Griffin & Howe

From our January/February 2026 Issue

In July 1983 Dr. A.M. Evans stepped into the Abercrombie & Fitch store on the corner of Madison Avenue and East 45th Street in Manhattan and ordered a Francotte 20-gauge over/under shotgun. With a distinctive three-piece forearm and 26-inch barrels, it weighed a delightful 6 pounds 1 ounce. Eighty-seven years latere I stepped into the modern evolution of the A&F gun business—Griffin & Howe, in Andover, New Jersey—and studied the log entry for what has been my go-to grouse and woodcock gun for the past 25 years.

While romantic and fascinating, this research was not the reason for my trip. Rather, I wanted to experience all that Griffin & Howe has to offer today. But first, there’s a bit more history to this singular venue. In 1997 a devoted wingshooter, conservationist and philanthropist created the Hudson Farm Club, in Andover, and eventually expanded the grounds to 4,200 acres. Although the Hydson Farm Club is open to members only, Griffin & Howe—the famed shooting academy, gun dealer and gunsmithing operation—was soon moved to the same grounds and operations made available to the general public. In 2003 Griffin & Howe opened a stunning showroom and created a 24,000-square-foot emporium featuring new and vintage firearms, including guns from James Purdey & Sons, Beretta, Blaser, Boss & Co, Browning, Ceasar Guerini, Fausti, Longthrone, Perazzi, Rizzini, Syren and, of course, the latest line of G&H bolt-action rifles. The showroom also features an extensive selection of clothing, footwear and accessories from DSG Outerwear, Crispi, Le Chameau, Sitka, Tom Beckbe and more. In 2011 the company’s gunmaking and gunsmithing services were moved into a 6,000-square-foot, purpose-built space on the grounds, and Dan Rossiter Jr., founder of Customer Stocks and Steel, was hired as shop foreman.

Griffin & Howe also has a shooting academy—in fact, it is the oldest shooting school in the US—with a team of expertly trained shotgun and rifle instructors. In addition to providing shooting lessons, there are introductory courses in trap, skeet, driven-bird shooting, quail hunting, tournament shooting, shotgun ballistics and more. Access to the sporting clays course and other shotgunning facilities (including Olympic skeet and trap fields and a Helice layout) are open to the public but by instruction only. There is also a 950-yard rifle range with state-of-the-art facilities.

During my visit I was fitted with one of G&H’s Caesar Guerini Summit Sporting models, had my gun-mounting techniques scrutinized and tweaked, and then covered no fewer than a dozen of the ground’s 20 sporting clays stations. With presentations ranging from 60-yard corssers to twisting battues and arcing chandelles, the course was not only meticulously designed but also painstakingly maintained.

I left with my head crammed full of new experiences and techniques and healthier habits.

For more information, visit griffinhowe.com.