I've wondered where his custom guns are. Certainly he made a number of them as well as all the experimentation in case improvement and testing of milsurp rifles.

He was head of the Trinidad gunsmithing school ( I met him there) and must have built several customs in his lifetime.

That said I never see any photos of his work. Does anyone have any of them and care to post photos?

Are they collected?....are they valuable as collectors?

Does anyone know anything about them. They just never get discussed on the forums.

I had one for a while, a 7X57 on a Husky lightweight. Decent rifle, but certainly nothing special. It went away...

Had a 228 Ackley magnum for a while. The one on the BELTED 30-06 case. Shot good but think it's the only Ackley I ever saw. His daughter was married to a friend of mine for awhile. Used to pass by his shop on the way to my first wifes home in Jansen. This was in early 50's, he had already moved to Utah. Never saw any of his guns around school. Saw LOTS of Ackley Improved chambered guns though. Can't remember EVER seeing another Ackley built gun.

There is one in a glass case at Trinidad State College. It seems that sometime in the past while he was teaching, he needed to have some dental work done. He traded the rifle for the work. When the dentist passed away, his family didn't know what to do with the rifle so they donated it to the school as part of history. Trust me, it was nothing special.

He just built serviceable working rifles. He built the 228's for Colo game and Fish. He also built the damndest scope mount I've had the displeasure to use. Had a front and rear saddle like the B&L with a ring that fit around the scope with a long flat spring held with one screw as a pivot. The ends of the spring were slipped into slots in the saddles and the scope was rotated around and placed in the saddles. There were 2 screws in the rear saddle for adjustment. I must have had 20 unfinished sets when I left school. I don't think I ever successfully used a single set. You had to get the spacing really correct or the scope would fly off when fired.

My Dad has 2 of his rifles one in 7mm-08 dont know the other one We went to his shop in SLC several times a year I was only 10-14 years old I thought it was great that he broke the bricks out of one of the walls in his basement and would test fire into the dirt

Interesting question,a friend of mine bought a Remington service manual in a book store in Denver that was P.O. Ackley,s personal one with all his notes and writing for $20. Wonder how it got there???

After having tried to duplicate some of the loads in his books, I imagine alot of them blew up....really enjoy his books, though!

Every once in a while one turns up at a gunshow. Over the years I've come accross two of them. Don't remember the chambering of them. They were nice enough rifles, but nothing special about them except the prices being asked.

The only one that I've ever seen and shot was owned by a guy named Mike Krause who was a friend of Mr. Ackley's. Mike was from Magna, Utah. It was a .17 caliber built on a Sako BR action. Believe it or not I witnessed a one shot kill on a moose with that rifle. It was up on South Pass in Wyoming and Mike shot him behind the right ear. He never took a step!

Be careful about rifles bearing his name. After P.O. died, a marketing company bought the rights to his name and marketed rifles with P.O. Ackley, Inc. on them. All that I sold were built on Mauser Mark X actions. Something sticks in my mind about EMKO International as the parent company that marketed them. (c. 1970s)

I have a .17/223 improved on a Sako L-461 action that Mr Ackley built for me. I still shoot it occasionally, and it has made some of the most amazing kills I ever made. I used long ago and still have a few Sisk bullets. Mr Huntington made the dies and wrote forming/loading instructions for my use as I had Ackley ship the rifle to him for custom dies. The action I got from Herters. I have made a number of one shot kills on small deer and the rifle, except fot bore cleaning, has been a pleasure.

NS.....can you please post photos.

Sorry, I have no picture capability, but if there is someone in the Richmond to Raleigh area I could meet up with I would be glad for lots of pictures to be made as a matter of history for all to see here. The gun has 20" featherweight contour and is full stocked in a plain walnut Bishop stock. Maybe 85 % of new now. Mr Huntingdon made three custom sets of dies in 1966 for Ackley's chambering. I got one, McGowen got one and the third?. I shot a lot of blue streak loads in those days, no chrono, not much info about .17s, no brushes, home made patch rod from brazing rod. But Oh what a killer on crows, groundhogs, and deer. Selected loads still shoot well with the Berger/hornady bullets. ned

quote:

Originally posted by Goe:
Be careful about rifles bearing his name. After P.O. died, a marketing company bought the rights to his name and marketed rifles with P.O. Ackley, Inc. on them. All that I sold were built on Mauser Mark X actions. Something sticks in my mind about EMKO International as the parent company that marketed them. (c. 1970s)

The company was called Endico. They were building rifles under the P.O.Ackley Inc, name long before P.O.'s death. Dennis (Mike) Bellm acquired P.O. Aclkey's custom rifle business in about 1979 and worked with P.O. until his death in 1989.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark_Stratton:
There is one in a glass case at Trinidad State College... Trust me, it was nothing special.

