Proof that there are still bargains to be had in early custom sporting rifles. Stock by R.G. Owen towards the end of his career, and metal work by a very young Tom Burgess. Found sitting on a rack with a bunch of garden variety guns at the Tulsa gun show. Bought for well under the already modest sticker price. It was not until after I bought it that I was informed by a friend that the circle with a B inside indicated Tom Burgess. He would have been about 20 years old at the time I believe.






I have been looking for an Owen for some time. This one will scratch my itch until I can afford that Kornbrath engraved Owen Springfield.

John

I hate you.

more pics of the metalwork please, especially the front base. I didn't know that about the circle B either.

Interesting info I do know though. Tom started doing gunsmithing stuff when he was 14 or 15 years old. He was going to a Jesuit high school and convinced the local machinists school to let him enroll even though he was under their age requirement. To pay his tuition (I can't remember if at the jesuit school or the machinists school) he'd make gun parts for local gunsmiths.

by the time he passed he had 60 years of experience. You're very fortunate to have his early work, I wonder how much of his stuff is out there that people have no idea what they have. It would be real interesting to see the progression over the years.

Red

A very nice find John.
I guess I need to go to Tulsa sometime.
Butch

I envy your access to a decent gun show. I went to one yesterday in Newberry, Florida, a half-hour from home. Absolutely awful. JUNK guns. Lots of jerky for sale.

How many decades of trolling gun shows did that take?

quote:

Originally posted by conifer:
I envy your access to a decent gun show. I went to one yesterday in Newberry, Florida, a half-hour from home. Absolutely awful. JUNK guns. Lots of jerky for sale.

Come to California, The only Gun showwe have has been reduced to half it's original size. Junk guns, jerky and yard sale crap. And thats just the Crossroads of the west. California put one gun show out of business or should I say the show organizers did by wasting there money fighting a ban in court. The should have just found a new venue
That was the Great Western Gun Show.

http://www.tulsaarmsshow.com/

It's 11 acres of guns, something for everybody!
Nice find!!!

We drive about 10 hours each way to attend the Tulsa show. If you have not been, you really owe it to yourself to make it. The ratio of good guns to junk is not that much higher than at a local show, but that is made up for in sheer volume. Once you go to the Tulsa show, you just about give up on the small local shows.

Dago Red, the mount is the old redfield SR.

John

quote:

Originally posted by kcstott:
Come to California, The only Gun showwe have has been reduced to half it's original size. Junk guns, jerky and yard sale crap. And thats just the Crossroads of the west. California put one gun show out of business or should I say the show organizers did by wasting there money fighting a ban in court. The should have just found a new venue
That was the Great Western Gun Show.

We had a pretty nice annual gun-show that was pushed out by the county. When the county realized that they couldn't just refuse to rent the building at the fairgrounds to the producers of the gun-show without inviting a lawsuit they found a loophole: ban guns on fairgrounds property.

I hate you too!

Not really, but I am just a teensy bit envious of your find.

Nice rifle.

Rich

Gasgunner

I am highly envious of your lucky find. I have always admired Owen's stock work. What caliber is it? Did you get any personal history on it?

The Wannameicher Tulsa show is truly a great show. Only two per year. Being centrally located you see guns from all over the USA.

While you are there you simply must eat at Jamiles, a Lebanese steak house of great reputation. The line usually spills way out into the parking lot but the wait is truly worth it.

Craftsman,
The caliber is .257 Roberts. The seller did not seem to have any history nor interest in the rifle.

Not been to Jamiles, but a friend took us to a very good seafood joint at the corner of 51st and Harvard. Don't recall the name.

John

I was really admiring that rifle before your last post. Now I am green with envy! I really like the looks of the rig. And in a Roberts yet? You are downright evil. Beautiful gun, great pedigree too!