Does anybody know about Wilbur Hauk who made a a type falling block action. He lived in New England somewhere. He used a 7mm Super Express cartridge based on the 348.

Wilbur Hauck made his SS rifles in the 1950s. They were basically like a fairly well known German drop block, but better steel and bigger. Very strong. I have seen maybe three or four, all had DST and no safety catch. I did not like them because when you opened and shut the lever they clanked like a Sherman tank.

The lever on the Hauck (not Hauk) is a rather unique setup. Before it can be lowered inorder to drop the block, it must be pushed foreward. When it is shoved foreward, it cocks the internal hammer (which allows the firing pin to retract) and it unlocks from the receiver in order that it can be lowered. Very short stroke lever. When it is closed, it snaps back into the locked position. That is where all the noise comes from. Works sweetly after some getting used to.

Not all Hauck actions required the lever to be pushed forward. I have an unfinished Hauck single shot rifle in which the lever pivots only, with no back and forth movement. Otherwise, the action is externally identical with his other actions. It is no noisier than the Ruger. Since this rifle is identical with his usual varmint rifle except for never being finished, I expect it was a prototype or one of the last he worked on, but who knows? If anyone has knowlege of this variation, I would like to hear from them.

The 7mm Express referred to was a Roy Gradle (California gunsmith in the 50's and 60's) wildcat and one of the most complicated to form that I know of: the body was blown out, the rim turned off, and an extractor groove added. The only place I every saw the Hauck and cartridge mentioned together was a little book called "Custom Rifles" by Jeff Cooper published in 1957. Cooper speculated the the Hauck single shot and the 7mm Express would make a perfect combination for the western mountains. Gradle claimed ballistics that have not been duplicated today.

wilbur hauck made his s/s actions in many variations(improvements)over the 50s-70s.some required the lever to push forward ,some didnt.i had one built by peyton autryin the 50s&featured in Guns&Game.it was in 25short Krag,stocked by thom shelhammer,engraved by alvin white. im told hauck had a full size pic of it in his shop&considered it his best.autry mentions this gun in his article on shelhammer in am.rifleman in 70s or 80s.i think hauck died in 80s

Roy Gradle also converted bolt actions to left hand, he hung a handle on the left side geared to the bolt body which turned counter clockwise as usual to unlock, there were gear teeth on the base of hte handle and on the bolt body. It worked. I saw two at the Albany gun show a couple Saturdays ago.