doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Griffin & Howe single lever sidemount variations

For quite some time, I thought there was just basically one kind
of G&H single lever sidemount with just variations in the markings.
The first being marked "PAT. APPL. FOR" like this one

Griffin Howe early

Then later with a patent date,

patent date


But recently I saw one with a different locking mechanism, I don't have a picture of it, but it looks like this partial one

later variation?

So, naturally, I wonder how many variations there are now, and the relative rarities.

Interesting. All of the pictured mounts have windage adjustment.

I have only owned one single lever G&H mount. Years ago, I was talking with the shop foreman of the old G&H shop on lower Broadway when a customer came in with a G&H rifle equipped with a Lyman Alaskan scope in a G&H single lever side mount. He wanted to have a modern 1" diameter scope mounted in place of the Alaskan.

The foreman explained to him that the entire mount would have to be replaced, since the original bases were cantelevered inboard and merely replacing the 22mm rings with 1" rings would put the scope too far to the right. While the customer was mulling over the additional expense, I spoke up and offered to but scope and mount from him, if that would make his decision easier. It did, and I ended up with scope and mount for only about $150, if I recall correctly.

My first G&H Springfield had been sitting forlornly around, minus the top half of a G&H double lever mount. Unfortunately, the base, like that of the single lever mount, was cantelevered inboard, so the top slide of a modern G&H mount would not work with it. Fortuitively I encountered a man looking for a single lever mount who had the correct G&H top slide in his possession, so a trade was made, and my Springfield returned to its former glory.

I had no idea that the single lever mounts were worth so much!

I bought this Griffin & Howe Springfield from Safari Outfitters some years ago. It was missing its scope and the upper part of its G&H mount. But they also had in stock, from the same consignment source, a Winchester 54 with a complete similar G&H mount & old 1930s Zeiss scope. I bought that one, too, and had Safari Outfiteers put the mount & scope on the Griffin & Howe Springfield.

Griffin & Howe Springfield

Just out of curiosity, how is your G&H single lever mount marked?

By the way, you might enjoy comparing the engraving on your rifle with
this one

Col. Whelen's G&H 1903

Griffin & Howe Inc. New York
Pat. Appl. For

I think both were engraved by Rudolph Kornbrath.

My Griffin & Howe Springfield looks a good deal like Col. Whelen's, except, of course, for the recoil pad and the drop at the comb and heel:









I used mine to kill two deer with this last season. Very effective.

Beautiful rifles, I enjoy looking at them a lot. I have to wonder why Whelen's rifle doesn't have a cheekpiece.

Great looking G&H! Thanks for posting the detailed pics. It's possible the original owner of the G&H and M54 had only the one scope to share between the rifles. Are they different calibers? What is the G&H number?