Obviously, I had an unfair advantage (to use Mark Donohue's phrase) in that the above pictured rifle has been with me for about 20 years. It was originally owned by Major T. D. Sloan who advertised it for sale in the American Rifleman in the early 1920s. Mark Benenson or Michael found the ad in their collections of magazines. I have to wonder why he elected to sell such a fine rifle - perhaps he was as inflicted with gun buying as I am, and had less space for storage as he was in the military. Later, he worked for Griffin & Howe.
I have collected custom American single shot rifles for years. This was the first sporter style Pope I had seen, single shot or bolt action. I now also have one in .30 - 06 on a Springfield, again by Griffin. I'm still looking for a sporter style Pope single shot.
