Crabtree shotgun

The story of Strother's "Columbia" 16 gauge shotgun as told by Robert Crabtree, Strother's grandson. Strother gave the gun to Robert just before Strother died. It is believed that the original cost was $2.50.

Several stories surround this gun as told by Strother and remembered by Robert. Factual truth is not guaranteed! It was told that the long barrel (32 inches) enabled it to drop a rabbit at 100 yards. Another story was that he sat the gun against a wagon wheel; the wagon moved catching the gun between the wheel spokes and breaking the wooden stock. Strother built a new stock and fitted it to the gun. The stock is hand made and Strother was a very skilled wood worker.

Yet another story was Strother used the gun to shoot at a person stealing chickens one night. Strother claimed he could only see a white bag held by a man, so he shot at it severely wounding the man's arm. The incident stirred controversy and that may be one reason for Strother to leave the West Virginia Mountains and move to Missouri.

There is not much information on "Columbia" Shotguns. The following is from www.faqfarm.com.

There are several variations of Columbia (Arms, Gun Co, etc) on trade name shotguns made in the late 19th - early 20th century. Many imported from Belgium, some made by US companies like Crescent, Stevens, Davenport and sold in hardware stores for as little as $3. Most are not considered safe with modern ammunition and are usually valued as mantle decorations. A single shot may bring $25-$50 and a double barrel with large sidehammers could go as high as $250. Another source believes Columbia was a trade name used on single barrel shotguns made by the Harrington and Richardson Arms Co. about 1905.

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