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That which drove me to slow down acquiring other things of late. Fulfillment of a 50 year old dream. An 1885 Winchester High Wall, barreled by the old master, Harry M. Pope. .32-40 with a pristine bore, which is about as nice as when Harry created it in 1896. Good provenance (I'm the 6th owner), not faked, but it was refinished. (Which is why I got it for about 1/2 of what it would have cost otherwise.) Original Popes from his Hartford years often fetch enough to buy a two year old F-150, which is to say this is the only way I could ever afford one without selling a bunch of nice guns. It's a heavy beast - just shy of 14 pounds. #5 weight 30" octagon barrel, Pope tang sight, false muzzle (but no short starter, I'll have to make one), and no ramrod. Why you may ask would I need muzzle loading gear if it's a .32-40 breech loader? Because the gun was designed as a muzzle-breech loader- bullet inserted into the muzzle and pushed down the bore into the throat, charged case inserted behind it, the whole process intended to attain the maximum accuracy possible. The gun can also be loaded via breech seating the bullet ahead of a charged case, or by simply using fixed ammunition. Accuracy with fixed ammunition was typically about 2/3 as good as what could be done by muzzle loading or breech seating. Pope's rifles set 200 yard records that stood for many decades. There is written record, in his handwriting, describing his use of this very rifle in a Hartford rifle match, July 1, 1896. It is the 53rd rifle Pope built. (He only managed 237 out of 250 points, at 200 yards offhand, on the German Ring Target which consisted of a 6" bullseye with a 1" center ring that scored 25 points. He wrote that he had forgotten to bring the rod needed to adjust the elevation wheels on the sight, so all of his shots hit a bit low.) I'm over the top. I felt like the kid in A Christmas Story unwrapping his BB gun when I opened the big brown box.
Last edited by gnoahhh; 01/21/21.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Geez Gary the score of a lifetime congrats. Don't just look at it , Pope built them to shoot. When your done cleaning it give it a.lick and wipe with the oily rag and celebrate but with the good stuff MB
" Cheapest velocity in the world comes from a long barrel and I sure do like them. MB "
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Congratulations, great history on that rifle. Looking forward to seeing some target groups fired with both methods of loading. Can you top Fireballs Savagefest three shot group?
Cheers, Nick1899
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Don't shoot your eye out.
Last edited by 99guy; 01/21/21.
"You cannot invade mainland America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass" ~Admiral Yamamoto~
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. ~Thomas Jefferson~
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As long as you’re Happy Gary!
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Hunter S. Thompson
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Pretty special piece. Congrats!
"Every day above ground is a good day."
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Anyone would be proud to own that one!
Shooting sticks or bench gun?
Bruce
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You have the rifle, AND Harry Pope's hand-written loads notes!!! That really does deserve a "HOLY SMOKES!"
I can't believe you didn't drive/fly out to get it yourself!!
Last edited by JeffG; 01/21/21.
"...One Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All"
JeffG
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Good for you. It looks brand new. It can't have been used much since it was refinished.
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Who's this Harry Pope guy again? Congrats!
“ The Savage 99 Pocket Reference”. All models and variations of 1895’s, 1899’s and 99’s covered. Also dates, checkering, engraving.. Find at www.savagelevers.com
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Bet there are not words to really describe how you feel. Congratulations, Gary!
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Congrads old buddy, what a Cool find! Enjoy it!
Deer Camp! about as good as it gets!
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"Stand on your hind legs and shoot like a man"
What you have done is not nearly as important as how you have done it!!! The Old Fart 2008 A.D.
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Gary !!! glad you finally got it :DBet you cant wait to get her on paper !!!!
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Beautiful gun, as the 6th owner you have proven we are only caretakers and that rifle had some of the best. I'm very happy for you.
Mike
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If its "Made in America", its not setting on a container ship!
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What a treasure, very pleased for you Gary!
"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed-unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." James Madison
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Campfire Kahuna
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Gary, very very happy for you! I know you've been thinking on such things for a while. Outstanding find. How in the world did you find it?
_______________________________________________________ An 8 dollar driveway boy living in a T-111 shack
LOL
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32-40 was a really accurate caliber loved by competitive shooters in that day. I am officially jealous.