Being based in SLC, Utah, I occasionally have the pleasure to encounter some of P.O.Ackley's rifles for servicing from the locals. While these rifles may not be quite up to snuff for some of the "guild" folks, they are of no less a value to those who possess them, or, those who seek to possess them.

Even though not quite as spit and polished, the thing that separates these old school guy's from today's guy's is their willingness to help others and their willingness to do things for free.

As cantankerous of a fellow as he is reported to have been at times, from what I have gathered, from talking to firends and admirers over the years, folks who actually knew him, which are many, that were he alive today, P.O.Ackley was generous enough, that he would probably have been one of the first to offer to donate his services, free of charge, for a worthy memorial project rifle such as the one going now. Not as a way to gain stature among his peers, but out of the goodness of his heart.

quote:

Originally posted by ACRecurve:
After having tried to duplicate some of the loads in his books, I imagine alot of them blew up....really enjoy his books, though!

Andy, "enthusiastic" is what I would call those loads!!

A friend had a pair.. 25-06 and 35 whelen... enjoyed shooting them

jeffe

My design & function Instructor at CST was a friend of PO's ( he called him pissed off Ackley) Doc said that he tested his loads by tying the rifle in a tire and pulling the trigger with a rope from behind a tree! So maybe even He knew they were a little on the warm side. I have seen 2 of his rifles a 222 rem on a sako and a 17/222 also on a sako, I rebarred the 222 to 17 rem and rechambered the 17/222 to 17 rem for the same fellow (he kept the barrel from the 222)

www.duanesguns.com

A customer brought one into the shop last week. Nice FN mauser action. Barrel marked "P.O. Ackley" no caliber designation. After removing it from the stock, engraved on bottom of bbl. "25-06 Wallack". Anyone have a clue?

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
A customer brought one into the shop last week. Nice FN mauser action. Barrel marked "P.O. Ackley" no caliber designation. After removing it from the stock, engraved on bottom of bbl. "25-06 Wallack". Anyone have a clue?

Did he bring it in for an ID? No Dies? I would "guess" it has a slight shoulder modification. A quick chamber cast should tell you.

Is that a clue? Bolt won't close on a '06 gauge so I assume it is an improved version. Chamber cast to follow.

I have one rifle supposedly rechambered by ackley.whether it is or not is unknown.It is a sako L57 heavy barrel forester in 244 AI with a custom stock and the barrel cut to 20"..the barrel has been rotated 1/2 turn,the factory marking are not visible until you remove the stock.The checkering is simply lines cut in a pattern,no diamond points left at all. There are no markings visible when in the stock.

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
Is that a clue? Bolt won't close on a '06 gauge so I assume it is an improved version.

Is what a clue? Usually a chamber cast is the first thing to do to ID a cartridge. The fact that the bolt won't close on an '06 gauge is a good thing and only means that it was done right. I searched everything I had to find you an answer but came up with zilch. And since no one else replied to your post, the only sure thing left to do to solve the problem is a chamber cast. Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
A customer brought one into the shop last week. Nice FN mauser action. Barrel marked "P.O. Ackley" no caliber designation. After removing it from the stock, engraved on bottom of bbl. "25-06 Wallack". Anyone have a clue?

L. R. Wallack was a custom gunsmith from Langhorne, PA who built many bench-rest, varmint as well as hunting rifles. I looked through his catalog but no listing for his .25-06.

That's a clue! Anymore info on Wallack? Time frame or years in business? I'm thinking that with the barrel being set back, so the Wallack marking is hidden by the stock, Parker probably made it an AI.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Petrov:

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
A customer brought one into the shop last week. Nice FN mauser action. Barrel marked "P.O. Ackley" no caliber designation. After removing it from the stock, engraved on bottom of bbl. "25-06 Wallack". Anyone have a clue?

