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Interesting history of Golden State Arms

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Lucky#13 
#1 ·
#2 ·
i've had a few of their guns. no complaints.
the fancier models are starting to pick up $$$$ though as there seems to be a niche for this stuff.



guy down the road has a sante fe "jungle" carbine he got at a bar for $25 about 15 years ago, I've offered $$ but he won't budge- YET.
 
#4 ·
As I was growing up in Pasadena, I knew Leo Grizzaffi as the guardian? of Eric Parser (from Spain, dad was a dealer there) who was going to school in Pasadena. We pretty much has run of the place. Wanted to go out shooting? Leo would give (loan) anything we wanted. I remember his personal .44 mag and a Tigre carbine that was a real hoot to shoot. I still have a 1912 Steyr Hahn 9mm Para that I bought there for $9.95. Too bad there aren't any places like that any more. Also used to detour through East Pasadena Firearms on my way home from school. Harry Sanford was the owner who went on to form AMT and produced the AutoMag. I remember one afternoon being in the store and he was showing off the .44 AutoMag to a customer and he took it into the back room and fired it 2 or 3 times. It was fun growing up in that culture.
 
#7 ·
Fascinating article. Great history, if just before my time. Funny, but I knew right were that was, as I was spending a lot of time in that part of Pasadena in the late 70s. I couldn't help but pull up the map satellite view and found some interesting things. Take a look at this pic, from the linked article on Golden State Arms.
Mansion Estate Building Residential area Architecture


Now, take a look at this, from an article on what is left of the old Ambassador College in Pasadena, a place I used to know very well.

Property Building Architecture Residential area Home

Photo: Bob and Joyce Thiel

If you look carefully, and allow for the different angle of view, you will identify the common objects. In the arial shot, at the top left you can see the half-round portico at the front of the mansion, very top of the image. Just forward of that you can see some of the honeycomb architecture of the buildings opposite that. Now look at the second pic, from the rear of the honeycomb buildings to the front of that same portico. This all became part of the Ambassador College campus, which operation was largely moved to Texas in the late 90s. Sadly, while the mansion is still there in current arial map views, all around it has been torn down. Those two beautiful, honeycomb halls that were the Science and Fine Arts buildings have been demolished. It looks like a construction zone around there now, which I suppose it is. The mansion itself was the Loma D. Armstrong Academic Center. So more of this geographical location is becoming history, like the Golden State Arms Corp before it.

Ruins Building Photography House Historic site

​Photo: Myles

Sad. Well, at least the great Ambassador Auditorium remains. I have had long history with that magnificent venue.
 
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