What Classic rifle would you like to own? (Holy Grail?)

[45flint]

In US I have been looking for a Crosman Town and Country for a long while. It kind of goes with the military collector group in a way. An Army General helped design it to have a military trainer look? Made well and for a very short time, I think only a year, 1949?. I have seen one but it was not in great shape.

[DT Fletcher]

In US I have been looking for a Crosman Town and Country for a long while. It kind of goes with the military collector group in a way. An Army General helped design it to have a military trainer look? Made well and for a very short time, I think only a year, 1949?. I have seen one but it was not in great shape.

And, the one you want is the model 107 (.177) Town and Country. Very rare. It's been called the rarest of the rare, but, since there are Crosman models that are almost impossible to find, it's bit of an exaggeration.

My introduction to American vintage airguns started with a 107 T&C. I went to the local airgun shop, Ollie Damon's, wanting an air rifle to work on. (Was looking for a new hobby at the time and thought, "maybe gun refinishing" but not wanting to start on a firearm and..... ) They pulled this big, old rifle from the back and the price was a firm $24.50. Actually thought they were taking advantage of me but it did look like an interesting item. Of course, it turned out to be a very rare fully marked late model 107. Took something like 2 months of work to get the darn thing going. Stripped it bare of paint and polished it with Flitz. Looked gorgeous and shot like a dream. Even in it's polished state, I was able to sell it for $700. Found another (mint!) 107 in a Davenport, IA, antique Mall. Spotted it in a booth, looked at the muzzle and it was .177 (!) slowly turned over the price tag..... jitter, jitter...... jitter.... $35. Score! And, yes, I asked for and got my professional 15% discount. Think I sold that one for $900. Then a long dry spell. It was like all the T&C's had disappeared. Got lonely for one and picked up a very nice example from Myron Kasok auction, think it was less than $500 but is a 108 if memory serves.

They were only in the 1949 catalog but it appears that some were made later. The final cutoff likely would have been the move to Fairport in 1952. You can ID a 1949 example by the butt plate.

[45flint]

And, the one you want is the model 107 (.177) Town and Country. Very rare. It's been called the rarest of the rare, but, since there are Crosman models that are almost impossible to find, it's bit of an exaggeration.

My introduction to American vintage airguns started with a 107 T&C. I went to the local airgun shop, Ollie Damon's, wanting an air rifle to work on. (Was looking for a new hobby at the time and thought, "maybe gun refinishing" but not wanting to start on a firearm and..... ) They pulled this big, old rifle from the back and the price was a firm $24.50. Actually thought they were taking advantage of me but it did look like an interesting item. Of course, it turned out to be a very rare fully marked late model 107. Took something like 2 months of work to get the darn thing going. Stripped it bare of paint and polished it with Flitz. Looked gorgeous and shot like a dream. Even in it's polished state, I was able to sell it for $700. Found another (mint!) 107 in a Davenport, IA, antique Mall. Spotted it in a booth, looked at the muzzle and it was .177 (!) slowly turned over the price tag..... jitter, jitter...... jitter.... $35. Score! And, yes, I asked for and got my professional 15% discount. Think I sold that one for $900. Then a long dry spell. It was like all the T&C's had disappeared. Got lonely for one and picked up a very nice example from Myron Kasok auction, think it was less than $500 but is a 108 if memory serves.

They were only in the 1949 catalog but it appears that some were made later. The final cutoff likely would have been the move to Fairport in 1952. You can ID a 1949 example by the butt plate.

Funniest part of my encounter with a Town and Country on a auction site was a guy that said he had a 107. I ask him if he was sure it wasn’t a 108 that shot 22 instead of .177. He said he wasn’t sure because the rifle shot both!