Stinger4me
Member
Thanks for the memories. If I recall correctly there was a sign on a large pipe in the ground. I was never lucky enough to get a parking space right in front of the place. My cousin lived just down the street towards Brombach.
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Hamtramck, Jack Roy Gun Shop?
- Thread starter NT430
- Start date
Ah yes, that was the place.
I wonder what they did with the basement? Used the range for a wine cellar? That would be cool.
I was in the old "hood" friday night. We went to the "Polish Yacht Club" on Jos Campau in Detroit for a perch dinner and a few beers. It was the only building on the block on the west side. We then went to Brombach and Edwin to the "Polish Sea League".
Cold beers and an open pool table.
This tread started me looking though my old receipts to see what I bought from Jack in the 70s. How about a 2nd model HE in 455 loaded with British proofs with a case of original 455 ammo for $45? Or a mint pre 39 four digit serial number of 1431 for $137.50? I remember the pre 39 was sold to Jack by a polish fellow who decided to move back to the old country and couldn't take it. He had it stored in a safe deposit box at People's State bank on Jos Camapu and Holbrook since he bought it. I still have these guns plus a few others. I'll try to shoot some pictures in the near future.
I still have a good supply of Remington 45 Auto Rim ammo which Jack always made sure he had in stock as the 25-2 was very popular with the Detroit Police and Stress guys. I remember one officer from the 13th Precinct carried a 1950 Target pre 26 that was factory chambered in 45LC. I was in awe.
I wonder what they did with the basement? Used the range for a wine cellar? That would be cool.
I was in the old "hood" friday night. We went to the "Polish Yacht Club" on Jos Campau in Detroit for a perch dinner and a few beers. It was the only building on the block on the west side. We then went to Brombach and Edwin to the "Polish Sea League".
Cold beers and an open pool table.
This tread started me looking though my old receipts to see what I bought from Jack in the 70s. How about a 2nd model HE in 455 loaded with British proofs with a case of original 455 ammo for $45? Or a mint pre 39 four digit serial number of 1431 for $137.50? I remember the pre 39 was sold to Jack by a polish fellow who decided to move back to the old country and couldn't take it. He had it stored in a safe deposit box at People's State bank on Jos Camapu and Holbrook since he bought it. I still have these guns plus a few others. I'll try to shoot some pictures in the near future.
I still have a good supply of Remington 45 Auto Rim ammo which Jack always made sure he had in stock as the 25-2 was very popular with the Detroit Police and Stress guys. I remember one officer from the 13th Precinct carried a 1950 Target pre 26 that was factory chambered in 45LC. I was in awe.
Moosedog, Makes you wonder if the family that lives in the house now knows it had a "shooting range" under their backyard!
Thanks again for sharing all the stories....
Here's a photo of my "Jack Roy" .45 Colt shipped May 4th, 1959.....
Thanks again for sharing all the stories....
Here's a photo of my "Jack Roy" .45 Colt shipped May 4th, 1959.....
whitecoyote
Member
Stinger4me,
It looks like after all the years, someone still has your, "parking space right in front of the place".
Pre 64, that is one beautiful Colt SA. If you ever decide to sell it, let me know.
I was digging through some old boxes and found receipts from Jack Roy's for guns that I had bought from him. Here's my model 49 that has served me well as a backup gun and as an off duty carry gun. I've gone through two pairs of wooden grips and finally put some stags on it. I keep it stoked with the 158 gr SWCHP Treasury Load. I had to give $120 back in 1976 for it but it's been the best insurance policy i've ever had.
I was digging through some old boxes and found receipts from Jack Roy's for guns that I had bought from him. Here's my model 49 that has served me well as a backup gun and as an off duty carry gun. I've gone through two pairs of wooden grips and finally put some stags on it. I keep it stoked with the 158 gr SWCHP Treasury Load. I had to give $120 back in 1976 for it but it's been the best insurance policy i've ever had.
photoman
Member
Nice 49 moosedog. I like those round top stags.