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Really looking forward to seeing this tomorrow Gary!
If something on the internet makes you angry the odds are you're being manipulated
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Gary, congratulations on finally finding a Pope barreled rifle, and in 32-40, which was said to be one of Harry Pope's favorite chamberings. I read that the old target men thought that the rifling could leave distortions on the rear of the bullet that reduced accuracy if loaded from the breech, with a false muzzle the rifling was put in gradually and left the rear of the bullet evenly formed. Pope's rifling also is supposed to be made so the amount of metal displaced by the lands is almost exactly what is need to fill the grooves to minimized distorting the bullets lengthwise.
Gene
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Saw this on the single shot forum first, beautiful rifle. Definitely the gem in any collection. We need more pictures, well I do anyway.😁
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Planning on a day trip to WV Tuesday. I heard the weather might go south on us though. I'm leaving my house about 730, getting my oil changed in Leesburg at 9, then heading up. Dump some stuff off, then heading back. Passenger seat has a butt warmer.
I'm not greedy, I just want one of each.
Remember Ira Hayes
JoeMartin
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Don't shoot your eye out. I already asked him that question, and he hasn't responded yet, hope it's just tears of joy?
I'm not greedy, I just want one of each.
Remember Ira Hayes
JoeMartin
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Weather is showing sunshine in WV Tuesday.
I'm not greedy, I just want one of each.
Remember Ira Hayes
JoeMartin
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Very cool, Gary! Enjoy it buddy. Hope you drag it along to The Rendezvous this year.
My heart's in the mountains, my heart is not here. My heart's in the mountains, chasing the deer.
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Gary, we both hit a home run yesterday.
wyo1895 With Savage never say never. For a copy of my book on engraved Savage lever actions rifles send a check for $80 to; David Royal, p.o. box 1271, Pinedale, Wy., 82941. I will sign and inscribe the book for you. [email protected]
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Gary, congratulations on finally finding a Pope barreled rifle, and in 32-40, which was said to be one of Harry Pope's favorite chamberings. I read that the old target men thought that the rifling could leave distortions on the rear of the bullet that reduced accuracy if loaded from the breech, with a false muzzle the rifling was put in gradually and left the rear of the bullet evenly formed. Pope's rifling also is supposed to be made so the amount of metal displaced by the lands is almost exactly what is need to fill the grooves to minimized distorting the bullets lengthwise. Thanks, Gene. Avoidance of the tiny burrs pulled onto the base of the bullet by the lands was indeed one of the reasons for muzzle loading in this instance. One must strive for perfection on a bullet's base as it is the steering end of the bullet, but one can get overly anal about such things too. Pope's theories were proven by and large by the extensive experimentation conducted by Dr. Franklin Mann which resulted in the 1909 publishing of "The Bullets Flight". How many times the wheel has been re-invented over the last 110 years by people who ignored that seminal work! The other, and possibly more important, reason was to wipe the fouling from the previous shot from the bore by the act of pushing a tightly fitting bullet through from the muzzle. Remember black powder was the universal propellant back then, and accuracy suffered to one degree or another if said fouling wasn't kept clean from the bore, usually after each shot by the serious target men. Muzzle loading precluded having to do that. Modern testing has long proved that with smokeless powder and good bullet lubes one may achieve nigh equal accuracy by breech seating instead of muzzle loading. Few contenders muzzle load these days, except for nostalgic reasons. But the edge still remains with the ML'ers - it's just not as pronounced as it was 120 years ago. Pope offered a guarantee with his barrels: 3 1/2" for ten shots if using fixed ammunition, 3" if breech seating, and 2 1/2" if muzzle loading - at 200 yards. Mind you that was with soft plain base lead bullets and black powder. That guarantee was kind of scoffed at by owners of his barrels because waaaaay better accuracy than that was often achieved. While Pope was generally an egoist, he was smart enough to make guarantees that could easily be met.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Nice looking Gary, great rifle, they are tack drivers. The guy I bought my 99G 250 from was into rifles like yer new one. Hefted several of them and looked em over, nice shootin irons!!!
