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Vintage 1940s Stoeger Shooter's Bible – Illustrated Firearms & Gunsmithing Catalog
Original Vintage Stoeger Arms Corporation Catalog – America's Great Gun House – New York
A fascinating original American firearms catalog from the World War II era, published by Stoeger Arms Corporation, 507 Fifth Avenue, New York.
This substantial illustrated reference catalog contains hundreds of pages of vintage firearms, rifles, shotguns, revolvers, ammunition, replacement gun parts, gunsmithing supplies, sporting accessories and original factory-era retail prices.
An outstanding historical resource for gun collectors, gunsmiths, firearms restorers, gun show enthusiasts and students of American sporting history.
Featured Manufacturers and Contents
Winchester: Famous Model 70 bolt-action rifles, Model 71 lever-action rifles, Model 07 self-loading rifles and other sporting models.
Remington: Rifles, original replacement parts diagrams, Model 12 and Model 121 component lists, and factory-era pricing.
Marlin: Classic .22 caliber sporting rifles, including Models 101 and 80.
Savage & Stevens: Repeating shotguns, double-barrel shotguns, rifles and sporting firearms.
Iver Johnson & Harrington & Richardson: Vintage revolvers and illustrated handgun offerings.
Ammunition: Winchester, Western, Peters and Remington ammunition, cartridge illustrations and period pricing.
Gunsmithing Supplies: Walnut gunstocks, rifle sights, scope mounts, cleaning equipment, replacement components and specialty shooting accessories.
The illustrated replacement-parts sections are particularly interesting. Exploded component layouts, numbered parts and original prices offer valuable historical information for collectors researching older firearms.
A Remarkable Piece of American Firearms History
Stoeger's Shooter's Bible became one of America's best-known firearms reference publications, bringing together firearms and sporting equipment from numerous manufacturers under one cover.
The catalog offers a glimpse into the American sporting-goods market during the 1940s, with detailed product advertising, technical specifications, old retail prices and equipment that has become collectible today.
Condition – Missing Covers / Damaged Reference Copy
Sold as a damaged original vintage catalog with missing covers.
This is a well-used, approximately 80-year-old publication showing substantial age and handling wear, including torn and frayed pages, folds, creases, edge damage, discoloration, spine deterioration and possible loose or missing pages.
Both original covers are missing. The binding and page edges show significant deterioration. Completeness has not been verified.
However, numerous illustrated pages and reference sections remain readable and useful for historical research.
Please examine ALL photographs carefully. The actual catalog shown is the exact item being sold. No restored or replacement covers are included...but could be, just ask.,,,it would be created by Aye Eye
Priced and offered as a damaged historical reference copy rather than a complete collector-grade example.
Publication Date – Best Estimate
Research suggests this may be a circa 1944–1946 edition of Stoeger's The Shooter's Bible, possibly the 1946 Catalog No. 37.
This identification is an educated estimate based on the publisher, surviving page numbers, period firearms illustrations and wartime information. The exact year and catalog number have not been conclusively verified because the original identifying covers are missing.
A wonderful opportunity to acquire an original piece of American firearms publishing history at a discount due to its condition.
Gun Show Collectors, Gunsmiths & Firearms Historians Welcome – Best Offers Considered!
Research findings: Stoeger Shooter's Bible
I found a specialist catalog archive and a publisher of historical firearm-catalog reproductions. Your damaged original is consistent with Stoeger's wartime Shooter's Bible editions.
The most promising candidates are:
Year
Catalog 34
Both years used No. 34; wartime editions
1944
No. 35
512 pages; documented ammunition rationing
1945
No. 36
Original cover documented
1946
No. 37
512 numbered pages reported by a collector
1947
No. 38
528 pages; postwar edition
Land of Borchardt+3Most revealing discovery
The 1944 Stoeger No. 35 reproduction listing specifically describes wartime ammunition rationing and products unavailable or restricted for the duration of the war. This is particularly relevant to the War Production Board notice visible in your catalog.
I would now give 1944, Catalog No. 35, stronger consideration than my earlier 1946 guess, although the notice alone cannot prove the date.
Original cover references found
1944 – Catalog No. 35
Wartime edition, 512 pages. The content description is a particularly good match to your surviving pages.
View 1944 edition