44 special Dave
Member
WOW, the memories. I bought a m 13-1 or -2 from Jack in 1974. The picture that coyote posted doesn't quite tell the story of the "gun store"
Hamtramck has a lot of resturants and stores below homes in front entrances basically called "walk downs"
His store was under the house accessed by a front door walk down. Kinda like brownstones in New York.
Anyway it was a small store "packed" with gun stuff. The most unusual thing he showed me one day was a barrel for a reminton rifle in 218BEE. He had all kinds of unusual gun related things in that shop.
He was a cordial, sometimes gruff fella but always willing to impart knowledge to newbies like I was back in 1973/74.
He also had a "testing" range/bullet trap in the store. You'd walk in, no Jack in sight, then "boom" he was test firing something. He come around the corner, take the muffs off and the good conversation would begin.
My memory tells me the walk down was in the brick home in the photo.
Thanks for the memories!
Dave
Hamtramck has a lot of resturants and stores below homes in front entrances basically called "walk downs"
His store was under the house accessed by a front door walk down. Kinda like brownstones in New York.
Anyway it was a small store "packed" with gun stuff. The most unusual thing he showed me one day was a barrel for a reminton rifle in 218BEE. He had all kinds of unusual gun related things in that shop.
He was a cordial, sometimes gruff fella but always willing to impart knowledge to newbies like I was back in 1973/74.
He also had a "testing" range/bullet trap in the store. You'd walk in, no Jack in sight, then "boom" he was test firing something. He come around the corner, take the muffs off and the good conversation would begin.
My memory tells me the walk down was in the brick home in the photo.
Thanks for the memories!
Dave
Moosedog, thanks for the recap. My first visit to Jack Roys was back in 1968. I was 18 yrs. old & had a single shot 20 ga. that had a broken firing pin. At that time I knew nothing about guns & could only explain to Jack that it didn't shoot. He got a kick out of me because of my lack of knowledge of guns but he treated me nice. He fixed it while I waited & charged me a dollar for the repair if I remember correctly. I lived in Hamtramck for 27 yrs. before finally moving, but a gunshop like that is hard to find today. It's odd I ran across this post, I was at a party back in July, and one of my relatives who was a Hamtramck officer, brought up the subject. He had known Jack very well & had nothing but kind words for him..
istricky
Member
Fantastic trip back in time guys. Hamtramck is in my working territory so I drove by the other day just to get a little closer to the story and history. Great memories shared. Thanks.
This ones for 44 Special Dave. The top gun is a 2nd model HE in 44 Special that I kept looking at when ever I got behind the counter of Jack's shop. It's five inch barrel was badly pitted and the finish was 50%, maybe. Still and all it was all there. It was in a drawer that housed some of Jack's parts guns. These were guns that Jack bought from people for parts or bought at police auctions. Back then Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck PDs all had auctions of their "crime guns" which Jack often bid on. I used to look at it alot and wonder where it had been. Jack didn't think much of it and told me "You don't want that". "I will cost more to fix it up than it's worth". Of course he was right. But I talked him into selling it to me for $75 of which I had to make payments since the economy was in the toilet at the time. I bought a new five inch barrel from Smith since the bullets tipped when fired out of the pitted barrel. I had S&W install it and refinish it the best they could as it had some bad pits it the finish, especially the cylinder from someone shooting black powder loads and not cleaning it. Cost me another $75 at the time. Jack was right.
Factory letters were free and I found out that this gun, serial number 14828 had been shipped to L. Hoffman Hardware, which I believe was in Tennessee? The letter doesn't state. It had been shipped on December 19th 1916. The grips are numbered to the gun and have carved intials of "D L L" on the back of the left grip panel.
Some Purple Gand thug? A farmer in rural Macomb County? Who knows.
