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I’d hunt it.

[bleep] me roan...I REALLY appreciate the extra touch of a classic case by Huey!

Good grief... that thing's beautiful. Enjoy it!

The first thing I do when I get a new rifle is function fire at least 3 rounds to confirm no issues with Feed, Fire, Eject. In "motor head" terms, this rifle is like a 1969 Dodge Daytona Charger with a 426 Hemi, showroom condition, and 1 mile on the odometer. Given the quality and the provenance, I also would be reluctant to shoot this one...

Wow... Just Wow...

Beautiful Rifle

Beautiful rifle 708!
I looked up Huey Gun Cases since I am just up the road from Reed's Spring. Their website now shows them in Kansas City. I wonder when they moved? I had never heard of them.

Damn fine rifle... albeit a 270

Beautiful rifle! Glad it has a good keeper!

Let me tell you some backstory on its "showroom condition." I spoke with the seller of the rifle before I bought it, and we agreed that I would pay $100 shipping, and that the gun would not be sent in the Huey case, but in a separate hard case. In the end, that is not how the shop did it--they sent it in the Huey. Well, among the accessories are cleaning rod segments that are held in the barrel channel by a little tab. They came out during shipping and slid back to lay between the stock and the case.

Can you see where this is going?


While it could have been far, far worse, the cleaning rod segments gouged up the stock. Not horribly, but certainly killed the showroom condition.







Broken hearted, I emailed the seller and told him I was going to send the gun back. He accepted responsibility, and asked if we could come to an accommodation. After exploring my options, I contacted Duane Wiebe and he was willing to restore the stock, even using the same finish he used when he built the gun over 30 years ago. The seller agreed to cover the cost, I shipped the stock in a locked aluminum case that must weigh 15 pounds empty, Duane had it some months, the seller honored his word and covered the $700 repair, and the gun is as you see it now.

I think that since Duane did the work, referring to it as a "Wiebe" rifle is still accurate. I am very fortunate that he is still active in the trade.

And the cleaning rod segments no longer live in the case.

They are a father and son operation who are the premier case builders in the country (they better be for the price of their cases; with all the accessories, this case would be about $3500 today). They have donated a case for I think every ACGG fundraising rifle, so their commitment to the trade is unwavering.

When I got this rifle the handle was breaking down and splitting, so I contacted them and got a new one built. Absolutely first tier people and products.

Beautiful Rifle and interesting Backstory.

You just do everything properly.

That is kind of you.

No sport, you sharing the pictures is a kindness, and appreciated.

I like fine rifles and thought I had some nice ones. That is superb just superb. I commend you for keeping it in it's pristine condition BUT in all honesty I would carefully hunt with it.

For me, there is just too much money tied up in it to take the risk. I hope to own and appreciate it for a few years and then send it on down the road without taking too big a hit to my gun fund.

But I do have this lefty .280 I built which will be my "gentleman's hunt" rifle. Since I did this stock, if I ding it I can fix it if I like, or merely appreciate the "memory marks."



The one I built has the best piece of wood I ever worked with...



But is simply not in the same league, particularly when you turn this one around in the sunlight. The light just seems to cause the wood to glow down deep...

And don't talk down your guns--that Parker 20 you showed is both beautiful and a fine sentimental keepsake. That I would hunt.

That is top drawer.

That Parker is my go to grouse gun. In January I took it to Georgia for a quail hunt and it got badly dinged in the buggy's gun cradle by a latch. When I got home it immediately went to the smith and he fixed it up good as new. I do hunt with all my guns and try to be as careful as I can. As you mentioned some become memory marks.

Is it weird that I come back to look at these pictures everyday?