L. R. Wallack was a custom gunsmith from Langhorne, PA who built many bench-rest, varmint as well as hunting rifles. I looked through his catalog but no listing for his .25-06.

Not only was "Bob" Wallack a custom gunsmith, he also wrote a lot. If I am not too mistaken, some of his stuff appeared in the American Rifleman years back. I did a search, but all I found was this book he authored some time back...

This is a very interesting discussion. A lot of info has been exchanged here.

Back to the first post asking where Ackley's guns might be now. Amazing as it might be to me, as he had a shop in Trinidad for years besides teaching in the Gun College, then to Utah. I'd have bet the TJC would have some.

As this fellow worked with him for years and I'd bet stocked a large number for Ackley. Why don't one of you guys that's most interested make a phone call and talk it over with Ed Shulin, the stock maker, stock instructor in the gun school.

719/846-2301.
Ed still has a duplicator at home and stays as busy as he can be roughing out stocks for anyone that orders/sends. Last I had him turn was $40+$10 UPS. Ed prides himself on return shipping within 5 days. Many gunmakers around the country send their blanks for roughing out. I've had him turn 8 for me and sent a few from other guys.

Malm/others: I want a classic styled stock roughed out for a .72 cal m/l I'm trying to build. Ed won't do it as I don't have a pattern.

The stock I want: same shape as Classics, only extra large size. Butt: 2" thick x7" high, the oversize is to be carried thruout. Can anyone help me out to either get the stock roughed out, or a pattern made??

Thanks much,

George

I have a 1903 Springfield .35 Whelen by Wallack Langhorn PA dated 1950 under barrel, 19.5", haven't shot it yet, will have to wear both muffs and earplugs. Very well done rifle.

I have a .228 Newton that is supposed to have a P.O. Ackley barrel...don't know if he made the barreled action...its on a Yugoslav Mauser sction
...old military action.
After reading that other .228 barrels were made by Ackley, I think it most likely the barrel was definately his.
Best Regards,

Tom

Tom:
It's my understanding he had a barrel making shop in Trinidad. What he did/had in UT I have no idea.

He did a lot of destructive test firing on quite a bunch of gun makes. Two bullets, filled cases with pistol powders and that type thing. Wanted to find out what would hold up and to what extent. You can read a lot about such tests in his various books. Mighty interesting reading. No, I don't have the books, buddy does and 6-7 yrs ago I borrowed them to read.
George

Thanks Georgeld: I've read his "blow up tests"
sections...you're right, interesting reading, the strongest action if I remember right was the Jap
Arisaka action. Also, the old Krag with the one lug did better than expected.
Best Regards,
Tom

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Tom:
It's my understanding he had a barrel making shop in Trinidad. What he did/had in UT I have no idea.

His first barrel making shop was here in Roseburg, Oregon, before WW II. At that time he also made custom guns (though not up to today's "Guild" standards, they were nice guns for the era).

He also made at least some custom guns while in Colorado, as well as barrels. When in Salt Lake City environs he still made barrels, but I'd have to dig into my stuff and check some of his ads of the time to see if he was still making whole guns for the general public.

Chic Donnelly of Grant's Pass, Oregon (Siskiyou Gun Works) has one complete set of Ackley's barrel-making equipment...not his oldest set; more likely his last set. I say that because it is NOT a cut-rifling set-up, but a button-rifling rig.

Pics of some Ackley-made custom guns are in some of the older books around, and various periodicals. They are pictured right along with stuff from Hal Hartley, Leonard Mews, Bob Wallack, a then-young Jerry Fisher, et.al. Definitely not just re-barrel jobs by him. In later years though, he stuck mainly to supplyng & fitting barrels.

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Tom:
It's my understanding he had a barrel making shop in Trinidad. What he did/had in UT I have no idea.

His first barrel making shop was here in Roseburg, Oregon, before WW II. At that time he also made custom guns (though not up to today's "Guild" standards, they were nice guns for the era).

He also made at least some custom guns while in Colorado, as well as barrels. When in Salt Lake City environs he still made barrels, but I'd have to dig into my stuff and check some of his ads of the time to see if he was still making whole guns for the general public.

Chic Donnely of Grant's Pass, Oregon (Siskiyou Gun Works) has one complete set of Ackley's barrel-making equipment...not his oldest set; more likely his last set. I say that because it is NOT a cut-rifling set-up, but a button-rifling rig.

