Nice rifle! A classic American custom on the classic American action.

The engraving work uses relief to leave the original surface in large and relatively simple but quite well-crafted forms. It has nothing in common with the fine, highly detailed styles we see from classic European makers and engravers in the English scroll or German tradition, that I have seen in books or magazines or in my hands. I saw a LOT of their showier work 'in the Turkish taste' in the Istanbul military museum, and your piece is graphically stronger stuff than that.

Out of ignorance I resort to speculation that is from Texas or further south, by an artist that does things his own way, maybe self-taught. When you find him, he will be well-known in his area. No-one did work that competent without there being a fair few pieces done.