J. F. Frantz Mfg. Co.

GusAdler, Jack Bechtol , & Walter Tratsch formed ABT Manufacturing Company 1919 in Memphis, TN. They set up manufacturing shooting boxes in Chicago, IL.  Sometime in the late 1930s they began manufacturing air rifles. Slide action, Bolt action,  Top feed, Rear feed, Semi-Auto, etc.   Some were mechanical (spring) and some were fed by a compressed air hose.  The rifle manufacturing was discontinued in the late 1960s.  The rifles were used BB type ammo but not always BB Caliber.   They were sold under the names ABT, Drice, Air-O-Matic, Rifle Sport, Frantz Mfg. Co., Pace, Rockola, Keeney & Sons, and possibly others.

J. F. Frantz Manufacturing Co. 1940 W. Lake St., Chicago 12, IL purchased the ABT Co. in the 1950s.  Every morning, John Frantz would wait outside of his business located on the 1900 West block of West Lake Street, for a friend to pick him up for breakfast.  Tuesday, June 14, 1983, was no different. However, when his friend arrived on the scene that morning, he found Mr. Frantz lying on the sidewalk and discovered that he had been shot.  This is still an Unsolved Murder.

About 1984 J. F. Frantz Manufacturing Co. Was sold to Bud Johnston, Johnston Products, E. Moline, IL.  The shooting box part of the company was since sold to  www.crowriver.com/abt.htm.