doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Posting Pictures for Gary.

He will be along with the commentary.

Not an A-Typical Shelhamer

Gary Duffey

Great rifle! He seems to have been a fan of down pressure on the barrel. My Shelhamer has the same brass escutcheon and screw in the forend that screws into the barrel. Does anyone know if this universal for Shelhamer rifle to have this screw?

Thanks for sharing!

Very nice.
Checkered & Case Colored butt plate? I have one around that looks just like that. Was that an available item in the trade or something they made up themselves.

Tom,

I associate that serrated brass escutcheon with Shelhamer, but could not say if all of his rifles use them. The dozen or so I have owned had them.

Most of the pre-war Shelhamer rifles I have seen have it.

Looks like the "Niedner" buttplate to me. When they were made at Niedners if they showed color after hardening they were left that way, if not they were blued.

Thanks to Michael for posting the pictures for me.

Carlyn W. Behrmann was the chief barrel maker for Niedners in the 30's. This was his personal rifle. The story follows:

When he left Niedner's in 1940 or so he took this barreled action (in the white)and for the next 15 or so years the (in the white) barreled action hung on the wall in Carlyn's leather shop. He was an expert leather worker also, specializing in fancy harness for show horses.

About 1956 his son took the rifle to Tom Shelhamer who had saved the stock blank for Carlyn all those same years

Tom finished the stock and had the gun blued somewhere around Dowagiac or did it himself, I do not know but the blue is not up to Niedners.

After sighting in the rifle was taken on a hunt to Wyoming where one shot was fired bagging a Mule deer. After that the rifle was never fired again.

Interesting also is that when making this stock Shelhamer's eyesight was getting bad as he wore 2 or 3 pairs of specticles when working on this stock.

The buttplate is case hardened and I think the brass escutcheon is Shelhamer's as I have not seen any of his fancier work that did not have them. Tom stamped his T Shelhamer under the buttplate and the #1198 is also stamped there. I don't know if he kept track of how many stocks he had done.

The only marking on the barrel are 1956 on top of the barrel and 30-06 near the chamber. I have not gotten up the courage to try to take the stock off but if I do I will post if anything interesting.

Also the checkering pattern on this stock is the same as the one on my father's 1938 Vintage Niedner. Called the "Rex O'Dell" I wonder if anyone else has one with this pattern. My father and Carlyn were cousins and both worked at Niedners in the 30's. We all lived in the Dowagiac area.

Did I read that he made buttplates by cutting them out of steel pipe and hammer shaping them?

For those interested in Shelhamers, check out this listing:

http://www.gunsinternational.com/Custom-...un_id=100262641

A interesting early 50's rifle. The most interesting part is reading the letter that the seller has posted from Tom to the Dr. who commisioned the rifle. An interesting read. The pictures also show what I believe to be an example of a case colored niedner style buttplate.