I got to know Maurice (he pronounce it Morris) very well and one thing anyone in the trade would say about him, he was one of the nicest guys and truest gentleman that I have ever known.
We mostly spoke on the phone and I remember always having a better day after a conversation with Maurice. I would see him at the Guild Show in Reno each year.
I photographed a number of his rifles and I think there are four in my Custom Rifles book. The pix were mostly shot for advertisements or for stories I wrote, and mostly B&W. He was a a prolific gunmaker, from Coulee City, WA were he was raised and he used to tell me about looking out the window of his shop at the farmers going to work thanking the lord he wasn't wheat farming anymore. Althoguh we were friends for over a decade, I was only in his shop once, about 1997-8(?) after he had a stroke. He died a couple years later.
He did all kinds of projects, making many stocks from the blank for single shots and double guns, but most of his work was M-70's and Mausers. He was inovative as shown in the Germanic rifle (a good buy at $5,500 IMO!) liked Lyman sights, Colt Woodsmans and did rust bluing much metalwork on his projects. I could go on, but here some pics of one of the very finest Mannlicher stocked rifle I have ever handled. A small ring Mauser, 7x57 that handles and swings like a dream. It belongs to one of my clients.
God rest his soul, Maurice was a fine man and a good friend!
