Hello All,

I Need Help Identifying the Maker of this Custom Rifle.

Maybe someone will recognize the checkering style. Your comments would be welcome.

According to the Family, it was custom made for Reynold H Rusch - He was from Minocqua, Wisconsin. I was told it was made for him in the 1950's or 60's, perhaps (?) by a Wisconsin Gunsmith.

It was built on a 1930's FN 98 Mauser Action ("Greek Contract" w/ Original Factory Barrel in 8x57 cal.)

Here's the specs:

- Mannlicher Stock of French Walnut w/ Metal Forend Cap
- Shadow Out-Line Roll-Over Cheek Piece
- Buffalo Horn Grip Cap w/ Compass
- Buffalo Horn Butt Plate
- Single Panel Wrap-Around Skip-Line Forend Checkering w/ Fluers
- Two Panel Skip-Line Grip Checkering w/ Fluers
- 13-5/8" LOP - 17-1/2" Barrel - 7-1/4 pounds
- Lyman 57 Rear Sight
- Lyman Ramp Front Sight w/ Brass Bead
- Buehler Low Profile Safety
- Jeweled Bolt
- Custom Turned-Down Bolt Handle
- Checkered Bolt Knob
- Checkered Trigger
- Engraved Screws
- Sling Swivels

more pics

more pics

Don't have any idea on who the builder might be, but it's a beautiful rifle.

Did you look under the butt plate?Did you take the barreled action out f the stock?Eagle River was the home to few Custom Rifle builders.I will try and jog my memory.

Lots of compasses used back then. Everyone getting lost?

Nothing in the barrel channel ....

Yes, please let me know if you remember any of the Customers Gun Builders in that area.

We're all Biesen's rifles marked?

Hello hanco,

I don't know if all were marked. I wish I could find an example of similar checkering.

The maker is out of my jurisdiction, but that is a sweet looking firearm!

My guess would be a metalsmith and stockmaker, Emil J.Koshollek from Stevens Point, Wisconsin if you are indicating an era of 1950-1960s.

For many years Alvin Linden used Koshollek grip caps and buttplates on his gun stocks.

I became interested in Koshollek when I purchased a pre-64 Model 70 that started out as a .270 Win but re-barreled to a 7x57 with a Buhmiller barrel. He did some work on the action and trigger, but other than free floating the barrel, the stock was original. I would have the rifle today but I lent it to my brother and it got destroyed in a house fire.

For a little background on Koshollek, Ludwig Olson did an article on him in Rifle Magazine #124 July-August 1989.

Beautiful rifle!

Hello roundoak,

Thanks for the reply.

I have several Custom Rifles built by Leonard Mews that have Koshollek parts on them.

I also have that 1989 Rifle magazine article. I have seen Emil's metal work, but have not seen examples of his stock making or checkering. Did your rifle have similar checkering?

No, the checkering was original Model 70. Stock barrel channel was modified for free float.

I'm hoping that someone here recognises the checkering style to help identify the maker.

I think a couple things might legislate against this being Emil Koshollek's work. The stock style, with roll-over comb likely post dates any style that Emil created. Secondly, a gun built by Emil would surely have included some of his metal work.....which in his latter years he almost exclusively concentrated on.

Emil did not like checkering, and in fact would likely have been happy to continue in metal rather than wood had his brother Alois lived longer. They collaborated on gunmaking for many years.....with Alois doing the stockwork. They also patented a few gun parts including a bullet design.

There were several Wisconsin gunmakers who worked in the shadow of Linden, Kosholleks, Biesen, Fashingbauer, Mews, etc.... They did good work, but didn't rise to the national reputation of those above. Buckstix, I think a good exercise would be to compare this gun's checkering with your Mews stocks. Leonard was an excellent checker. It might give you a feel for the level gunmaker you're looking for.

The late Michael Petrov had some familiarity with the Koshellek, and I had a very early example.....which my brother still has. Here's a link to an old thread of Michael's.

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=197311&PHPSESSID=

Hello GrandView,

Thanks for the reply.

I agree. I didn't really think it was Emil's work. I've seen those examples on Michael's posts, and they don't look anything like this rifle.

