doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Hold me back!

The first week is over and things seem to have slowed down. Are there any pre-war makers you would like to talk about? Schuetzen loading and shooting, restoration or gunsmithing? I know it will take a while for this forum to become established but in the meantime I have a bunch of pictures from many makers. If you folks want to look at pictures and some information on the makers, speak up.

Fire away Michael.

The audience may be small but it appreciative.

Brent

me too mp do you have any other sites.

Michael, I'm primarily interested in the gunsmithing aspect of the older rifles, also special-order or custom sighting equipment. For instance I like hinged trap door furniture such as buttplates, grip caps, belly traps, magazine boxes & similar and of course the neat little items that were stored inside them. Quick-detachable scope mounts and takedown rifles are always interesting, as are quarter-ribs and shooting/loading kits. I've always wanted to have more & better info on the various furniture and accessories offered for the 1903 such as the Howe-Whelen bolt sleeve peep, the G&H-style cross-bolt TG safety and the Sedgley speedlock striker to mention only a few. Various makers' differing treatments of the custom alterations of Mausers, Krags & 1903s as well as many single shots would be extremely educational to many on the forum who plan & execute commissions of new custom rifles in the classic style. Of course a constructive forum discussion of the differences would add immeasurably to the value of the photos. Many very attractive stying details are never mentioned in written descriptions and are sometimes impossible to spot in the usual photos available to most of us, and your contributions are greatly appreciated.
Regards, Joe

Joe,
I have a lot of interest in the same things and have a "Buttplate" picture file. I thought about a "Classic Sight" article but something else always comes up. I'll see what pictures I have and start a thread on the subject. Many of the early custom makers made a few take-down rifles, Makers like Barney Worthen specialized in them. Over the eyars I think I've only cataloged two G&H take-down rifles.

Mr Petrov,

I've been an occassional lurker on your site. I love the double gun and grew up with a Stoger Zephyr Uplander hunting quail in Louisana but, at heart, I really love the fine single shot and bolt action rifle. I gravitate toward the older, classic makers and prefer Springfields and 98 Mausers to almost anything made since 1964 (there are exceptions of course), fine single shot rifles mostly with black powder cartridges, and military breech loaders from the black powder era. These rifles all have a history and character that is just lacking today. I also love all the accouterments of the era - sights, ammunition and components, furnishings, loading gear, etc.

No plastic, no chrome, no stainless steel, no epoxy finish, no telescope the size of an astronomical instrument, no latest super magnum.

Jerry Liles

Mr. Petrov,

I just discovered this forum. I'm recently retired, formerly an hydrologist. The IT chap at my former place of employment gave me my username and it stuck. Last week I went into our local gunshop and was greeted by "Hello, Waterman". I'm very glad to see that former participants in the ASSRA forum are here.

I live in northern California, in the redwoods and near the coast. I'm a member of the Redwood Gun Club. I used to work for a now-defunct firm that bought and sold African rifles and organized African safaris. I've had a bit of experience with double rifles and with magazine rifles chambered for African cartridges. I'm a writer. Formerly technical, now a novelist, and also a writer of articles for our gun club newsletter. I've accumulated rifles for over 50 years and I am attracted to classics, guns that are older than I am. Earlier posts referring to history and character have hit the nail on the head.

My principal interest is in single shot rifles. With Terry Buffum's guidance, I am deeply involved in the restoration of a DST Farrow. Other projects are scrubbing the lead out of a Winder Musket to restore its accuracy, developing a BP load for an Alexander Henry military rifle in .450 Boxer-Henry Long, and getting an old High Wall .32-40 to shoot my cast bullets with some (or any) degree of accuracy.

Richard LaVen

Jerry, Welcome, It's not really my site, I'm just trying to do my part to get it started.
"No plastic, no chrome, no stainless steel, no epoxy finish, no telescope the size of an astronomical instrument, no latest super magnum." Amen!

Richard, Welcome, With Terry as your guide you have it made. I started my single-shot shooting about 1973 with a Winchester high-wall in .32-40, at the time I had a range out in the woods were we lived. If I had a question I would write letters to one of the schuetzen men living in the lower 48 and a couple weeks later get an answer and try what they suggested. I sure could have used the internet back then. A schuetzen rifle should be capable of less than MOA and a good one 1/2 MOA IMO.