Was looking through the new 2006 Gun Digest at the local bookseller this evening. Really nice. Lots more color.

But one glaring error in the Custom Gun Section.
They started the section off with a photo of the first custom gun made for the Big Five Series for Safari Club. The Elephant Rifle by the David Miller Company. Beautiful photo and everything. But they made the mistake of stating that it was made on a new Winchester Model 70 action that was worked up by David Miller and Winchester.

Sorry. That didn't come until the last rifle, which was the leopard Rifle. The first rifle, the Elephant Rifle, was crafted by Miller and Crum on non other than a highly modifed 1909 Argentine Mauser Action that was also engraved by the late Lynton McKenzie. It sold at auction for the then unheard of price of $41,000.

While I surely am not trying to justify such an error they do happen and not always because the author doesn't know any better. I am assuming that Tom Turpin still writes that column, and if so, he is one of the most knowledgable writers on custom rifles that there is. Obviously it was a slip of the pen or a slip by the publisher, and if the mistake was Tom's it was surely accidental.

By the way, this particular column has made the Gun Digest much more enticing for me to buy every year. It is sure a great thing to have someone similair to John Amber writing the column again who is actually interested in the subject matter.

It's a good thing you read them at the bookstore
instead of buying them.
Good luck!