All the others are “Crown Grade Grenier's,” “Premier Quality Scott's,” “Purdy's” and other foreign makes.
The remarkable state of affairs, which is not creditable to American manufacturers, would indicate that there is something lacking on their part. We know that men with “hobbies” are willing to spend much money to gratify their “hobby;” but we are not willing to concede, if only from a patriotic sense, that American manufacturers are unable to satisfy their countrymen's “hobby” in guns.

Tariffs, a terrible idea in 1890, a terrible idea in 2025. Some things don't change.

cept, using temporary tariffs as leverage in negotiating tariff equity with foreign trading partners is a wonderful idea...

Hmmmm, the Preacher says Scotts remained the most popular Live Bird guns until about 1895, in spite of the large McKinley tariff being imposed a full 5 years earlier.

But Princess SKB Stevie has been repeatedly whining and having a complete meltdown over the Trump tariffs. He/she has been crying that they killed his/her import business after only a matter of weeks.

Sounds like it was a pretty shitty business model... apparently based upon Free Tagline Advertising here, and apparently being unable to even pay Dave the $12.00 fee for each and every successful sale resulting from that free advertising... Just my opinion, based upon what I see posted here.

I would like to suggest a new business for our little crybaby Princess SKB... he/she could collect all those tears and bottle them and sell it as "Trail of Tears Rust Bluing Solution"

Princess SKB Stevie is indeed the Trump Derangement Syndrome Poster Child.

Trump's tariff policy is what is shitty....and stupid.

Roll in the mud by yourself Karen. You bore me.

The McKinley Tariff of 1890 set the tariff rate for “Sporting, breech-loading double-barrel shotguns” at 35% ad valorem PLUS an import duty of $1.50 if priced less than $6; $4 if $6-$12; and $6 if priced greater than $12.
The wealthy Pigeon shooters probably didn't care
Only 1 Scott at the March 2, 1894 Riverton vs. Carteret shoot
Fred Hoey - Purdey
Charles Macalester - Purdey
Capt. A.W. Money - Greener
George Work - Purdey
Edgar Murphy - Parker
T.S. Dando - Parker
H.Y. Dolan - Scott
R.A. Welsh - Churchill

The average working man likely did. The “Panic of 1893” was 3 years after the Tariff went into effect, with 500 bank closures and the bankruptcy of over 15,000 businesses and 18% unemployment.
In response, U.S. double gun makers were forced to lower their selling prices.
In 1890 the Parker GH, Ithaca No.3, Lefever F, Colt hammerless & L.C. Smith No. 2 were each factory listed at $80
In the 1895 Chas. Godfrey catalog the selling price of the Smith and Ithaca was $60. The $100 Parker DH sold for $72.

Prices never increased, and then "The Panic of 1907" hit; a credit crisis similar to that of 2008-2009. Strains in the financial system started to appear in 1906 when American industry and railroads found it increasingly difficult to obtain credit from Europe, prior to then a large source of capital flow into the US. Liquidity became increasingly tight through 1907 and on October 23 panic occurred when New York’s third largest trust, the Knickerbocker Trust Company, collapsed related to an attempt by then President Charles T. Barney and Otto Heinze to corner the copper market. Banks began to fail when depositors at other trusts sought to withdraw their money and other banks in New York were forced to retract loans. Lending ceased and the credit crisis spread world wide. Were it not for the intervention of J.P. Morgan, and President Theodore Roosevelt’s agreement to set aside the Sherman Antitrust Act to enable his plan, the entire US banking system may have imploded.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 48% of its value from January 1906 to November 1907. Industrial production dropped by 11%, imports by 26%, while unemployment rose from less than 3% to 8%. The stock market, and the economy, did not recover until the summer of 1908.

Page 544 of John Houchins’ L.C. Smith “The Legend Lives” shows a price comparison between Smith and Parker guns. Prices for both, and in every grade, fell from 1908 to 1913. The $105 2E in 1898 went for $95 in 1908, and became the $75 AE Specialty grade in 1913.

Gentlemen, on the other hand, maybe I was mixing up another duck club receiving a shipment of several shotguns from another manufacturer. Maybe a duck club in California, or Nash Buckingham, etc. I believe I read this similar scenario somewhere.

Stumbled upon a Bogardus Gun (not Duck) Club

The Sporting Life, April 20, 1887
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/58000/rec/1
At the annual meeting of the Bogardus Gun Club, of North Industry, Ohio, the following gentlemen were elected officers for the year.

A few years back I remember a movie starring Sam Elliot and Ben Johnson. In it, Sam was a shooter using a black powder muzzle loader to shoot glass balls. Ben Johnson played the part of "Doc Bogardus", the man who sponsored the glass ball shoots. I am guessing that the character played by Johnson was based somewhat on this same person talked about here? Good movie regardless of any historical relevance!!

What was the name of the movie, Perry? I've got to know!

Wild Times (1980)

Not on amazon.

Free here:

Well Stanton, thanks to Drop Lock Bob I now do not have to over tax my memory ( which is already over taxed) or call upon my poor Google search skills!! Wild Times. It is a pretty good show!! Thanks Bob.

Thanks. I'll watch it soon.

It's well, just OK. But in my book, anything with Sam Elliot, Ben Johnson and Buck Taylor, is worth watching.

Johnson was a very good actor, but it does look like they could have cast someone for the role that looked a bit more like the "real McCoy".

Who would you have suggested Stan?

Gary Busey

In 1980, when that movie was made, Jack Palance. Or a little later, Dennis Quaid.