Custom Grade 3" 20 gauge

[budrichard]

This Custom Shop Model 21 is a Custom Grade 20 gauge with 3" chambers,
26" barrels choked IC/MOD, Monte Carlo Stock with Winchester marked butt plate, Field Beavertail. It has a Factory Letter from USRAC detailing that it was manufactured on May 3, 1968. The letter is signed F. P. DeLuigi.
The gun came to me in unfired Mint condition from the son of the original owner in a maker's case.
The workmanship is absolutely perfect. With the advent of the Custom Shop the checkering pattern was changed from a double to single line border which this gun displays. Typical of Custom Shop Guns, there are no markings on the barrels indicating guage, chambers or manufacture. All information is contained on the reciever and barrel flats which are are correctly marked 3" 20 gauge. The Claro has outstanding figure and it should be noted that Custom Shop Catalogs indicate that "AA full-fancy American walnut" was supplied on the Custom Grade, Pigeon Grade and Grand American. The wood has a polyurethane finish which had been changed from a standard lacquer finish in the late 1060's. Since there are there are no markings on the gun, the only thing that says Winchester is the factory butt plate!


http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f82/budrichard/Win21Claro.jpg


http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f82/budrichard/Mode21l3inch20.jpg158160

[budrichard]

A letter I have from USRAC does not indicate engraver information for this Model 21.
Pauline has engraver information for Nick Kusmit as well as Jasper Salerno's records and was able to determine from Jasper's records that he had engraved this Model 21. It was Jasper's 6th Model 21 he engraved.
This is what Pauline reported to me in an email:
"As far as Salerno, the reason it was a simpler pattern on this gun was because he had only started full time engraving in the Custom Shop in Jan. of 1968. Jasper is very underestimated as far as talent and noteriety. I have no idea why. Did you know that he did the majority of the M21 410s? He also did over 360 M21s during his employ there, the majority of these were Grand Americans. He also did outside contract work for the plant for a short time after his retirement in 1977."
Pauline is a good source of reference material about Model 21's.
From the name of the original purchaser, I have tracked him down to a former Lt Governor of the State of Wisconsin who apparently had the gun ordered through Olin in New York.-Dick