Message-ID: 
Newsgroups: AIRGUN.LIST
In a message dated 98-03-27 06:20:10 EST, you write:
<< I am wondering if all the older Crosman 111, 112, 115, 116  and even the
150
 pistols had the
 white recessed lettering, or if some from the factory, were painted over
 leaving the letters and
 numbers the same color as the rest of the barrel. I am not sure that seeing
 the indented areas
 painted over is a clear indication of a refinish. How do you tell if there 
s
 original paint on one of
 these guns?  Anybody have any input on this?
 
 Matt Nickels >>
Models 111-120
It's like the first rule of Sociology, "Some do, some don't."  
The recessed white lettering (RWL) does not appear on all examples of these
guns as they came from the factory. So, the fact that a gun does not have RWL
does not mean the gun has been refinished.   I believe that early guns, made
in Rochester, were more likely to have the RWL. Guns made later, after 1953 
n
Fairport, were more likely not to have the RWL. 
If you are lucky enough to have an 111-116 gun with the original paperwork 
ou
can tell if the gun was made in Rochester or Fairport. The owner's manual of 

Rochester gun has the picture of the Henrietta st. plant on the back page, on
the guns made in Fairport the picture has been removed. All guns are marked
Rochester, but that was simply because they never bothered to change the
marking dies.   
Note: that most guns returned to the factory for repair (there were no 
rosman
authorized service stations until 1956) were run through the paint shop for a
quick touch up job and I would expect that these guns would also not have the
RWL.
Another note: Mr. Mike Archer is reported to be refinishing these guns and
applying RWL so even if your gun has RWL that doesn't neccesarly mean it
hasn't been refinished.
Final note: After looking at many of these guns it is usually pretty obvious
if the gun has been refinished or not. The usual give away is that the gun is
in a used condition. That is, if the paint is absolutely perfect and the gun
isn't then something is wrong. A gun that has been used will always show that
wear however minor. 
150 note:
I have never seen or heard of any model 150 with RWL. These guns were always
made of steel and blued with no paint on the steel parts
Hope this helps.
dt fletcher
--- QScan/PCB v1.19b / 01-0671
---------------