Recently I've seen several vintage rifles that had Hand Checkered Steel Trap-Door Butt Plates w/ Arrows and Hand Checkered Steel Grip Caps with Arrows. Screws are also engraved.

Anyone know who made these? I'm guessing approximately 1930's - early 1940's vintage.

Thanks

Hand checkering is VERY rare. The buttplates were first a knurled band of steel, then stamped to shape. Mine, now made by Will Nelson are machined and checkered on a cnc vcm. Some are now cast.

Most I've seen, even from abroad are stamped

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Hand checkering is VERY rare. The buttplates were first a knurled band of steel, then stamped to shape. Mine, now made by Will Nelson are machined and checkered on a cnc vcm. Some are now cast.

Most I've seen, even from abroad are stamped

Hello Duane Wiebe,
Thanks for the reply.

So are you saying that it is your opinion that these 2 examples are not "hand checkered"? One is from an Al Linden rifle, the other from a Slegell. Have you ever seen examples with arrows like these? You can see the arrows are shaped and stippled by hand.

Linden's book mentions Emil Koshollek...I'm told Linden used his buttplates as a well as G&H Shelhamer and others. Al Biesen made what appears to be an identical grip cap shown on the last page of Linden's book. Al, of course made steel butplates, sill treasured if you can find one.

I have not run across the arrow motiff you show.

Hello Duane Wiebe,
Thanks for the reply.

Yes, Emil Koshollek was from here in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Several of my Leonard Mews rifles (Appleton, Wisconsin) have Koshollek butt plates and grip caps. With Linden being from here in Bryant, Wisconsin, I was thinking these might also be Koshollek's work, but I've not seen any with the "arrow" accents. Nubs Fashingbauer (Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin) did much metal work for Mews and others, but again, I've never seen any with the "arrow" accents. Bill Staege (Omro, Wisconsin) also used Emil's metal work, but I've only seen a very few examples because most of Bill's work was with Schuetzen rifles, i.e. Ballards, Stevens, and others.

Since I've discovered a second set of "arrow" accented hinged trap-door butt plates, and "arrow" accented grips caps, I'm thinking there must me more out there. I'm hoping someone may have run across these also, and will chime in.

DBA or BAD . Can't find a name in '62 Digest.

quote:

Originally posted by richj:
DBA or BAD . Can't find a name in '62 Digest.

Hello richj,
Thanks for the reply.

I'm thinking its 20 to 25 years earlier than 62.

Well...if you look closely at the arrowhead treatment, the motif was REALLY whammed into the checkering...I suggest it was a treatment or fad that ran it's course...(hopefully..HAR!)

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
"...I suggest it was a treatment or fad that ran it's course...(hopefully..HAR!)

Hello Duane Wiebe,
Thanks for the reply.

I would suggest that many of these "old time" gunsmiths were simply sporterizing readily available military rifles, in order to turn them into presentable hunting rifles, and added a few quirky embellishments along the way. They weren't trying to build the high quality museum pieces that are being built by modern master gunsmiths of today, such as yourself.

My first thought was someone was just trying to add a similar embellishment as the R.G. Owen arrowhead sometimes carved into stocks forward of the wrist. Different style of arrowhead though.

Hello matt salm,
Thanks for the reply.

Bill Staege from Omro, Wisconsin sometimes added "arrows" to his work. Pictures below is Bill's personal Ballard Schuetzen Rifle that he used in competition at the Back Wolf Schuetzen Verein.

For those unfamiliar with the name Staege, William (Bill) Staege was a Wisconsin Gunsmith of National Fame featured on the cover of the American Rifleman Magazine in January of 1941. Here's my web page about Bill, showing several pieces in my collection, including Bill's aforementioned Ballard Schuetzen rifle. http://www.yostaction.com/staege.html