Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats I'm depressed, need photos of fancy wood and custom work

I don't think he's criticizing wood/blued rifles (as i understand he has one or two his own self), but rather the fact that all these pictures, only a few photos show the rifles in anything other than "safe queen" format.

What fun is it buying a bunch of rifles if you never use 'em for their intended purpose?

It's like buying a Ferrari F40 and never driving it, just leaving it in a climate-controlled garage, only changing the tires when flat spots occur from sitting in the same spot 24/7--i.e., a travesty.

Scott's chain yankin'. He has sum of the finest woodstocked rifles I've seen that actually do what they were built to do.

This is where the old adage applies �If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand�.

This is where the old adage applies "How would you know if you don't know a damn thing about me?"

Or were you planning on having them buried with you?

Wow - I stocked the "Gervais & Johnston" rifle back in the early 90's. Can't for the life of me remember who commissioned the job.
I haven't done any gun work 17 years. What a trip to see a picture of that piece - looks pretty nice if I do say so myself I hope it is giving great service and shooting well for the owner.

Mike Gervais

Armed Ferret- I hate to call you and Steelie out but sometimes you have to do something to explain to somebody who you are tangling with. I am not picking a fight or jumping out like a "fitness expert" and I don't have a SC FN Model 70 Supergrade made in 375 HH.

I don't know if you read precision shooting but Michael Petrov is probably the most brilliant writer pertaining to custom classic rifles that is presently active. His book and work are excellent. He won't toot his own horn but I can tell you many do take top shelf rifles hunting because there is another adage that originally came from the Rifle by Jack O'Connor- "Life is too short to hunt with an ugly rifle." I have guns that I could use to hammer in nails and they work with workmanlike efficiency but there is something to having a gun that is warm and custom crafted that makes you appreciate the gunmakers craft.
My guess is that if you go to the real experts- the dangerous game guides and professional hunters( more like Craig Boddington or the well heeled world-wide hunters) will tell you that a hand fitted or custom gun is specifically gauged for function first. That is how you know you have a top shelf rifle. Function, Accuracy, Form and then consideration for cost. That is why a Bolliger or Miller rifle is so expensive. A custom fitted rifle is now starting at 5K.
Phil Shoemaker of Grizzly Skins who writes for Successful Hunting Magazine has Old Ugly but he also has custom rifles stocked by Lon Paul and Brockman. He would echo sentiments that sometimes the F40 can go faster than the camaro.
We have all seen idiots that beat the crap out of things that we dream about but we have also seen the enlightened hunter who knows how good a custom rifle is.
Weatherby's are a good example of this. You have to shoot them right and they are extremely accurate if you don't they won't hit the side of a barn. Kimbers I believe are the same way. The GH and other fine rifles that Petrov has been illustrating are probably from his collection. He specifically looks for rifles from Alaska Hunting guides that used them and kept them up.

Sincerely,
Thomas

All I know is my johnson is worth a WHOLE lot more than any of the rifles pictured and I continue to put it in harms way.

YMMV

Hummmm













[img]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b297/Shoalcove/Rifle1/35whelen.jpg[/img]

Good for him. that's great that he's had that success.

Doesn't change the fact, that he was acting like an "idjit" by saying more or less that nice rifles shouldn't see field use. What exactly are they being built for, if not to shoot something? That is the question I was asking, and he took the cheap way out by insinuating I'm beneath him. Well, I'm happy to say I've dedicated the last 7 years of my life fighting to make sure he keeps the right to look down his nose at me. But then, I've been seeing that attitude a lot recently on this board toward military members.

Hopefully Mr. Petrov isn't the kind of person who buys a Hummer and keeps it in the suburbs.

I don't know, following the logic of a few I doubt they'd even buy a hummer, just give her a $100 bill to sit there and look pretty..........

Sorry I haven't posted a reply in a while. I'm not offended in the least and was just joking about her gun control stance.

Thanks very much for the compliment about my work.

Koboku: That's a great post.Back when guys like O'Connor were drawing attention to G&H,Al Biesen,Al Linden, and others,such rifles were not only beautifully crafted,but were functionally excellent as well; and represented the highest levels of technology available to them at the time; much the same way a blue printed Remington 700 with custom barrel and synthetic stock represents "high-tech" today.

