doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Interesting Vintage Cleaning Tool

I just ran across this vintage cleaning tool I've had for many a year. The box is marked Bridgeport Gun Company but most of the rest of the label is hard to make out. If you'll notice in the top picture the tool is the exact size of a 12 ga. shell with a screw on attachment for a cleaning rod. As you'll note in the bottom picture these spring metal fingers are pushed out as the tool goes down the barrel. I expect this worked very well in the days before plastic shot cups.
Jim

It's the Budd - Petmecky [sp?] from the turn of the last century. I think Petmecky, or was it Budd, was a Texas shooter and the other the inventor. Neat artifact and not seen too often.

Yes. I can make out the word Budd on the label. This is the only one I've ever seen in 40+ years of shotgunning.
Jim

Very clever! It's a new one on me, as well. I bet it's a lead removing whiz. Does the shell part stay in the chamber? Looks like it would.

They're called the Budd Petmecky Cleaning Tool.

Charlie Budd was one of the inventors, he shot for Parker back in the day. Budd was a pigeon shooter from Iowa, I believe the item was marketed out of Texas so probably Petmecky was the one from there.

They're rare for sure, and the Parker connection sort of adds to the collectability.

I've owned three of them over the years, all slightly different, so they must have made them for quite awhile.

The best ones were actually sold as an accessory by Parker and the brass shell part is an Parker shell bored out. I believe they come in 12 and 10 gauge. These had an extra collar of metal at the opening where the brush comes out to (I assume) make it stronger. I had one of those but sold it in a weak moment.

I had another where the shell was a UMC I believe. The shell setup was different than on the Parker one, it didn't have the extra collar of metal.

And the last one didn't have an actual brass shell, the tube part was made like a shell but thinner brass and it had the name or at least the patents stamped on it longways.

I don't have any of the three anymore, I've broken down and sold them all. Should have kept that Parker type, I doubt I ever see another.

There was a short article in Parker Pages about them several years ago but I don't have any idea what issue.

Which one is yours? Can you read a headstamp on the brass shell or is it one of the thinner ones with the patent stamps on the "case wall"?


Destry

P.S. I think they were sort of made to go with the C.M. Powers all brass cleaning rods. There was just a Parker pigeon gun that lettered to Budd for sale recently oddly enough.

Going pigeon shooting on Sunday with a friend and I'll hopefully get to borrow C.M. Powers Parker AA pigeon gun from him to pop a couple with. The current owner of the gun is the one that owns my former Parker type cleaning tool.

Strange how this thread reminds me of so many things.....

Hi Destry:
Mine is a UMC so it apparentely was made from an original all brass shell. I had to clean the base a bit to make this out. The shell of course is standard size and stays in the chamber while the tool is in use.
Have you or anyone on the Forum ever seen one of these still in the original box?
I shot an additional picture with a period wood rod attached so everyone could see what it would look like while in use.
Jim

I came up with 4 of these laying around here. 2 each 12 bores and 2 each 10 bores. I can make out writing, but cannot see it clearly, on the head of one of the cases. All seem to be marked on the head of the cleaner portion, Budd's Pat., Sept. 19, 1876, and J.C. Petmecky, Nov. 27, 1883,

Some of these will predate the C.M. Powers brass cleaning rod, but those rods, even the ones with the "doughnut" on the end will work with the cleaner.

One of the 12 ga. cleaners came in it's own compartment in and original box called The Patented Cleaning Set, No.960 , comprising Cleaning rod and Implements , Extractor, Screw Driver, Cyclone Cleaner, Patented Oiler, Chamois skin, etc. The box lid lists the two above patents as well as May 17, 1881, and Feb. 9, 1892. The Box, with cocobolo cleaning rod is from Bridgeport Implement Co. , Bridgeport , Conn. My original memory had the cleaner being made in Texas, but at this time, anyway, we note it coming from Bridgeport. Here is the Box that the Budd Petmecky cleaner came in.

Jim,

One of the ones I had came in a box similar to yours.

Daryl,

Great information, there's always somebody out there that knows more than I do. But that ain't hard.....

Sell me one of those 10 gauge models!!!! All the ones I had were 12 gauge, maybe that's why I didn't keep them.


Destry

Mine's a UMC 10 ga. it works really good.

I just bought a Vintage "Tomlinson" Bore cleaner for my 10's, which get used a fair bit. Unused in the original box, off EBAY..Dont have it yet...What do we know about them?