doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Annie Oakley's Guns

Does anyone have the stock dimensions of Annie's guns (Parkers?)
The reason I ask is that I own a gun that was allegedly used by Annie when she visited a friend here in England, shooting Game.
Now I know many gunmakers proclaimed Annie used there products because of her celebrity status.
My interest is in trying to tie in the gun with the particular estate where she visited. My gun was I believe manufactured in 1906 and it is my belief Annie was still visiting here up until 1920.
Any help with information about Annie Oakley would be greatly appreciated.

I have some stock dimensions. I will get back to you. Would you care to post the dimensions of the gun you are studying?

Annie Oakley also owned a few L.C. Smiths and right after a visit to England in 1889 her husband Frank Butler commisioned Hunter Arms to build a custom 16 ga. The unique thing about this gun is that on the lock plates there was a portrait of her engraved by Tiffany.The trigger guard has her name engraved on it This gun was/is in a private collection. She also had an Ideal Grade 12 ga. with 26" barrels that was shipped June 4, 1926. She passed away in November of that same year. This gun is in the Cody Firearms Museum.

This informaton is from "The Legend Lives" by John Houchins. I believe that the sentence "right after a visit to England in 1889, Frank Butler had Hunter Arms build a custom 16 ga." is incorrect. The 16 ga. was not out by then, and Hunter Arms was not fully operatonal until 1890. I'm guessing the date of 1889 is a typo, maybe should have been 1899.

Her 4E Ithaca single barrel trap gun was 14 1/4 lop. 1 1/2 comb, 2 1/4 at heel, 4 3/4 around grip. She also had a Ithaca SxS but I do not have anything on it.

The Art of Wingshooting William Bruce Leffingwell, 1895
http://books.google.com/books?id=e34EmE3tkfkC

"I was permitted to examine many of the fine guns used by Miss Oakley in exhibition shooting, and noticed among them one Charles Lancaster ejector, one Charles Lancaster nonejector, a Cashmore hammerless, a magnificent Smith ejector with a gold figure of herself inlaid, a Parker hammerless, a Scott Monte Carlo, a Scott ejector of highest quality, and an exquisite little Francotte ejector with Whitworth barrels. The value of the guns mentioned is $2,500. The rifles shown were Lancaster oval-bore .360 double-barrel, Holland hammerless .32-caliber double-barrel, a magnificent Marlin repeater, and a couple of handsome Winchesters. She also showed me two single-barreled pistols made by the celebrated maker, Gastinne Renette of Paris. These pistols have 14-inch barrels, and are made expressly for pigeon shooting. With them Miss Oakley has scored nine out of ten pigeons from two traps, using one-half ounce of shot. She shoots binocularly. Her shot-guns weigh about six pounds each, the right barrels being bored modified, and the left full choke. Her load for targets is 2 3/4 drams of nitro powder and one ounce of shot. For live pigeons she uses three drams of powder, but the shot charge is unchanged; an ounce of shot is used on all occasions and for all kinds of game."

An Illustrated Treatise on the Art of Shooting Charles Lancaster
http://books.google.com/books?id=O2GzwW9...ley&f=false

Miss Annie Oakley (Little Sure Shot), the celebrated American Lady Shot, who visited England in 1887 with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, writes :
"New York, 8th Dec, 1888. "Dear Sir,�The four breech-loading hammerless guns you built for me are, in my opinion, as near perfection as it is possible to get them. The pair of 20-bores (weight 5 lbs. 2 ozs.), I have been using now nearly two years. I find them just as tight and sound as when new; I have never had any repairs except having the locks cleaned. The pair of 12-bores (6 lbs.) are as good as the 20's.
Since using your guns, and receiving a few lessons from you at your splendid private shooting grounds, my shooting in the field has so much improved that now I always make a good score, even at fast and difficult birds. With many thanks for the pains you have taken in making me such perfect fitting and fine shooting guns.
"I am, gratefully yours,
"(Signed) Annie Oakley, "(Little Sure Shot)."
Miss Annie Oakley again visited London with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1892.

No mention of dimensions in Lancaster's book

Pics of one Lancaster and a Smith here
http://docs.google.com/a/damascusknowledge.com/View?id=dfg2hmx7_314fxrdr3gt

Thank you gents for your answers so far.
I am aware that Annie was gifted Lancaster's and corresponded with H.A.A. Thorn who was very commercially astute.
Annie also was given W C Scott's.
I have been given various measurements of guns reputed to be either Annie's or used by her and I have to say for a small lady if everything I have been told she was very adaptable.
That is why I would like a definative answer.

THIS c. 1890 Lancaster was 1 1/4" DAC X 1 7/8" DAH; unsure LOP.

This BHE was ordered by Frank Butler in 1903 and offered by James Julia auctions in 2009. Drop at heel: 2-3/8", drop at comb: 1-5/8". Weight: 7 lbs. 9 oz. LOP 14-1/4".



SN 117432. Cal. 12 ga. 24-3/4" bbls, matted tapered concave rib, dual brass sighting beads, 2-3/4" chambers, CYL/CYL chokes, ejectors and double triggers. There is no provision for a safety. The top rib of bbl is marked "Parker Bros. Makers. Meriden. Conn. Titanic Steel". The "2" size frame bears unique special order engraving on each side with classic hunting vignettes of "Little Sure Shot" dressed in her traditional wide-brimmed hat and flowing skirt posed with a gunning dog framed in a circle and surrounded by scroll work. Game birds appear in smaller circles just down range with one bird in each scene appearing to be mortally wounded. "Parker Bros" is engraved in flowing banners along side. The trigger plate features a scene with majestic stag and flighted birds surrounded by scrolls. There is single incised rib behind each fence with the balance a foliate Arabesque scroll. Mounted with fine nicely figured walnut, checkered side panels with fleur-de-lis dropper points, checkered ball grip with gold initial oval engraved with monogram "HCW" (unknown, obviously initials of a later owner), Pachmayr vented brown white line recoil pad and checkered splinter forend with finely engraved appended metal. Bore diameter: left - .733, right - .733. Bore restrictions: left - .000, right - .000. Wall thickness: left - .037, right - .033. Drop at heel: 2-3/8", drop at comb: 1-5/8". Weight: 7 lbs. 9 oz. LOP 14-1/4". "Parker Gun Identification and Serialization" book identifies gun as T15 which is a grade 5 with Titanic bbls, ejectors, 12 ga with 30" bbls and pistol grip. This unique firearm is pictured in the "The Parker Story" on pg 639 and suggests the gun was probably ordered by someone who greatly admired Ms. Annie. At the time of this article all the factory records had not yet been discovered and the records for this specific gun were not found, thus the assumptive tone of the article. Since this article, additional original factory records have been found and a recent request from PGCA produced a factory letter which reveals and confirm the shotgun was ordered on Feb 21, 1903 by Frank E. Butler (Annies husband)and sent to 18 Broadway New York (Welles Bldg). The gun was further specified with 4 1/2" ball grip, Silvers pad and no safety. Stock LOP: 14 1/8", Drop at Heel: 2 1/4" and WT: 7 1/2 - 7 3/4 lbs. The price was $200 plus $25 for ejectors and $4 for the Silvers pad. A credit of $200 was allowed for gun #107950 (BH 12/30).

There is a good bit of evidence that Frank Butler was taking delivery of quite a few Parker Bros. guns. How many of those Frank then sold to folks as "Annie's gun" is anybody's guess.

Researcher,
I wish I could just find a set of measurements from a gun that Annie actually owned and shot.
Frank was certainly an entrepreneur, if you believe everything he is alleged to have done.
He even married Annie when she was ten if you believe everything.
Then we find rifle cartridges loaded with birdshot, and her (allegedly) not being as good a shot as written, it certainly is intriguing. But in my mind she is still a hero and a legend. But best of all to me, was when she reached celebrity status and was wealthy, she didn't forget her roots, family and friends. Now that is a Lady.

Annie was a performer, a vaudevillian. My pick for great woman shot of the old days is Plinky Topperwein. Of course the Topperweins (or Toepperweins) were performers as well, but Plinky did much better in competition. We have a great picture of her on the wall at the Spokane Gun Club, from 1911, when she posted a 99. Plinky was the first woman to shoot a hundred straight at clay targets, later did a 200 straight, and finally a straight run of 367. By the time of her death in 1945 she had 193 hundred straights to her credit in competition.

Tom Schiffer had an article on "Annie Oakley's Parker Number 30203" published in DGJ Vol 14 Issue 1 Spring 2003.

It's 16ga G grade which the order book "shows it to be a pistol-grip gun with a stock drop of 2 5/8 inches, a length of pull of 14 inches and a barrel length of 30 inches."

The article said later that No. 30203 had pull 13 15/16 inches, 2 3/4 drop at heel, 1 5/8 drop at comb, barrels 28 13/16 inches.

