I can add a little info to the brass "Shelhamer tie-down" story as I researched this very item for many years. I lived in Michigan and several friends and I collected his rifles. We always found these identical tie-downs on his rifles... with two exceptions. The first was rifles that were stamped D. Kilpatrick under the butt-plate and looked for all intensive purposes to be Shelhamers. These did not have the tie-down however were identical in lines (and workmanship) to Shelhamer. I had almost given up on understanding this when, by a stroke of luck, I came across a "D. Kilpatrick" living near Dowagiac Michigan. I was able to contact Dennis' daughter who told me the story. Dennis and Tom were very close personnel friends. Dennis was a local gunsmith who did very nice work and catered to the target/benchrest set. He did have some of his clients want him to build sporting or hunting rifles and he would do these in conjunction with Shelhamer who taught him inletting and shaping (I've taken two of these apart and they are beautifully inletted). From what I learned, these were done in Shelhamer's basement while the two worked together. Because Kilpatrick was a accuracy buff, he would begrudgingly make the concession to a tight barrel channel but not to a tie-down, so on his rifles they were to the best of my knowledge, never present. as a point of interest all the Kilpatrick rifles were checkered by Shelhamer. From what I gathered talking further with others still alive that knew Dennis (and Tom), he made something like a dozen rifles with Shelhamer designed stocks and all are stamped like Shelhamer did. These are lovely rifles and add something to a Shelhamer collection. Whenever you see what you are sure is a Shelhamer but doesn't have a tie-down you're probably looking at a Kilpatrick.
I mentioned two exceptions... until 3 years ago, I was sure that no Shelhamer went out that did not have his brass escutcheon present. On this very forum was a Shelhamer rifle, properly stamped with its number under the Niedner butt-plate and no tie-down. It was a quintessential Shelhamer with chin-strap, Schnabble fore-end and O'Dell pattern checkering (also the typical rich French walnut he used and I envy). I've looked at more than 50 Shelhamers and this photo came as a complete surprise! I guess this reinforces the old adage "never say never".
Thought you might find this interesting.
Yes, very interesting, thank you. The story I had heard was that Shelhamer did the stock work for Kilpatrick but it sounds like you have the straight scoop on it. I have seen one Kilpatrick gun, but I do not recall if it had the escutcheon or not.
John
