More forager numbers

[John S.]

Seen at Baltimore
251
658
1088
plus one more in a display I was not able to handle.
All looked to be real, and in reasonably good condition.

[grandmaknight]

I have owned and sold Forager #'30 and 421.

[Dick Hosmer]

Thank you both. Four of the five were "new" so we now have 152 in the registry.

421 was in the Dorsey collection, recorded by Richard Branum (whose card index I have) in 1972.

SEE THE VALUE OF KEEPING OLD RECORDS?

[shephunter]

I see a forager listed on proxbid with a serial number of 1408. Would they have went that high? I don't know enough about them. I am looking to pick one up, but I don't think it will be this one.

[Dick Hosmer]

The accepted total is supposed to be 1376, but I saw 1378 at a San Jose CA gun show about fifty years ago - so, 1408 is possible, but I wouldn't expect anything much higher. Give me the Proxibid link and I'll have a look - serial number isn't everything - certain features must be right.

UPDATE: Found it. Funky. Stock's not right (but, it is a restoration - so I'm guessing it's a complete fabrication). Never saw case color on a Forager; they were used hard and put away wet. - WAY too gaudy for my taste. Receiver might be right, can't tell from limited pics. I'd be REALLY leery of putting a lot of money into that one.

Have to watch my words about replicas/restorations because of my 1882RB project - however, I am making no false claims about that, and it is being done as a personal project for my own enjoyment - not for sale. When I'm gone, it will live on but there are enough things 'wrong' with it that it would never pass as the real thing. My aim was a five-footer, and that is being achieved.

[shephunter]

Thanks, I appreciate the info. The case coloring looked odd from the git go. I will be looking elsewhere.

[Dick Hosmer]

On a positive note, I will say that the coloring is pretty good - often the refinishers get some odd colors not typical of the SA process. That block (with proper markings of course) would 'pass' on a minty 1889-dated M1884 rifle. Continuing in that vein, I believe it IS a real Forager block, just WAY overdone. Yes, let someone else wind up with that one. Foragers can be had - they just won't be as pretty as that one, nor should they be.