When I was collecting Marlins, back in the 60's, I owned an engraved .22 Lever action which was engraved something or other "Annie Oakley" I believe it was genuine...I sold a bunch of Marlin rifles, pistols, shotguns, handcuffs, legirons etc. to a guy named West, who lived in the Hollywood hills..A story in itself.........I think he wrote a book.

Salopian, I posted the stock dimensions of the guns I am aware of on the PGCA forum for you. In my opinion, the BHE was not made for Annie. Annie ordered very straight guns, uncommonly straight for the time. The 16 gauge Parker hammer gun seems more like a standard gun, not special ordered with her straight competition dimensions. The 16 is from very early in her career and probably procured as a hunting gun. I have seen and handled that gun and it appears to be a common store bought Grade 2. Schiffer states facts about the order that would seem to imply, contrary to my statement, that the gun was special ordered and later restocked, probably with dimensions specified. However, the guns original and present dimensions are very different from her later guns, and much closer to standard factory dimensions.

All well and good, troops- but what about her butt preferences? Pads, steel rimmed or checkered? Any "bottom line" datum on that, for if your butt doesn't fit your shoulder pocket, you won't mount the gun properly-

Still making progress.
Annie & Frank Butler were regular guests here in Shropshire as guests of Mr W.R.C.Clarke a Shrewsbury solicitor.
The Butlers gifted Mr Clarke a smooth bored rifle in 1881 and made a gift of another one to Mr. Richard Weekes of Broseley Shropshire in 1904. It appears that they were still visiting Shropshire, bird shooting up until 1922.

I was talking with Guy Smith on the telephone yesterday evening and he mentioned that he once owned an Annie Oakley gun that was later sold off to someone in America. He lives in the Shropshire area. You may know him but if not you can contact him via the magazine Countryman's Weekly. It is a bit of a whippet and ferret magazine but he writes the cartridge collector column under the pseudonym of 'Homeloader'. I have dealings with him as I supply some of the cartridge information and photos for his articles. He may have a bit more information if you contact him. I know he is going to the Midland Game Fair; I am not this year because of a new pup taking my time up. May be worth dropping him a line via the magazine. Lagopus.....

Thought I would resurrect this old thread in light of several sales of guns connected to Annie in the last few years.
Julia sold a c. 1893 Wm. Cashmore in 2016
https://www.morphyauctions.com/jamesdjulia/item/3254-394/

2 Parkers were also sold: a 16g top lever hammer SN 30203 30" barrels, 14" LOP & 2 5/8" DAH received in 1883 and sold in 2012
https://historical.ha.com/itm/long-guns/.../a/6110-44018.s

And a 12g hammer SN 48767 received in 1886 and also sold in 2012
https://historical.ha.com/itm/shotgun/si.../a/6079-44019.s

With some difficulty some of her early images have (likely) been dated; any with the flower embroidered skirt are c. 1885 (before she received her 4 Lancasters in 1887)



The image holding the Smith is 1899



There is a thread on the LCSCA Forum where I have posted images of her shotguns; one of her sitting probably also dating to 1885 - 1887 shows what appears to be the Scott forend lever latch, and another studio hunting scene very likely with a Lancaster back action sidelock. There are 2 images of another sidelock that I can't ID.
Please add your thoughts regarding the makers
https://members.boardhost.com/lcsmith/msg/1602898008.html

Annie's Ithaca 4E SBT was ordered with 1 1/2" drop at the face and 2 1/4" drop at the heel, LOP 14 1/4" on 11/19/15 and shipped to her on 1/3/16. It had a straight grip, BTFE, and Silvers recoil pad. Diameter at the grip was 4 3/4" inches to accommodate her small hand. Weight was 7 3/4 pounds. Pitch 3" (called "stand out" on the order.) Barrel was 32" full choke. Courtesy of Walt Snyder.

The gun is at the BBHC but appears to have been restocked with a Monte Carlo and classy white line pad



At Pinehurst courtesy of Bro. Walt

"New York Times" 9-15-94 from undated "Shooting & Fishing" with a list of guns and the Lancaster dimensions. Only 1 Parker and likely a hammerless by then?

Great pics, Drew.

Back to the one of her in the flowery embroidered skirt. The Smith she is holding ....... in an earlier post in this thread you gave the dimensions of the buttstock at 1 1/4" DAC and 1 7/8" DAH. Are you sure about that DAH measurement? It looks like more in the range of 2 7/8" DAH. When I take a straight edge and hold it carefully along the top rib, and let it extend back past the heel, it looks to be almost certainly more than 1 7/8".

