Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters How would you like to go varmint hunting with these guys?

What, no camoflauge? No jacked up truck with "Big Buck" sticker on the back window? Those guys can't be hunters...

Anyone identified the rifles? Be interested if there's any info...

Leupold & Neidner have stevens, #54's I think. In between them is a borchardt I think. Might be european tell for sure.

These five riflemen of the early 20th century are responsible for much of the development of high-velocity rifles and ammunition. In 1908, using a Niedner barrel, Mann fired the first shot ever from a 220 Swift. (Well almost; it was a 6mm Lee necked to 22.) Mann had pressure problems due to lack of suitable powders, and didn't develop it further.

There's a 13-page thread about this photo over on Doublegunshop.com: Link to Thread

Mike Petrov, who posts here, owns (owned?) the rifle held by Dr. Mann; I think he's shot it and reported on its accuracy.
--Bob

If I'm reading that pic right. It says - Shushan N.Y. 1911. Shushan is a couple miles north of Me, on the Battenkill River. I don't reconize the names, but it shouldn't be that hard to get a verification.

I'm not worthy!

I would liked to have just hung around them and picked their brains.

There have been other influential people in the firearms world but these guys were doing their thing in that great transition age between cast lead bullets over smokeless powder in iron barrels and smokeless powder, nickel-steel barrels, cupro-nickel jacketed bullets.

Thanks!

Ed

Elmer Keith said - Hell, I was there!

Not much for drooling over celebrities. I wonder if they had a sense of humor, my first consideration in choosing a hunting partner.

One thing is for sure though, I would over to hunt with their rifles.

I bet they'd be a hoot.

I have a couple of little whimsical doo-dads that Adolph Niedner made that speak oh so expressively of the breadth of his personality.

Dad said often � and accurately � that no single characteristic of a person is the totality of that person. I suspect that all four of those fellows were a lot more than what they're now remembered for.

Thanks for the info, gents, much appreciated.

Great Post! Thanks a lot!

I would, but I rather they traveled to my time than vice versa. Had I been motoring around with those guys, I'd probably have been pushing up daisies for quite some time.

Thanks for the picture/post.

looks like good times to be had!

I'd love to go shoot with that crowd, in fact I just may qualify as one of those curmudgeons, at least pretty close! I think I would personally prefer their company to the Black rifle crowd, the ARs etc. just don't blow my skirt up much..

I was told by a local gun dealer that I needed to buy a black rifle in case of insurection in the USA..Told him if it came to that I'd just shoot the first guy I saw (with my 300 H&H) and take his black rifle, as I'm not paying two grand for plastic and tin! Have no beef with the AR crowd just don't like their guns..I still have an affection for rust blue, European walnut, single shot rifles, double rifles and English bolt actions, those are curmudgeon guns and I qualify.

LOL!

Now there's a simple solution to a problem that I hadn't even thought of...!

Can anyone name the fifth person in the photo?

Car appears to be a Maxwell, about 1909-1911.

Here's a link to one very similar to the car in the photo. It's for sale at $79,500.

Link to 1911 Maxwell

--Bob

Michael-
If you're refering to my post above which says "five riflemen", then I appreciate your polite way of pointing out my typo.

But perhaps you see or know of a fifth person in the photo.

--Bob

Bob, He is standing in the doorway, you might have to right click on view image for a bigger picture.

Mike,
I believe that picture is also in an issue of OUTERS in 1911. It was rumored that Chas. Newton potted chucks with this bunch from time to time in those days, but wasn't really part of the "clique". Maybe they made him stand in the background until the photos were done with? Actually, I would think this is more likely one of the wives.

Jim,
That's the "picture sheriff" who accompanies this particular photo. It's how we trace the picture rustlers. The pictures published in the magazines also have some differences, if you have copies look at the potted plants to the right and compare.

"One of the wives", I have it on good authority that you spent the weekend in the same hotel room with that sheriff so he might not take kindly to be called a wife;-).

I wonder if any of those fellas realized their significance at the time.

I betcha that each one admired the others but didn't regard himself as special in any way.

I'd LOVE having the opportunity to hunt with that elete group.
WOW sums it up for me. Lots of brain power in that group.
Wood Chuck hunting with them would be THE ultimate hunting experience.

Kelly had HM Pope build a 32-40 on a stevens action complete with all tools to run the gun. Beautiful rifle but a heavy rascal ( 1 3/8 at the muzzle), a bit different than most of that time had 16 flats versus the usual 8 flats. I had the use of this rifle for a few seasons and it did shoot very well. It couldn't be bought at the time and then lost it through some not too well done estate planning. Not real sure where it is now...disturbs me greatly.......

Are these guys the hunters or, the varmints themselves?

I'd like a copy of the photo that bcp posted but don't really know how to open the linked image. Any help?

That may be due to the age of the post.

Here it is again.

Varmint hunters




Bruce

Thanks so much, Bruce

I wonder if they “dialed” or used Kentucky windage…..

A little History. That Bldg., in the 70's was Blake & Lamb Trapping Supplies owned by Sam Hart. I knew Sam somewhat, worked for him. Up the road a few miles was O.L. "Okie Butcher Trapping Supplies. Lee Wulff lived a few miles away in Eaglevile, on The Battenkill. Lee & Okie were landowner partners and my Father was friends and sporting with both of them. I remmeber My Father telling me that He had been Fly fishing with Lee a few times, Lee would write an artcle about the trip, but the other persons on the trip were never mentioned. Oh well. Met Lee in Lew Beach, in The Catskills at a dinner @ David Rockafellers Retreat. Lee said to say hello to my Father. That was in about 82.

Thanks. That was awesome..

Great walk down memory lane. I bought a lot of trapping lure from O.L. Butcher when I was a kid. A quite a few traps. Used to send off a handwritten letter with the order and a check. Dad would write a check to them but always kept me honest by making sure I had the money first. Either from fur sales or my allowance.

It would have been great to spend a day with those old shooters. Just to sit and listen.

Wonder if these men had any background checks done on them and their rifles.
They look as though they might enjoy the great outdoors.

Good stuff.

I would like to know what cartridges they were using.

25-20 SS or 28-30?

.25-21 and .25-25 were popular too, both long skinny straight-wall cartridges. .22-15-60 and .22WCF had a following too. You can bet they weren't taking 400,500,600 yard shots. E.A.Leupold once bragged in print about nailing a groundhog at a shade over 250 yards, with a Stevens .25-21 if I recall correctly. Not much in common between us and them equipment-wise, but lots in common between us and them in terms of desire to "shoot small, miss small" at distances that stretch the limits of equipment.

And yes, I would sell my left nut for a weekend of groundhog hunting with those guys!

Bcp: I would have LOVED to go along on that foray and then attended the soiree after the Hunt!
I wonder where those Hunters put their "window bags"?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy