Abercrombie & Fitch
The teenagers of today know Abercrombie and Fitch for their t-shirts and blue jeans. Most have no clue that A&F were the biggest and best hunting and fishing outfitters for almost 100 years (1892-1977).
I have two Abercrombie and Fitch shotguns to share with you, one is a .410 and the other a 12 gauge. These are beautiful guns. The 12 was made by Renato Gamba of Italy and the .410 was made by Perazzi, another well known Italian gun maker.
Renato Gamba 12 Gauge
Perazzi Made .410
Abercrombie & Fitch used to be a world renown hunting outfitter, today they sell blue jeans and t-shirts to teenagers. Times do change. I found this gun on auctionarms.com a few years ago and instantly fell in love with the workmanship. My stepson (only knowing the Abercrombie & Fitch of today) laughed the first two weeks I carried the 12 gauge gun to the Turkey Shoot.
The folding .410 pictured here reads "canne cromate" (refers to the barrel, chrome inside) and "acciaio speciale breda" (refers to special steel) underneath the Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Folding .410 commissioned by Abercrombie & Fitch
A&F History
The company was founded in 1892 in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, by David T. Abercrombie as an outfitter for the elite outdoorsman. Ezra Fitch a wealthy lawyer, and real estate developer, and devoted customer of the Abercrombie Company bought a significant interest in the business in 1900.
In 1904, it was incorporated and renamed "Abercrombie & Fitch Co." Fitch eventually bought Abercrombie's share of the business becoming the sole owner from 1907 to 1928. The company was an elite outfitter of sporting and excursion goods, particularly noted for its expensive shotguns, fishing rods, fishing boats, and tents.
Source note from the original page: wikipedia.
Collector Takeaway
Retailer-marked sporting arms often tell two stories at once: the maker’s craftsmanship and the retailer’s clientele. These Abercrombie & Fitch shotguns preserve a reminder that the old A&F brand once lived squarely in the high-end hunting and fishing world.
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About Greg Cook
Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and he brings that practical background to his collector articles.