The Scopes are as follows:

.25 Ackley Improved Krag Fecker 1 1/8" 12X
.219 Ackley Improved Zipper Unertl Vulture 8X
.218 Bee Unertl 1 1/4" 8X
.30-40 Krag Unertl 1" 8X
.250-3000R Lyman All American Perma Center 6X
7X57R Leupold VariX III 1.5-5X
6mm/.225 Unertl 1" 8X

Virtually all of the actions were acquired from a man named W. Carl Barnhart, who lived in New Carlisle, Ohio. I first bought the action for the .219 Improved Zipper from him answering an ad in Shotgun News. This would have been about 1958 or 59, and the action cost $25.00. I later drove up to see Mr. Barnhart, and he sold me eight more Highwalls, either actions of complete rifles with bad barrels. I paid no more than $35.00 for any of them. Three of them went to a friend who had sent a Model 12 Winchester shotgun along as trade goods, and I kept the rest.

The rifles were built up over a period of years, step by step, first having the actions bushed and a suitable firing pin fitted, then a barrel was fitted, and finally the barrelled actions were sent to Hal Hartley for stocking. As I recall, at the time Hal charged $65.00 for a stock, including the wood. The Niedner butt plate and grip cap were bought and furnished by me.

Hal only furnished maple stock blanks. If you wanted walnut, you had to furnish the blank yourself. There was no reduction in price. My walnut blanks (I also have four bolt rifles stocked in walnut by Hal) all came from Flaig's, Incorporated, in Millvale, PA.

Over the years, Hal and Harry Creighton, whom I had known from 1958 until his death in 1985, developed a serendipitous relationship. Harry, who did not do wood work, would recommend customers to Hal for stocks, and Hal, who did no metal work, would refer his customers to Harry for rebarrelling and conversions.

The 7X57R has an interesting story attached to it. In the spring of 1979, I was in Ashville, NC for a small bore match, and decided to pay Hal a visit in relatively nearby Lenoir. He had just moved into a log house which he had built singlehandedly himself, and which he was very proud of. We had a nice visit, and toward the conclusion, I asked him about an acquaintance whom I had recommended Hal to as a stockmaker.

Hal got a funny expression on his face and left the room, only to return with the butt stock and foreend pictured on the 7X57R. He said that he had shipped the rifle to the customer, but had not heard from him and had not been paid. When he wrote inquiring if the rifle had arrived, the two piece stock had been returned to him without comment. I was astounded when I looked them over, and asked Hal if he would sell it to me. He was happy to do so, and we immediately closed the deal.

When I got back to Nashville, I called the acquaintance who had returned the stock and asked him what the problem had been. He said that the work "wasn't up to his standards." I told him that it was up to mine, and did he have any plans for the barrelled action, a Highwall converted to .218 Bee. He said that he would be willing to sell it, and I bought it from him. Since I already had a Bee, I had the barrel removed and fitted to a Lowall action, which I then sold, and had the profile of the Bee barrel reproduced in 7X57R. I still don't know why the stock didn't measure up. It is one of Hal's finest creations.