I have over a dozen rifles done by Leonard Mews and one by Fahingbauser, and their quality of checkering is superior to that on this rifle. But, I've learned to never-say-never. I used to say; "if you think the rifle is by Mews, examine the the checkering closely. Look for a mistake - if you find a single one - its NOT by Mews."

However, I recently acquired a Winchester model 69-A that had a factory stock that was reshaped and checkered. It looked like it was done by Mews. But, when I looked closely, I found a couple of hand-wiggle mistakes, so I deamed it not to be Leonard's work.

When I removed the action from the stock, all I found was a name and a 1981 date. I recognized the name. I had purchased a Mews rifle from this man in the past and I knew him to be a friend to Leonard. So, I kept on looking. When I took the butt Plate off, there was the Mews Name Stamp.

Since Leonard Mews was 72 in 1981, and he didn't do any commercial business anymore, it is likely that he did this "face-lift" as a favor to his friend. So, I guess at age 72 one might have a little wiggle in the work.

Good story. Wasn't there some positional placement of his stamp that Leonard would differentiate between work done wholly by himself, and that of an enhancement? Seems I read that somewhere.

Hello GrandView,

Yes, typically if Leonard made the entire stock from scratch, he would stamp it in the barrel channel. If someone else made the stock, (or it was a factory stock) that he only checkered, then he stamped it under the butt plate.

In this case, I didn't know for sure it was a reshaped factory stock until after I removed the action.

Here is that Winchester 69-A

Your stock's shape and checkering pattern looks to me like something direct from the Herter's catalog of the 50's.

Remember they were in Waseca, Minnesota. Close to you. I think that you could send your barrled action to them and have them stock it. From the way they did things the action's owner sent it to them in 1950, and got his rifle back in 1960.

Perhaps someone with an old catalog from Herters can chime in. I spent hours in my youth slobbering over their catalog as a very young gun buff.

Hello swarf,

Thanks for the reply.

Its not a Herter's stock. I have several old catalogs and there's nothing like it.

The family remembers the rifle being built (complete) by a gunsmith, most likely from Wisconsin.

buckstix-
Wally Strutz was a builder in Eagle River WI. Google thinks that he is still there.

Here's a thread with photos of some of Strutz's work:
[color:#0000FF]Need help IDing this custom rifle.[/color].

If Strutz did not make your rifle, he may know who did so. He's been working for decades in the northern WI region. He rebuilt Layne Simpson's Varmintmaster for the 7mm SGLC, a 308-based wildcat. Simpson took the rifle to Africa and has written at least a couple of articles about it.
--Bob
-Bob

Hello BullShooter,

Thanks for the reply.

I actually handled that rifle. It belonged to a friend of mine.

This rifle of mine is better quality wormanship than that custom 35-348 Siamese Mauser was. Also, Strutz typically marked his work - there are no markings of his on this rifle.

I think Walley Strutz passed away in the early 2000's but I'll research him.

I still think that your stock in related to Herters, although it may not be a product of their shop.

Remember, at this time Herters was selling their semi-inletted blanks to anyone, anywhere, they could ship them to. It was just trimmed and fitted out to his or his customers taste.

Herters stock blanks were characterized by a surplus of wood. I have a rifle stocked in the early 60's in one of their cherry blanks. Very heavy. A friend bought a Fajen stock for his large ring 98 at the same time. I swear it was a pound lighter. Herte semi-inlets were characterized by plenty of wood to "cusmize."

Whoever stocked and checkered your rifle did exelent job. I wish my old large ring 98 looked as good. This was the era of the garage and basement gunsmith. There were many good, cheap surple actions and parts. No big FFL rules to prohibit the work. Many men did metal work. Some did stock work, and some just checkered. Some did all. The good old days.

People shooting people, blowing up things. Sad for all. I mostly miss the loss of cheap actions and parts to play with. Another confession of a rifle looney....

I am in the correct place.

Hello swarf,

Thanks for your reply.

Its NOT a Herter's stock. If you look closely at the pictures of the butt and the grip, you can see where the stock maker spliced-in a 1/8" exrension. Not something Herter's did.