Rifles like these in the hands of guys like Grancel Fisk, O'Connor,Elgin Gates(Weatherby's but some English big bores as well)accounted for all the worlds big game;the "Grand Slam",big game in Africa and Asia,and all over North America. Obviously they have been used and hunted in some of the toughest environments in the world,back when you took a two week pack trip on horseback just to reach the Cassiars....and rifles were exposed to the elements for weeks on end,instead of just riding in the back of a float plane for 6 days on the mountain as is done today.......

Unfortunately,today, many people today equate "beautiful" with "fragile"; and regard rifles like Jim Anderson builds, or those lovely G&H 7x57's as wall hangers and museum pieces,incapable of handling the rigors of the field.Nothing could be further from the truth,and such rifles are fully capable of serving faithfully as first class hunting rifles.

I've hunted with rifles made by Dale Goens,Kevin Campbell,G&H,and others; for awhile I owned Bob Chatfield-Taylor's 270 made by Len Brownell.It was obvious that Chatfield Taylor hunted this rifle,and even though scratched up a bit after hard use here and in Africa,it was still a worthy hunting rifle under about any condition.

Dale Goens told me one of his rifles was yanked from a saddle scabbard and spent the night at the bottom of a British Columbia creek before being found the next morning,dried off,and later used to kill a stone sheep.

I used to worry about who would pick up the reigns and continue to make splendid custom rifles after guys like Biesen, Brownell, Milliron,Goens, and a number of others were gone.I need not have worried as the work of guys like Jim Anderson,Chic Worthing, and a host of others(based on what I see) may be the best of all time....

In 50 years our synthetic stocked wonders will have all the appeal of trash cans,but these great custom rifles will still have a class and attraction all their own that the modern stainless/synthetics can't match.While I use and appreciate the modern forms of synthetic-stocked machines for what they are,to me they are another sign of the decline of the Republic....

Kudo's to custom makers like them, and scribes like Mr. Petrov, for keeping these fabulous rifles out there and available for those who appreciate outstanding custom big game rifles!

Sako 75 .300 Weatherby

I'd just like to chime in that Mark Stratton and Shane Thompson should be mentioned by name on that list as well; their work has been highlighted by a member who's had work done by both (as well as Worthing and Anderson) and it's all incredibly impressive.

Here's hoping the pending job search as I transition to the much more lucrative contracting side from the .mil side yields results that permit me to also partake.

I just wanted to come back on and say that I appreciated the pictures by Steelie. I think we all echo the same sentiment that classic rifles are the best.

We are not talking about the old Kimbers BGRs that looked fantastic and were not all that they promised. I think some of that is out there. Guns that look like a million bucks but shoot as lousy as a sailor on shore leave.

Armed Ferret- I am like you. I just wish that I could have David Christman or Lon Paul do a rifle for me. More than anything I would like to have one John Bolliger rifle. They to me are tops. I appreciate the lines of the McWhorter rifles but for the money I like the walnut.

Presently my nicest rifle is a Jap Mark V Deluxe that is my primary hunting rifle even if it is no lightweight. I am moving to a FN Model 70 Fwt in 30/06 and I am not putting it in plastic. I am just going to hunt it the way it is.

I guess that I could sell my modest collection of rifles and buy 1 nice custom gun that is in great condition. However, I avoid all sales and trades. I figure that while I can't take my possessions with me that I sure have fun taking a minimum of 10 rifles to the range on my trips. I don't shoot all of them many times but I try to check them every once in a while.

The function part of the equation of rifles is very important and the idea of a tool that becomes part of the user is a critical point. However, sometimes I believe that a rifle can be nice looking and durable as well. The sad point of this is that the seregenti style of laminated stock that delivers both is quickly high stepping out of the everyman's price range. Much like much hunting in many different areas around the country.

The other thing that really ticks the living hell out of me is that the field of hunting and shooting is quickly moving toward TV personalities that shill certain projects. I think that it would show a lot of class to have some of these individuals move away from Bubba(take your pick on the TV personality) and more toward Tred Barta. He sure had a class show this weekend. He, to me, gives the rational why I should spend mucho dinero for a fine rifle. We only have so many days on this earth and should enjoy them with the best that we can.

Sincerely,
The light will slowly start coming back up here..
Thomas

Not only a beautiful rifle, but a well used one too. Any plans to get it re-blued?

No since it's stainless not blued

i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that was likely tongue-in-cheek.

Beautiful guns one and all. Thanks for the pictures