Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Another great gunsmith? Wm W. Osborn?

Does the name William W. Osborn (WWO) mean anything to the old-timers? One WWO operated the Rose Center Rifle Center near Shelbyville, IL from c. 1937 until 1978, when he moved to Idaho and operated the Clearwater Rifle Shop near Lewiston. This WWO died 1989.

What we know is that one WWO purchased his 70th rifle barrel from John Buhmiller in 1960. Clearly, he was building a lot of rifles with Buhmiller barrels, and we'd like to learn more about him. Does his name trigger any memories?

I've never heard of Osborne, and I'm in the geriatric set too. But, not trying to highjack your thread, you might want to keep a Gunsmith by the name of R.K. Nelson in mind. He was from that era. And, he was well known among benchrest shooters and hunters in the Pennsylvania area. When my Step-Dad came home from WW II, he had three rifles made by RK, a 257 Roberts varmint rifle with a Buhmiller barrel, and two Deer rifles. They were in 270 and 25/06, both with full stocks on Springfield actions. I don't remember what barrels were on them, but they could have been Buhmiller barrels as there weren't too many barrel makers back then and he always had the best available. I have the Buhmiller barrel now on a new model 98 action, which was the action it was on earlier. After it was shot out, I ended up with it and had it bored, rifled out and chambered for a 284 Winchester, which is now my beanfield rifle as it is heavy. The barrel is straight with no taper and is 26" long in the same stock as my Step-Dad had made in 1946. It has a beaver tail forend and made of good looking American Walnut. I don't know who made the stock though. He had double set triggers on the early 257 as that was his idea of the best trigger of the day. His load was with IMR 4064 powder and the 100 grain bullet available then. He had the barrel drilled and tapped for barrel mounted scope blocks and had a Unertl 8X scope on it.
Sorry to steal your thread.
Don

ron evans of moscow idaho apprenticed under bill osborne he would probly know more about bill than anyone, hope this helps ed <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

As 1234( a hunting buddy) told you Bill was here in Lewiston.
I knew he and his wife Faith quite well. He barreled a couple of actions for me and did some other work, in turn I did some stockwork(mostly checkering) for him.

Bill was a saltly old codger with a quick temper but a nice guy once you got to know him. He was a competent machinest but did not have an artistic eye for lines.

I remember a high number Springfield he rebarreled for me in 257 Roberts. When I first got the gun it had a very short throat, I took it back and ask him to lenghten it a bit. When it came back the second time it had 3/4in. freebore. He ask me if that was a long enough throat to suit me and laughed. The rifle (a Shilen barrel) was a 1 1/2in. gun at best. In time I got over it. Pete

RK - No offense at the Hijacking - your kind of input is what I am looking for. One of the guys here on the site led me to a loose Buhmiller barrel, improved .220, and I am wresling with whether to build it into a rifle or locate another already put together - Butler and Osborn are names that clearly used a lot of Buhmiller barrels, and Nelson may be another.