Last years Whitey-J.D. Steele Award winner was going to be hard to top. The craftsmanship and artistry exhibited by Dennis Daigger on his "Last Martini" build was stunning. He certainly deserved recognition for the rifle build he shared with us.
That said, I think nothing posted since then comes close to the work that Bailey Bradshaw has shared with us this year. It's one thing to photograph and document a rifle built by someone else. It's another thing to take an existing rifle and use it as a canvas for new engraving, stockwork, and finishing. But it is another realm entirely to do what Bailey Bradshaw has done and shared with us in two threads here, and two in the main Double Shotgun forum.
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubb...3424#Post553424https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=553131&page=1https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=555272#Post555272https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=555852#Post555852Bailey has joined the ranks of the relatively few men who started with a raw forging or block of steel, and built a totally new rifle of his own design from scratch. In fact, Bailey has done this not only with his Underlever Falling Block, he redesigned it and built a Sidelever Falling Block action. He also came up with a novel new action with his Rising Block Double Rifle.
Bailey didn't just build crude prototypes either. His machining and metal finishing skills are immediately evident. He has told us that the work he has depicted here was all done by him, other than making the rifle barrels. It is refreshing to see that he is so multi-faceted, prolific, and isn't simply farming out much of his work to other shops so that he can spend countless hours here. Yet he was very forthcoming about the fact that Aaron Little will be stocking at least one of his current run of falling blocks, and is generous with his praise for Aaron and his skills. Here's how one guy summed up Bailey's work... short and sweet:
Beautiful, its' nice to know there are still some true gunsmiths [artists] around.
But Bailey took it to still another level with his Sidelever Falling Block. The second thread here details that this very attractive and functional rifle isn't a one-off, but that he has moved into custom manufacturing. On top of that, he seems willing to take the time to show us and explain to us many details of his innovative designs and his machining operations. His photography is very good, considering that it seems he is often taking the photo with one hand while holding an action, trigger guard, etc. in his stained machinist's opposite hand. I really enjoy seeing a working gunsmith shop rather than a photo studio.
Unless something else better is posted in the next couple days, this nomination seems like an obvious choice to me. I'd like to think Whitey and J.D. Steele would agree.