Also, if her Ithaca trap gun had 2 1/4" DAH, I can't imagine the Smith would have had 3/8" less.

What do you think?

Thanks, SRH

Unfortunately I do not have the SN or actual DOM of the Tiffany engraved ?A1 with chain damascus Smith in order for Dr Jim to look up the dimensions.

I've tried to enhance/crop several images in order to ID the guns - all the originals are unfortunately low resolution and low size. The originals date to 1885-1887.
All opinions are appreciated.

#1 is interesting - appears to have side clips and sculpted breech balls



A different sidelock and the lockplate and pins are fairly clear



and if the same gun, looks to have the Scott FE lever



Another sidelock

2 3 gun images, the top 1885 but the bottom with a different skirt and possibly 1886 or later

I have lettered all of the identified "Annie Oakley" guns listed in The Parker Story. Several are surely not Annies guns but are Franks guns or guns ordered by Frank for resale. Annie's Lancaster dimensions, odd and rare in the Parker records, are duplicated on some of the The Parker Story guns, some to the sixteenth of an inch. They are extremely high drop at comb and uncommonly high at heel. There are guns out there with Annie's unique Lancaster dimensions, identified in Parker records, and also identified in measurements of the guns as they appear today, and identified as "Annie" guns but not ordered by Frank Butler. These guns are ordered from Parker Brothers with the exact Lancaster dimensions, to the sixteenth of an inch, with other features that indicate "Annie" provenance. In my experience, not all of Annie's guns were ordered by Frank Butler, but by other friends or business associates in Newark when Annie and Frank resided there. I have found and identified one of these guns but am reluctant to write about it, pending further research.

Dave Noreen, "Researcher", has implied that Frank may have sold guns identified as "Annie" guns when they were not Annie's guns. In fact, one of the highest dollar Annie Oakley guns was sold in the recent past that was, in fact, not Annie's gun. The buyer, at auction, was apparently happy with his purchase, regardless of its spurious provenance. It is probably not the only one sold at a high price that lacked good provenance. The unusual, if not unique, stock dimensions are the key to an original Annie gun, confirmed by the Parker Brothers records. After Annie became wedded to the weird Lancaster dimensions, all of her special order guns from Parker Brothers conformed to those dimensions. Any Parkers with more common dimensions, ordered by Frank Butler, were not Annie Oakley's guns, unless some other provenance is present.

So in summary, and trying to get some help here gentlemen

We don't know if this was a "rifle" or a L.C. Smith Maker, Syracuse shotgun. The hammerless was introduced in 1886.
The Critic (Washington, District of Columbia), Friday November 12, 1886
Miss Annie Oakley, the sharp shooter, possesses the most valuable rifle in America. Every screw in it is of solid gold, and a figure of herself, also of gold, is set in the stock. It was a present from L.C. Smith of Syracuse.

Annie's letter on p.1 stated 4 Lancasters made in 1887

The 1894 New York Times piece above listed 2 Lancaster, 1 Scott, 1 Parker & 1 Francotte.

The Art of Wingshooting, William Bruce Leffingwell, 1895
https://books.google.com/books?id=e34EmE3tkfkC&pg=PA106&vq
�I was permitted to examine many of the fine guns used by Miss Oakley in exhibition shooting, and noticed among them one Charles Lancaster ejector, one Charles Lancaster non-ejector, a Cashmore hammerless, a magnificent Smith ejector with a gold figure of herself inlaid, a Parker hammerless, a Scott Monte Carlo, a Scott ejector of highest quality, and an exquisite little Francotte ejector with Whitworth barrels.
Could that be the 1886 gift from L.C. Smith??

This claims that FIVE Cashmores were made for Annie
http://www.jbssoftware.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?condon/24875

The 2 Parker hammer guns on p. 2 have clear provenance. Here is one
https://centerofthewest.org/2014/05/25/points-west-annie-oakley-collecction/
Where is the 1895 referenced Parker hammerless??

Her Tiffany engraved possibly Smith A1 was made 1898 or 1899. Dr Jim and I have contacted both the BBHC and the Gene Autry museums hoping to get the SN so the Hunter Arms' records can be checked.

