10/12/2010

Harry Gerstner’s desire for something that didn’t exist—at least not in an acceptable form—would become the basis of the company he started just after the turn of the past century in Dayton, Ohio. That item was a furniture-grade wooden chest that neatly organized and protected a machinist’s tools of the trade.

Now 104 years later, H. Gerstner & Sons’ USA tool box line is still manufactured in the original factory, albeit expanded, under the tutelage of Gerstner’s grandson, Jack Campbell, along with his son, daughter, and a cadre of American craftsmen and women. The company also makes its signature style more broadly available through an imported line of tool chests under the Gerstner Int’l label.

The newest box to bear the Gerstner name, the U.S.-made 12G Shooters Chest, was designed with shooters’ input and is intended for cleaning and maintenance use at the range. Adjustable, padded gun forks store inside the box when closed and attach to its center divider when open to cradle a long gun. A removable tray and lower pull-out drawer organize small items such as jags and patches. And a section at the back of the box accommodates standing spray cans even when the box is closed.

The 12G Shooter’s Chest is made in Dayton of quarter-sawn white oak, although other woods, including walnut and cherry, are available on a custom basis. And like other chests in the Gerstner line, the lockable 12G features individually hand-fitted drawers and panels, a hand-rubbed lacquered finish, nickel-plated hardware, felt-lined drawers and storage compartments, and a padded leather handle. A Gerstner chest still exudes old-time quality and qualifies as a genuine piece of Americana—in this case one that can help you take care of your gun.

Contact: H. Gerstner & Sons, Inc., (937) 228-1662; www.gerstnerusa.com.