Pics of some Ackley-made custom guns are in some of the older books around, and various periodicals. They are pictured right along with stuff from Hal Hartley, Leonard Mews, Bob Wallack, a then-young Jerry Fisher, et.al. Definitely not just re-barrel jobs by him. In later years though, he stuck mainly to supplyng & fitting barrels.

Dennis (Mike) Bellm operated P.O.Ackley's Custom Rifle Barrel Business in SLC from about 1979 until shortly after P.O.'s death in 1989. As far as I know, this was done on P.O.'s cut rifling equipment. P.O. and Bellm stayed in close contact during this period. FWIW, the cut rifle barrels Bellm produced with that equipment were superb!

Malm, Alberta Canuck,
Thank you for your posts, very refreshing to say the least.

Stepchild

Back in the mid-60's a friend and I visited P.O.'s shop in SLC (actually Murray Utah). Had quite an interested time.
You would never guess that you could make an accurate rifle barrel on his machine. Bicycle chains, gears, looked pretty cheap. Must have worked tho.
If you wanted to get him riled up, just mention Elmer Keith. He would go on for hours......

Bill

[/QUOTE]His first barrel making shop was here in Roseburg, Oregon, before WW II. At that time he also made custom guns (though not up to today's "Guild" standards, they were nice guns for the era). [/QUOTE]

Alberta Canuck:

I have been working on research about Ross King who I believe had the shop that Ackley bought after King retired in Roseburg. I have sent several inquires to the local historical societies and museums with no results. Would you have any info on Mr. King?

Michael Petrov

Unless I am mistaken (which my wife points out I often am, unfortunately), I believe I know Mr. King's grandson. I likely will not see him for a couple more months, as the docs won't let me walk right now, but will definitely see him then at a gathering we both always go to. I DO definitely know a son and a couple of grandsons of Ackley's ass't. (and fellow barrel driller/rifler) in that first shop, and will ask them also what they may know about Mr. King.

Would also suggest going on line to review the morgue of the Roseburg News-Review, to see what if any they had in the way of ads for King's shop in those days.

Mr.Petrov -

My memory may by playing a trick on me, but I believe there may have been three locally dominant gunshops in Roseburg at the same time, at least for a while, one of which was Ackley's, another of which was Ross's, and the third being the Umpqua Gun Store.

That doesn't mean Ross didn't sell his place to Ackley, but it seems to me he 'smithed some in later years from a place located just north of town off Stephens Street (main N/S drag). That's part of what I hope to be able to check out with the fellow I THINK is possibly his grandson. Wouldn't be the first time a guy sold his business, then later went back into competition with it.

Of course it may not be as I seem to recall either, so will do my best to find out for you. Will also check with Al Perry, the former owner of the Umpqua Gun Store. Between all these guys maybe we can dig something up....

quote:

Alberta Canuck

Alberta Canuck:

Thanks for the online paper lead, I’ll check that out. A little background on Mr. King.

He was born in Ohio around 1872, apprenticed in 1888 to a gunmaker at Fort Dodge, Iowa. He worked in St. Louis then enlisted in the US Cavalry and went on to Fort Grant, AZ. Would have had his gunshop in Oregon around 1900 and I’m not sure when he sold out or how many times he was in Oregon. He finished up his career in San Francisco as far as I know.
I have no idea what year Ackley established his business in Roseburg. It’s possible that King was there years before Ackley.

MP

MP-

It sounds as if we are probably talking about two different folks. Can never tell though, there are several families in this county which have been here over 150 years...which means they arrived well before Oregon even thought about statehood. And because this part of Oregon has only recently begun to urbanize, a signifant number of them are inter-related bloodlines (Our local inside-joke is that the family tree in "south county" is a telegraph pole.) Anyway, though not likely the same King family you are referring to, it is still worth checking, and I'll do so when that becomes physically possible.

Best wishes.......

Interesting, I never knew P.O. was a grouch!
As a young fellow I wrote him one time with some wet gun dream of the moment. I got a long letter back, he saw my VT address and reminisced
about his days growing up in NY, Granville comes to mind, on the NY/VT border. I wrote back and told him what some of the places were like as I knew them, ect. We exchanged a couple more letters, I have them somewhere still. He was very nice in my mind!