Calling this Gold Hibbard an "Annie Gun" is a bit of a stretch
http://www.nramuseum.org/guns/the-galleries/the-american-west-1850-to-1900/case-21-tin-stars-sixguns-frontier-justice/annie-oakley's-hibbard-shotgun.aspx
(You'll need to cut and paste the link)

Here is another
https://garyhendershott.net/western-catalog.php

A Lancaster

Salopian, I have all of my research material on Annie's stock dimensions in front of me, including the PCGA letters on all of the attributed Annie guns listed in The Parker Story, as well as the Lancaster dimensions. If you will give me the specifications of the gun you own, I will give you my opinion of the Annie connection of your gun. I assume your gun was made after the Lancaster measurements were taken. What brand is your gun? The circumference of the grip is part of the measurements also.

Stan, my friend, odd as it may sound, Annie's guns when ordered for her, were very straight and 1 7/8 drop at heel is very believable. More to come after Salopian answers my post.

I'm beginning to see that, Bill. Really odd for anyone to like a gun stocked that high for general shooting, but Annie was a little woman, knew what she wanted, and obviously made the best use of it. Maybe the distance from her cheekbone to her eye was significantly less than average. That would make her require a higher stocked gun. Who am I to say what she should have shot with?

SRH

My friend, Stan, understands the basics of drop at comb, which many shooters have no idea about. Drop at comb is determined by the distance between the cheekbone and the eye, with some allowance for fat. 1 1/8 drop at the comb, for most shooters, means that the eye is looking at the rib from a well elevated point, very uncomfortable for most shooters of games other than ATA trap. Thanks, Stan.

She was a tiny woman.
Her dims reflect that.
It wouldn�t surprise me in the least, if the guns that have dimensions better suited to a man, were probably created to trade on provenance.

Well Gentlemen ,
Found out that my gun was manufactured in 1904 , probably in Birmingham and finished by E G Higham who were Sons of George Higham of Oswestry Shropshire . See my earlier post that proves that they were shooting in Shropshire that year.
The gun dimensions are as follows.
28 gauge SxS, 27"inch barrels.
Stock length 13 3/4"to centre, 13 7/8 " to Heel, 14 1/8"to toe.
Drop at nose of comb 1 5/8" Drop at comb face 1 7/8"
Drop at Heel 2 1/4"

I hope your connection to Annie Oakley is a strong one, because the stock dimensions are not close to her Lancaster fitting dimensions. When I get a bit of spare time, I will post the dimensions of guns that were attributed to Annie in The Parker Story. To be brief, her drop at comb is around 1 1/8 inches, a very rare and uncommonly straight dimension in Parker records.

The 1903 BHE on p. 1 had similar dimensions: 1 5/8" DAC and 2 3/8" DAH.
Her Lancasters were manufactured 1886 or 1887.
Things do change with our faces over time - compare the c. 1885 pic with the 1899 pic on p. 2

Her Ithaca 4E SBT was ordered with 1 1/2" drop at the face (or comb?) and 2 1/4" drop at the heel, LOP 14 1/4" on 11/19/15 and shipped to her on 1/3/16.

If I remember correctly , I believe a gun in the Colt Museum credited to Annie has very similar dimensions to the ones I have posted?.

OK, here are the dimensions of some of the Annie Oakley attributed Parkers listed in The Parker Story. #75782, drop at comb, 1 1/4", drop at heel, 2". #94649, drop at comb, 1 3/8", drop at heel, 2 1/4". #107950, drop at comb, 1 3/8", drop at heel, 2 1/4". A gun being researched, drop at comb, 1 1/8, drop at heel, 1 13/16". All very straight for the time manufactured, a couple extremely straight, like the Lancaster fitting. Three not mentioned here have rather standard modern dimensions, but may have been Frank's guns or guns for trade and not Annie's at all. In my opinion, guns made for Annie after the Lancaster fitting were pretty much all made with those dimensions, at least up to 1902, the latest guns I have studied. For Drew's information, her guns made to the Lancaster dimensions extend to at least 1902, regardless of how much Annie changed physically. Annie may have not looked down the rib so much as between sighting balls, like on her squareback Remington, sold at auction, and another gun with similar sighting aids. That may explain the very high dimensions of some of her guns. Judging from some of the British guns I have shot and owned, looking through the beads may not have been the preferred shooting method in those days. The gun being researched shows up in the order book at almost exactly to the Lancaster dimensions, and remains at these dimensions today.

