I stumbled upon this image from Pinehurst Feb. 11, 1917 and Annie is using a Remington Model 11, and apparently did so for most of her shooting demonstrations



There are excellent pics from the James Julia sale in 2012
https://www.morphyauctions.com/jamesdjul...e-oakley-41548/

and it was offered again in 2014
https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-f...un_id=100615230

What was the point of these pegs on the receiver?!? I don't believe any of her doubles had anything similar.

Maybe to help focus?
Or maybe to"frame" the spread of the pattern?

Put the target between the pegs and squeeze the trigger.
There are a few devices that do the same thing available today but most go on the muzzle end on the gun.
I love the period picture!

WBLDon

This is probably the back porch of the building in the previous image, with Annie teaching ladies to shoot. They look (from left) to have a revolver, a lever action, and 2 possibly Remington Model 12 .22s which Annie was known to use. Annie is 2nd from right



As said, there have been lots of sighting devices for the muzzle.

1894 Parker D Live Bird Gun courtesy of Gordon Lew



Wilbur Gun Sight is the only one I've found for the breech
October 1919 Forest & Stream
https://books.google.com/books?id=F99JAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA568

I believe those brass pegs are there for quicker target acquisition, not necessarily for sighting.

Drew and Dean, the "Gold Hearts Gun" has two large gold beads at the breech. Dean was editor of the "Parker Pages" when the Gold Hearts Gun was featured and pictured. The Gold Hearts gun, well provenanced to Annie Oakley since the writing of the Parker Pages article by Austin Hogan and Bill Murphy features the gold beads on the 30" Damascus barrel set. Maybe Dean can provide a picture or two of this great DH grade Parker.

Bill, if you can give me the exact title of the article I can search for the article in my Parker Pages Digital Archive, but I searched for Bill Murphy and I searched for Gold Hearts and I searched all articles by Austin and I came up empty on those keywords in the search function.

I do remember examining the Gold Hearts Gun at the "dove field" at the Southern in what must have been 2006, '07 or '08 soon after you acquired it.

OT but very interesting. A brief "Kinetograph" filmed in Edison's Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey in 1894

https://www.pbs.org/video/american-experience-annie-oakleys-moving-picture/

Another version is here
https://clickamericana.com/topics/celebr...hooter-old-west

Thanks Brother Drew to the links, in the one picture it shows her holding her 16 ga. L.C. Smith, the one that has her likeness engraved by Tiffany.

Here 'tis in 1899



There does not appear to be any sighting thingies on the breech or barrels



Her portrait was engraved by Tiffany & Co. The gun is/was at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in L.A.

I believe it is still owned by a gentleman in Connecticut.

Sorry, Dean, my co-author on the article was Mark Conrad, not Austin. As I recall, Austin took the photos at the Southern, but did not give himself credit in the article. Mark did the extensive records research. The PP issue was Autumn 2007, Volume 14, issue 3. Unfortunately, the gold balls at the breech are not pictured. This is because Mark had only Austin's photos to research the actual gun and the photos did not include a picture of the "gold balls". The gold balls are enormous and cannot be described as "beads".

Good tread, many years ago I had a #2 or 3 LC Smith that had 2 gold spots behind the standing breech. May they have been the remains of something like this?

Thanks Bill - I’ll look it up again using Mark’s name as a keyword.

I distinctly remember the gold beads and the speculation as to their purpose among the small group gathered around you and your Gold Hearts gun.

Dean

OK, I found a thread on the PGCA forum where great pictures of the Gold Balls on the breech of the Gold Hearts are posted. The subforum is "General Parker Discussions" and the thread is "Speaking of the Gold Hearts Gun". It was active earlier today, March 4, so you don't have to look far.

Got it Bill - Thanks.

Incidentally, your article with Mark Conrad in Parker Pages in 2007 was two years before my ten-year stint as editor.



.

Drew,

Being an engineer makes you see things differently some times.

I believe they were functional and used to set the gun on a flat surface, with the pins across the balance points, to allow for fast acquisition during her routine.

Maybe a photo will surface to give credence to my hypothesis! Lol

Will

Interesting hypothesis Will.

This is Annie c. 1920 at Pinehurst with Dave. Several guns are on the table. Hard to tell definitively, but 2 look to be rib up and others on their sides

I once read an interesting account of one of Annie's European tours. I don't recall the date, but she was currently in France. At that time all ammunition was manufactured by the "Government" & any other was not allowed to be brought in. Her husband, Frank Butler, loaded all her shells for her. The French powder was very erratic & patterns were not consistent so her shooting was sub-normal. One day a large box arrived from England marked eggs, which had of course been opened & inspected. The box was indeed full of eggs, packed in a granular substance to prevent breakage. An accompanying letter said, try the packing in your gun I think you will like it. A friend seeing her dilemma had the eggs shipped, packed in English Shultz gunpowder. Her shooting immediately picked up dramatically.

Sorry about that Ted, but French is not always the BEST. This also shows the dangers of giving the Government too much control.

Here's the story
http://www.pssatrap.org/road-to-yesterday/Annie-Oakley-Powders-I-Have%20Used.htm

I remember reading that story years ago.

SRH

Cojones grandes de Oro-- Que pasa con desa escopeta de Parker?? El Zorro.

Reprints of "Powders I Have Used" are on ebay. It was published by DuPont c. 1914.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/POWDERS-I-HAVE-USED-by-ANNIE-OAKLEY/223901612554?hash=item3421937a0a:g:rikAAOSwbb5dvKws

Smokeless "Schultze" Gunpowder was offered in the U.S. by Von Lengerke & Detmold in 1887.

The American “E.C.” & “Schultze” Powder Company was established in Oakland, New Jersey in 1890.

An advertisement for “E.C.” No 2 appeared in the May 30, 1896 Sporting Life “...made especially for small loads from 2 1/2 to 3 drs.; for heavier charges, from 3 to 4 drs., use our ordinary “E.C.” No. 1.”

August 22, 1896 Sporting Life
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/47243
“E.C.” No. 2 - “VERY QUICK INDEED, NO SMOKE, NO RECOIL, AND HARDLY ANY REPORT”

“E.C.” No. 1, “New Schultze”, and “New E.C. No. 2” were advertised by the company in 1902, which was purchased by DuPont in 1903.

In 1904, “New E.C. (Improved) No. 3” and “New Schultze” were listed as Laflin & Rand products.

1904 McClure's Magazine
Post 5 possibly Fred Gilbert, post 4 F.S. Parmelee, 3 R.O. Heikes and 2 Jack Fanning



In the later part of 1906, Sporting Life and Sportsmen’s Review carried advertisements for “New E.C. (Improved)”, “New Schultze” bulk powders, and “Infallible Smokeless” dense powder as products of E.I. du Pont de Nemours Powder Company.

In 1912 under the Sherman Antitrust Act, Laflin & Rand was dissolved and DuPont was split into DuPont Powder Co. (which retained DuPont Bulk, Ballistite, Empire and “Schultze” and was later DuPont American Industries), Hercules Powder Co. (which retained “Infallible” and “E.C.”) and Atlas Powder Co.

I don't know how long "Schultze" was offered thereafter.