Six months overdue, but the the big medicine finally arrives. 416 Rigby on an original single squarebridge Oberndorf Mauser. Wood and metal by Joe Smithson.

Here are a couple of low quality pics. I'll post some better ones when I can get outside to take some photos.





Once I get a couple hundred rounds through it, we'll be ready for Tanzania this fall.

ForrestB
Looks like a nice rifle.
Shooting a couple of hundred rounds through it is a very good idea.

Obviously worth the wait. Forrest A.

Forrest, incredible rifle from a very gifted craftsman. It is beautiful.

Forrest

Wonderfull rifle! Worth the wait and 6 month is not very long, you know I've been working on mine since Feb 2002!

Hope she shoots and functions as well as it looks.

Franz

Nice rifle what bullets are you thinking of using ??

Nah...you don't want to put on the high-res pix, I got a chubby looking at it, and I am at work!!

Forrest,

It's nice to see that you finally have a rifle worthy of use for culling a few does at the Choya Ranch!

That is a very lovely rifle in all respects, and by a great riflemaker as well.

I've looked over a number of Smithson rifles at SCI, and in my estimate he's one of the very best craftsmen in the world today. It's great to see young, up-and-coming artists such as Smithson making a name for themselves. He's going to be around for a long time, and he'll be a household name with custom rifle fans in the years to come.

AD

NJ1MG-
I don't take any nice rifles when going on the Choya trip. Between the knuckleheads in that group and the obligatory eight hour lay-over at the strip club in San Antonio, I'm scared they might get stolen. Suspect number one would be your brother-in-law.

Franz, I started the same time you did. It was six months behind schedule, not six months total. I've been putting the crimp die to use this week.

Alan, I give Smithson an A+ on metalwork and an A on stockwork; and that's on a really tough curve. He gets an A+ for being great to work with. Honest, smart and I learned a lot from this project.

Does Joe Smithson have a website? ...Suppose a search would answer that

JP

[ 06-19-2003, 08:08: Message edited by: Pfeifer ]