Shiloh Rifle Forums

The rifle is amazing. Wished I could reach in and hod it. Please post pictures after the engraving. Breathtaking.

Thanks to all who shared the story of the Franklin Expedition. I'll have to look it up. I love those old adventures.

Thank you Again,

Roger

I have always admired the J.P.Gemmer's. I still have not figured out how the wiping stick can be long enough to do anygood. Looks like .50/70 would be best with a full crescent butt. Might not hurt too bad.

GST

ELEGANT!

Know the patch box isnt but correct me iffen Im wrong but arent the inlets in the stock same-similar to the Modena Hawken?

D.

Thanks to all for the kind comments, much appreciated..

As to the questions and observations:

1. The question of a brass face on the hammer. That is a great idea and will be given some great thought. The hammer is about to see quite a bit of work as the plan calls for the hammer to be engraved as a whale, the idea being to split the hammer’s “tail” slightly, adding the brass/bronze facing is a possibility. The issue is attachment with an eye to removal and replacement as required.

2. The wiper rod, as with all such short rods, the attachments add the required length to run right through the breech. It was a great way for any barrel obstructions to the dispensed with and for quick in-field cleaning and oiling.

3. Crescent butt plates. I have shot my 110 with one for close to 30 years. Keep it tight to the shoulder and its not an issue..

4. “Overland To Starvation Cove”, thanks so much for this tip, now on order and expected soon. Very kind of you to mention it as its rare to get a good lead.

5. David, early Hawken patch boxes include pretty primitive round units. As to the inlets, I apologize but I do not follow.

DAMN YANKEE wrote:Thanks to all for the kind comments, much appreciated..

As to the questions and observations:


...5. David, early Hawken patch boxes include pretty primitive round units. As to the inlets, I apologize but I do not follow.

My Q related to where you got the ideas for the inlays was all as they reminded me of the Modena Hawken.

The Modena Hawken is one that presently resides in the CO Historical Society Museum and one of the more well documented late models thats well embelished with inlays and such. You'll also see pics of it along with other Hawkens and a few Gemmer Hawkens (including a couple Sharps and a Spencer) in John Bairds books (notably).

One thing about Hawkens I've run into, the outfit was sorta like Shiloh. They sold "plain janes" but they also did customisation to their "basic" model be they be built by Jake and Sam Hawken, Sam Hawken or Gemmer.

D.

David, Got it now, many thanks. Yes, they are simular especially the butt plate toe. The theme is carried right through to the ram rod thimble. Glad you took the time to notice.

Just wait until the engraving is done and the wood is prepared and finished.

The screws shown in all the of these early pics are temppraries used for fit.

Mr. Yankee

Who is the fortunate engraver who gets to put his art on your art?

DAMN YANKEE wrote:David, Got it now, many thanks. Yes, they are simular especially the butt plate toe. The theme is carried right through to the ram rod thimble. Glad you took the time to notice.

Just wait until the engraving is done and the wood is prepared and finished.

The screws shown in all the of these early pics are temppraries used for fit.

The fitment metal to wood is phenomenal but I especially like the way the 'smith blended the Sharps guard to the Hawken guard.

You planning on leaving it in the French bare metal or will it be charcoal-brown-blued for the engraving?

D.

That is one fine looking rifle. WOW!

That has to have the best lines of any rifle I've ever seen! MAGNIFICENT!!!

Oh man, I surely do wish Shiloh offered those. My wife says I absolutely must have one. Let's see, I think I would like to have it in .45/100 (since I do not yet have a .45/100).

Well, just another fine fantasy to dream about.

DAMN YANKEE, that is a beautiful rifle. I know you are proud.

That is a great piece of work, down to the timed screws, excellent.
I like the touch of the Plains rifle. Very nicely done!

Kurt

Magnificant!

Again, many thanks.

1. “Timed Screws” Well, certainly not yet…The screws you see on the rifle are just to hold things together to work on the fit. They all come out and will the engraved, finished and then timed properly.

2. The engraver, this was a real challenge. The issue was that, as we all know, most engravers have a powerful style that really dictates that the customer find the right engraver for the style they want. Most engravers do what they do best. I needed something more, I needed to find a well known engraver that was a master of a broad and deep repertoire of style. That engraver needed to be flexible enough to review an engraving direction was set over 100 years ago as we wanted to depict the style of the popular press that would publish the exploits of this journey. We realized that the papers had employed fantastic artists that rendered all their work in etchings…perfect for engravers, as they are engravings. Not only that, these people had a great sense of depicting the artic.

I can’t mention the next point enough, once freed from the “normal” engraving fare (buffalos, western scenes) and able to work on real life American heroes taking place in the artic, the excitement went up for everybody. I produced a number of graphic study sheets to review. Everything from larger scenes (remember, there is not a lot of open space of a ’74 Sharps, adding a patch box really helps!) to borders, screws, thimbles, etc. We would be depicting men, ships, icebergs, artic sunsets, vast barren wastelands….not animal profiles.

Examples of the art form of the day we will be following:






So the question was, who is the right person for the project. I asked around and was encouraged to consider Barry Lee Hands. When I did the research, everything looked great. Barry has a remarkable catalog and travels the world studying the masters of engraving. Young, energetic, not set in his ways, he was flexible and properly excited enough to take on the job…Last month, when I was up in Northern Maine at the most important firearms auction ever..( $12.7 MILLION in three days) I ran into another living legend, Morris Hollowell (Livingston, MO) and mentioned that Barry was going to do the work and he was very complimentary…works for me!

Barry knows his way around a Sharps rifle!



Barry in Japan..curious, interested and always willing to learn and experiment.

That's a phenomenal example of art. One of those projects that's an adventure getting to the final result.

David VanVorous; 2 years ago at the Colorado Collectors gun show there was an exhibit that included the Modena and the Tom Tobin Hawken rifles. They were on a table like all the other guns and you could look at them from real close. Don't know if you've heard of Tobin but he killed some murderers in Colorado, one with that Hawken. Then he cut their heads off and used them as proof to get a reward. It was too cool to see these historic rifles that close up. They weren't there last year. Maybe this year.