To answer Drew's comment that #117432, a BH, has 1 5/8 drop at comb, I will say that I feel that gun was ordered for Frank, not Annie. I have the letter on that gun but did not list it because I didn't think it was Annie's gun. As I said in an earlier post, one, maybe more, guns have been auctioned at astronomical prices with claimed provenance to Annie Oakley that were not made for her at all. I'm sure the owners are happy with them. CORRECTION: Drew's auctioneer description of the BHE, not BH, #117432, does not agree with the original order. The original order is for 1 3/8" drop at comb, and 2 1/4" drop at heel, which could be Frank or Annie, although the length of pull would suggest Frank.

Eightbore - When you make reference to the "BH" are you referring to the "Gold Hearts" gun?

Dean, I corrected the grade of #117432 to BHE. The Gold Hearts gun is a lowly DH.

We found ten Lancaster shotguns and rifles made for Annie Oakley in the Charles Lancaster ledger books. Most had been returned for refurbishment at least once. Oakley�s use of Lancaster guns and a testimonial letter from her were marketed by the firm.

Wow. American Annie guns sell for six figures in the USA. I wonder if such glamour is attributed to Lancaster guns in the UK?

Doubtful

The "gun being researched", referred to in post #582731, is a Parker with stock dimensions exact to the sixteenth to Annie's Lancaster dimensions. It has a full "pigeon" breech with no extension rib and large gold balls on each side of the rib like appeared on her Remington automatic. I didn't post the serial number and the gun has never gone to auction or been sold since its "outing". It was shipped to Newark on March 8,1902 and possibly shot at the 1902 Grand American at Live Birds which I believe was held in early April, 1902. The weight of the gun conforms to the ounce to the pigeon rules of the day and was apparently ordered to conform to those rules. Press writings of the time put Annie in the hospital recovering from her accident at the time of the April Grand. However, she attended and performed well at the Grand American at Live Birds so she must have recovered enough to shoot "her new gun". To add a bit of additional controversy to this thread, the 4E Ithaca mentioned by Drew is way off of Annie's drops at heel and comb and was certainly not ordered for her. I'm not sure whether that gun has surfaced or is still undiscovered. If Annie's name is on the Ithaca order and the gun surfaces, it will probably sell for an astronomical figure like some of the Parkers that were not made for her but are identified as hers in auction ads. The single trap gun that appears in her hands in photos about that time is a Parker. It has not surfaced or been identified as far as I know.

Annie did compete at the (last) GAH at Live Birds in Kansas City
See the bottom of the 3rd column
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/41035

She killed 22 birds in the GAH, handicapped at 27 yds.
The guns and loads were only documented for those that went straight
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/41039

Annie's Remington Automatic Shotgun



Which she may be shooting here at a Pinehurst demonstration



I'll work on recovering the images that were lost when PictureTrail ceased operations

Reverend Drew, thank you so much for confirming Annie's performance in the 1902 Grand American at Live Birds. You are the "man" in the documentation of old competition shoots. As far as I know, the single barrel picture is the only one with Annie holding a Parker. I would kill for a picture of Annie with the "Gold Hearts Gun", but I'm not holding my breath.

Annie at the 1902 GAH

Drew, what is the source of the pictures and text above? There seems to be a mix of the Live Bird shoot and the GAH at targets. The Interstate Park was mentioned as well as the Live Bird event that was held on a different date in Kansas City. I would like to find a clearer picture of Annie shooting a double gun, a rarity in Annie Oakley collectibles.

Unfortunately I failed to document the source of that newspaper clipping. I think it was the Minneapolis Star Tribune regarding Sophrona Johnson

Annie did not compete at the GAH at Targets at Interstate Park
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/40684

Holding a double at Pinehurst in 1919 but I can't ID the gun



Another unidentifiable double

The clipping with Annie holding a Parker, supposedly at the 1902 Live Bird shoot is a reversed negative, although that doesn't hinder the identification of the gun. I would like to see the original clipping.

Duncan Curry was a sports writer for the New York Journal and Advertiser
https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030180/1897-08-27/ed-1/?sp=9&st=text&r=-0.13,-0.094,1.186,1.449,0
but the Library of Congress digitized archives end in 1901
https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83030180/

The articles were probably carried by other Hearst papers

Reverend Drew, I would be very appreciative if you could find the source of that 1902 clipping. It is as close as I've come to seeing a picture of Annie with the Gold Hearts Gun. The original picture may give us more of a clue. I am going with the Minneapolis Tribune some time after the 1902 Grand at Live Birds, which ended April 5, 1902. However, I'm having trouble accessing the paper because of my poor internet skills. I sent you a PM. I hope you got it. Thanks.