Gun Digest 2011. Dan ShidelerЧитать онлайн книгу.
he needed a new elk rifle, he pulled out the stops. He had Joe Bautz work over the 1909 Argentine Mauser action, doing the blueprinting and adding a three-position safety, Talley quick-detachable mounts, and a raised and checkered bolt stop pad. Bautz turned the metal over to Toby Leeds who crafted the superb stock, with a steel buttplate. Strosin then used the rifle as a canvas for his embellishment. He also did the bluing and French Gray finishing.
Strosin/Bautz/Leeds 1909 Argentine Mauser. Photos by Tom Alexander.
Lee Griffiths
Lee Griffiths is a very talented and versatile engraver. Shown here are two examples that emphasize the wide range of engraving styles that he is more than capable of executing to perfection. The first photo is of a L.C. Smith double 12-gaugeshotgun, which Griffiths engraved in traditional scrollwork, bulino scenes, and gold line inlay work. There is also heavy chiseled sculpting on the fences and the breaking lever. The second example, a Perazzi O/U, features much more contemporary styled engraving, combining traditional scrollwork with a heavily sculpted trigger guard bow, and multi-metal inlay work, including gold, platinum, silver, and copper inlays. Both pieces are exquisitely done.
Lee Griffiths LC Smith 12-gauge. Photo courtesy of Lee Griffiths.
Griffiths Perazzi O/U. Photo courtesy of Lee Griffiths.
David Norin
Chicago-area gunmaker David Norin can and does do everything on a custom gun except the engraving. Shown here are some examples of his work. The action is a Standard Model, which came out of the great Oberndorf Werke in the 1930s. Norin fitted a Fisher round bottom magazine and trigger guard assembly, added a new bolt knob, suitably checkered, and polished, ground and stoned the action to the stage shown in the photo. The barreled action is a Dakota .22 RF to which has been added a sculpted bolt knob, a quarter-rib with express sights, and added stoning and polishing. This barreled action will be stocked as a mini-African stalking rifle. Finally, the completed rifle is a Mauser action 7x57, fitted with Fisher round bottom magazine and trigger guard assembly, an Oberndorf style bolt knob, three-position safety, Blackburn trigger, and a Lyman 48 peep sight. The rifle is stocked in a very nice stick of Turkish walnut and checkered in a point pattern at 22 LPI. The rifle is intended to be a deep woods deer rifle.
The artistry of David Norin.
Photo by Tom Alexander.
Al Lofgren
Al Lofgren is a superb stockmaker and long-time member of the American Custom Gunmakers Guild (ACGG). Al delights in crafting fine custom stocks in the Germanic style. He has crafted many stocks using the reinforcing side-panels, so reminiscent of Mauser factory stocks from the early twentieth century. In preparing for this job, looking through Michael Petrov’s fine book, Custom Gunmakers of the 20th Century, he came across an example of a Sauer made rifle with metal side-plates inletted into the reinforcing panels of the stock. He decided to incorporate metal side-plates into this stock job, using a nice stick of walnut from Paul and Sharon Dressel. Steve Nelson did much of the metalwork, including the square-bridging work on the rear bridge. He also did the quarter-rib and installed the 3-position safety, Talley scope mounts and the Weaver 3x scope.
Lofgren Mauser with metal sideplates. Photos by Tom Alexander.
Glenn Fewless
The Rifle shown here is a very early Gibbs 1870 Farquharson, serial number 92. It is a well-traveled rifle. It went from England, where it was manufactured, to India, and from there to New Zealand, and from Kiwi land to the USA. The rifle is chambered for the .500 3-inch Black Powder Express. It was not in the best of condition when it arrived at the Wisconsin bench of metalsmith Glenn Fewless. He completely rebuilt the rifle including fitting a 26-inch full ribbed barrel. When Glenn finished the metalwork, he shipped the rifle to Illinois stockmaker Doug Mann. Doug crafted the magnificent stock from a superb stick of Turkish Exhibition grade walnut. Working from the blank, he whittled out the stock keeping in mind the original Gibbs styling for the stock. He added the leather covered pad, ebony forend tip, and checkered the finished stock in a 24 LPI point pattern. The rifle as shown is still in the white, awaiting finishing instructions from the client.
Glenn Fewless Gibbs Farquharson in .500 BPE, still in the white. Photos by Tom Alexander.
Joe Rundell
Joe Rundell is a multi-talented guy. He crafts wonderful custom stocks, does superb metalsmithing, but above all, he is a master engraver. While I don’t normally run photos of anything other than custom guns here, I liked this custom knife so well that I thought it would be permissible. Knives and guns go together like biscuits and gravy anyway. Scott Sawby, using Damascus steel forged by Devin Thomas, crafted this custom Damascus folder. The client for this knife wanted nudes on the scales, and selected Joe Rundell to do the execution. He did a masterful job.
Photo by Tom Alexander.
Roger Sampson
Roger Sampson began studying engraving under the watchful eye of Emma Achleithner, who had been trained in Ferlach, Austria. Roger became a member of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America (FEGA) in 1985, and has been a professional member since 1989. He currently serves on the board of FEGA. Although Roger has specialized for years in adorning miniature firearms, the one shown here is a full-size rifle. It is an original early Winchester Model 1885, built in 1888. The rifle was built by Jim Westberg and checkered by Don Klein. Roger than engraved the rifle in a lovely scroll pattern. The rifle is currently in the white, awaiting a decision from the client on the final finish option.
Roger Sampson original Winchester Model 1885, still in the white. Photo by Tom Alexander.
Bob Evans
Bob Evans has been a successful engraver for many years now. He is a long-time member of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America and has served as that Guild’s Historian for many years.
This floorplate is typical of Bob Evans artistry. The rifle was custom crafted for a client by Gary Goudy on a Model 70 action. It is chambered for the ever-popular .30-06 cartridge and the client specified it was to be his deer Rifle. Following that theme, Evans designed the pattern executed on the floorplate featuring an engraved and gold inlaid buck head as the centerpiece. He complemented the deer scene with lovely scrollwork and gold line inlay. Photo by Gary Bolster.
THE “OTHER” AUTOLOADERS
Though popular today, gas-operated shotguns had –
and have – some stiff competition. BY NICK HAHN
Franchi 48 AL Eldorado Grade: long recoil system;
Benelli Montefeltro Ultralight, inertia system.
Despite