The other is my "Hastings Street 44" it's a 44DA Russian serial #26682 that used to be nickel. I bought it in the mid 90s from an older black fellow who told me that his father used to "keep it with him when we lived on Hastings Street in Detroit" From the looks of it, keeping it with you meant carrying it. The finish is maybe 5% and the main spring has been replaced. It has about a 50lb trigger pull in DA. When I got it it came with a cylinder full of Silver Tips. WOW. Those from the Detroit area will recognize Hastings Street as the original turf of the Purple Gang and later it was the main drag for Detroit's "Paridise Valley" or "Black Bottom" as it was known. As it turns out Hastings Street was only a few miles from Jack Roys.
Factory letters were free and I found out that this gun, serial number 14828 had been shipped to L. Hoffman Hardware, which I believe was in Tennessee? The letter doesn't state. It had been shipped on December 19th 1916. The grips are numbered to the gun and have carved intials of "D L L" on the back of the left grip panel.
Some Purple Gand thug? A farmer in rural Macomb County? Who knows.
The other is my "Hastings Street 44" it's a 44DA Russian serial #26682 that used to be nickel. I bought it in the mid 90s from an older black fellow who told me that his father used to "keep it with him when we lived on Hastings Street in Detroit" From the looks of it, keeping it with you meant carrying it. The finish is maybe 5% and the main spring has been replaced. It has about a 50lb trigger pull in DA. When I got it it came with a cylinder full of Silver Tips. WOW. Those from the Detroit area will recognize Hastings Street as the original turf of the Purple Gang and later it was the main drag for Detroit's "Paridise Valley" or "Black Bottom" as it was known. As it turns out Hastings Street was only a few miles from Jack Roys.
Roddy B
Member
What a great thread.
I grew up on the other side of the border. Point Edward,On, across the river from Port Huron Mi.
I spent a lot of time during my early years in the city of Detroit. This has brought back lots of good memories.
I grew up on the other side of the border. Point Edward,On, across the river from Port Huron Mi.
I spent a lot of time during my early years in the city of Detroit. This has brought back lots of good memories.
Hastings street 1950's-60's was best known for prostitution,mostly black prostitution, if a guy wanted to get laid and had $5.00 he and his buddies visited Hastings St, don't know about after the 60's because I moved away...
Stinger4me
Member
mc350; Ask the Hamptramck PD guy if he knew anyone with the last name of Lerczak? I think the father and the son were both on the PD there. They lived in an upstairs flat on Lehman for awhile.
Hello everyone, my name is Rob Roy Jr, Grandson of Jack Roy. My father is Rob Roy Sr, and I have a son Robbie Roy. I also have a sister named Sheryl. We as a family cannot express in words what emotions reading the postings have brought to our family. Jack was a great man that you either loved or hated. We obviously loved him with all of our hearts and miss terribly the place known as Jack Roy’s Gun Shop. My dad grew up in the house upstairs. I grew up visiting Grandpa Roy, and running to the candy drawer with my sister as soon as we arrived. Grandpa always had silver dollars stashed away for us, as well as a cold bottle of coke in a real glass bottle for us. Now at 44 years old I still miss it. I learned to shoot in the tunnel at the back of the shop, and how not to be organized from Grandpa. Somehow, even thought it could be considered an organized mess, I could probably find everything in the store in my mind some 30 years later. Have a wonderful holiday. We as a family will try to upload some pictures of the store after the first of the year.
Mr. Roy, This is great! You're finding this posting on the S&W Forum....and your wonderful, meaningful reply. We look forward to your pictures and anymore you can tell us about "Jack Roy". The Colt I have that was purchased at your grandpa's shop will always have a special place in my collection.
Merry Christmas Rob Jr. I remember you coming by with your mom and dad when your grandma was liquidating the shop.
44 years old, wow, I'm ancient! It's good to hear that you share grandpa's interest in firearms.
It's a pleasure to hear from you and I have your e-mail.
Wish your parents a Merry Christmas.
44 years old, wow, I'm ancient! It's good to hear that you share grandpa's interest in firearms.
It's a pleasure to hear from you and I have your e-mail.
Wish your parents a Merry Christmas.
