After thinking about the rifle I have that lettered as a full octagon 32-40 and has been re barreled to a half octagon that came from an engraved rifle I decided to take the fore end off for a better look. The bbl is serial numbered to its original rifle 45xxx which is pretty interesting however much more interesting is the fact that in the time period this barrel was produced the catalogs I have only show the monarch grade rifle with engraving on the bbl "with its graceful ivy pattern" I think this bbl originally came from a monarch grade rifle! A kind of crazy thought?
Last edited by ctw; 03/23/10.
What you have done is not nearly as important as how you have done it!!! The Old Fart 2008 A.D.
Chris Maybe not so Crazy! I Have a 1895 that has similar engraving about the same distance as yours but mine is a rnd barrel. Have not yet had it lettered.
�Can we move this along?" a bored voice stated. "I have places to be and people to shag."
Yeah, maybe Tue's graver slipped in a momentary lapse in concentration and botched up the receiver so they salvaged the barrel.... I can see the explicatives flying now from his Utica bench. Now it's debated a hundred some odd years later.......
I can't imagine Tue's graver ever slipping, but I guess we all make mistakes! An old wise man told me one time that the mark of a good craftsman is not in how good his work is but in how well he can recover from a mistake!
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
a lot of custom guns in that serial number range.... where is Jed or someone that has seen a Monarch grad and might be able to comment to if the engraving is actually monarch??? Would be pretty cool!!!
No crazy story here the marks on the bbl as well as the dents in the receiver tell about the re bbl . Many here have engraved 99's besides the 99k's and the verry few 95's are there any with graving on the bbl?? I am by far no expert but pretty sure any graver with salt would have a bbl'ed action to worrk with as seen with the few stimpled rifles out there.
What you have done is not nearly as important as how you have done it!!! The Old Fart 2008 A.D.
Could you turn the gun from right to left and take a few more pictures or look on page #8 catalogue #24 the large 7.50X9.25 this is the only picture large enough to see the barrel clear.
Say, FUG.. is there any clear pictures of a monarch barrel on Allen Mabe's flyer? I'm looking at the 2nd page with the Monarch with the leaf pattern, but my copy isn't clear enough to see anything on the barrel.
Edit: Actually, Mabe had a half octagon Monarch in 303 Savage with SN 45.264. ctw, don't suppose this is a match? Trip if it is..
The one in the catalogue looks to have the leaf on 5 sides of the barrel,tne one in Allen Mabe's flyer look the same.The question is if the one shown in the flyer is gun #45,264 or just a picture of a Monarch.