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That is a sweet rifle, I'd like to shoot something like it sometime. Sounds like if I ever want to, I should hit the arm weights
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Yep, I have that same tool. Works very slickly. Mine was made by the late Jerry Simmons. I could also use my 110 year old Frankford Arsenal tool for de-recapping in the process of creating gallery practice ammo by Army and National Guard troops. Let me know if you stumble onto a bullet lube pump and a mechanical breech-seater! Last two tools I need to acquire, and would prefer to buy them than make them if I can help it.
Last edited by gnoahhh; 01/22/21.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Beautiful Rifle........Class pure class....... Congratulations!
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Away from the Fire for a few days and the best OT thread I've ever seen almost passed me by. Score of a life time. You must be pinching yourself hourly to make sure you're not dreaming. Can't wait for a range report on how she shoots. Congratulations my friend.
"Its easier to fool people......Than convince them that they have been fooled." Mark Twain
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Who's this Harry Pope guy again? Congrats! Brother Frank lives in Italy.
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Piggy backing the OP, this rifle sold at auction over the weekend. The maker's story is an interesting read. Different day and time... John Meunier
"Every day above ground is a good day."
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Wow Gary, that's about the pinnacle of collecting isn't it? Congratulations. Be Well, RZ.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill.
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Piggy backing the OP, this rifle sold at auction over the weekend. The maker's story is an interesting read. Different day and time... John MeunierThanks, Rick. Interesting read and great photos in the article. How much did that Meunier rifle fetch at auction?
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Some of the best reading in the old Gun Digests were the semi frictional stories about Pope. Forgot the author's name. Gary, I believe you acquired one of the ultimate desirable rifles. Congrats!
Old guy, old guns.
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Are you referring to the J.M.Pyne stories by Lucian Cary? If memory serves, I think all those stories originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post during the 30's-40's. I have the entire collection of those stories, in a book edited by Guy Lautard. Great stories. I've read and re-read all of them many times. That book is out there on the used market but getting kind of pricey.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Thanks, Rick. Interesting read and great photos in the article. How much did that Meunier rifle fetch at auction?
meunier
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Are you referring to the J.M.Pyne stories by Lucian Cary? If memory serves, I think all those stories originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post during the 30's-40's. I have the entire collection of those stories, in a book edited by Guy Lautard. Great stories. I've read and re-read all of them many times. That book is out there on the used market but getting kind of pricey. Yes, those are the stories, thanks! Probably some of the best gun writing and content ever done. Can't wait to read your test fire report.
Old guy, old guns.
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That which drove me to slow down acquiring other things of late. Fulfillment of a 50 year old dream. An 1885 Winchester High Wall, barreled by the old master, Harry M. Pope. .32-40 with a pristine bore, which is about as nice as when Harry created it in 1896. Good provenance (I'm the 6th owner), not faked, but it was refinished. (Which is why I got it for about 1/2 of what it would have cost otherwise.) Original Popes from his Hartford years often fetch enough to buy a two year old F-150, which is to say this is the only way I could ever afford one without selling a bunch of nice guns. It's a heavy beast - just shy of 14 pounds. #5 weight 30" octagon barrel, Pope tang sight, false muzzle (but no short starter, I'll have to make one), and no ramrod. Why you may ask would I need muzzle loading gear if it's a .32-40 breech loader? Because the gun was designed as a muzzle-breech loader- bullet inserted into the muzzle and pushed down the bore into the throat, charged case inserted behind it, the whole process intended to attain the maximum accuracy possible. The gun can also be loaded via breech seating the bullet ahead of a charged case, or by simply using fixed ammunition. Accuracy with fixed ammunition was typically about 2/3 as good as what could be done by muzzle loading or breech seating. Pope's rifles set 200 yard records that stood for many decades. There is written record, in his handwriting, describing his use of this very rifle in a Hartford rifle match, July 1, 1896. It is the 53rd rifle Pope built. (He only managed 237 out of 250 points, at 200 yards offhand, on the German Ring Target which consisted of a 6" bullseye with a 1" center ring that scored 25 points. He wrote that he had forgotten to bring the rod needed to adjust the elevation wheels on the sight, so all of his shots hit a bit low.) I'm over the top. I felt like the kid in A Christmas Story unwrapping his BB gun when I opened the big brown box. Still pretty sexy for a 125-year old girl!
"The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle." John Stapp - "Stapp's Law" "Klaatu barada nikto"
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