doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Townsend Whelen

This was a 30-40 Krag that Townsend named "Salina" if I remember correctly it was the Indian name (owl) for a pair of rocks he was shooting at a goat from.

The rifle was later rebuilt, wish I knew where the old "Sheep Head" stock was today. If you look close that's a bronze sheep head on the pistol grip. Would look good with a couple other non-typical stocks I have.

Anyone have a good picture of this rifle, I think that's a Campfire medallion in the buttstock.

Mike, those are remarkable photos. Salina was ruined when a wasp made a nest in the barrel. Then some time in the late 30s or early 40s Whelen had it barreled to .25 Short Krag and restocked in classic modern style. I am not at home now, can't check the books, and don't remember who the smiths were. The barreler was a prominent workman from the DC area who did much wildcat work, the stocker was the very fine wood man from National Target & Supply Co., with which Whelen was connected. The details are in "Mr. Rifleman", Whelen's semi autobiography. We in the Rifled Arms Historical Ass''n bought Salina and three other Whelen rifles from T.W. Bowling about ten yuears ago, it still shoots finely. We also got three from Creighton Audette that Whelen had given him and we have ahother one or two from other sources. We area always looking for more.

Thanks for the note Mark, I thought they were remarkable as well so I asked Townsend to let me post them.

I have the information about the rebuild but did not know you guys had this one.

The rifle was restocked by William L. Humphrey.

Surprised no comments about the room with all the machinery.

Whose shop was it? Rifling machine in the foreground?

Just saw it, and all shops with overhead belt driven machinery are hard to comment on because it is very difficult to see what's going on. The machine in the left center looks to me like rifling machine with a sine bar for determining pitch. What appears ot be a barrel straightener is in the extreme lower left. All guess work??
Squinting at the screen with my glasses off only reveals only the targets on the back wall as any indication of a gun shop. Your high rez B&W and a magnifying glass should reveal lots more?