Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Belding &mull scope mts

Would love to see more of the whelen rifle

I must have missed the auction thread, The interesting thing about that picture is its a takedown rifle that looks to have a custom barrel either a 1917 enfield or a 03 springfield ???? I do believe it was the forrunner of the early R-RS rifles.

The rifle was given to Col. Whelen around 1915 by Pascal De Angeles, then sales manager of Savage Arms Company. The gun was originally a 303 Savage in takedown, Whelen complaining it ''would not shoot worth a hill of beans''. He sent the rifle to AO Niedner who fitted the 250-3000 barrel with a 1-in-10'' twist; according to Whelen ''screwed in solid''. He had the arm restocked by Griffin & Howe and fitted with a Belding & Mull telescopic sight. He mentions that this is the first rifle he ever shot which achieved quite a number of minute of angle groups--that is 10 shot groups--''for that was the only kind of groups we shot in those days''.

Rory, I have never seen the 2nd rifle,but i always figured the mounting holes were the same as the spiegal rifles. I must have missed the auction thread, The interesting thing about that picture is its a takedown rifle that looks to have a custom barrel either a 1917 enfield or a 03 springfield ???? I do believe it was the forrunner of the early R-RS rifles.