|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,102
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,102 |
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
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,509
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,509 |
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.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,102
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,102 |
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
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,495
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,495 |
Thanks, Rick. Interesting read and great photos in the article. How much did that Meunier rifle fetch at auction?
meunier
"Every day above ground is a good day."
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,509
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,509 |
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.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 7,304
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 7,304 |
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"
|
|
|
|
680 members (16gage, 160user, 12344mag, 10ring1, 16penny, 1beaver_shooter, 65 invisible),
3,023
guests, and
1,397
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,192,617
Posts18,492,642
Members73,972
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|