ANY INFO ON TOBIN .22rf RIFLE, CANADA?

[45Broomhandle]

I'm still hoping to find info on the little Tobin single-shot .22 I recently purchased. Wondering if anyone out there is researching the Tobin line of firearms?

Flayderman guide says the company started life in CT making shotguns, was purchased by Canadian investors and moved to the Great White North. Again, their shotguns are fairly well-known and documented, but I can find NOTHING on their .22 rifle(s). Reprints of their old catalogs (shotguns) are available from www.cornellpubs.com. I recently bought one of her reprints of the 1913 Ross Rifle Catalog/handbook. Great reference piece!

Emailing with a collector up there, he stated he had owned four and seen only one other. He was in the process of selling his last one at an auction there. It sold last Saturday at a total cost to the buyer of $750. I even called the auction house about the gun. It was in excellent condition and still had a tag on it from the Winchester Museum. The consignee told me he bought it from Flayderman MANY moons ago.

He also noted his had a ROUND firing pin, whereas mine has a very unusual flat piece of steel which works on a slot and pin arrangement. When the hammer strikes the back of this piece, it snaps forward and ignites the cartridge. The action is a rolling block similar to the Remington No. 6 rifle.

Anyone researching Tobins? I'd like to hear from you regarding their rifles.

Best regards, ~ ~ ~ 45Broomhandle

 

[Jim K]

Just for fun, could you check the barrel on your gun to see if there are any proof marks. The gun looks a lot like the inexpensive rifles made in Belgium and sold in the U.S. and Canada. Some sellers put their own names on them, but did not make them. Since neither the U.S. nor Canada has a proof law, any proofs would indicate manufacture elsewhere.

Jim

 

[SDC]

The only things I have on Tobin are that the company was founded in Norwich, CT in 1904, was bought and moved to Woodstock, Ontario in 1909, and was then bought out by GB Crandall, a sporting-goods wholesaler, who kept the name alive until 1959.

 

[45Broomhandle]

UPDATE ON TOBIN RIFLES - photo

Got more info on the little Tobin .22rf from Woodstock, ONT. A gent on a very popular collector's forum in Canada furnished me with a lot more info on the Tobin firearms.

His info led me to post on CanadianGunNurz.com asking for info regarding an advertisment in The Rod & Gun in Canada magazine from the early 1900's regarding the Tobin .22rf rifles.

A gent on that forum advised me he had a copy of a 1917 Rod & Gun and the Tobin .22rf single-shot was advertised there, given as a premium to reward youngsters who sold so many annual subscriptions to the magazine, which was also published in Woodstock, ONT.

Though the Tobin company had concentrated on high quality shotguns from its inception, when it fell on hard times it was bought by a Canadian entrepeneur, GB Crandall, who was more interested in keeping his company afloat than its reputation for making only HIGH-QUALITY shotguns. Ergo, he made cheapie .22s for the local magazine publisher.

Both companies were soon out of business however due to the tough financial times. Unlike our little cheapie Hamiltons up in Michigan (also given as premiums to kid salemen), very few of these .22s Tobins were made or distributed. The latest known one was auctioned off in Ontario for $700 (including buyer fees) because it was in very good condition and still had a tag on it showing previous ownership by the Winchester Museum.

There is no known, or even estimated, number of rifles produced!

I would greatly appreciate any further update of this Tobin .22rf info.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ 45 Broomhandle

Since my first photo posting was removed during a problem at my photo service, and I cannot edit that post, here's that picture again.