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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> 'Classic' Firearms Photos & Archive

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Squarebridge
.300 member

Reged: 21/08/08
Posts: 129
Loc: Tennessee

Hello the fire...
#112528 - 26/08/08 12:10 AM

Just wanted to say hello and also thanks for all the excellent posts I've read while lurking. This is an amazing forum, and scanning the topics and photos here is pretty much like taking a tour of my mind on most days. I've never seen anyplace where you could discuss King Solomon's Mines in one minute and Mauser actions the next, unless it was my own back porch.

Here's one of my favorite rifles, my mint condition 1925 or 1930-ish R.F. Sedgley, a super 1903 Sporter from the golden age of American sporting rifles (in my opinion). Termed by some as the "poor man's Griffin and Howe", nonetheless I think this is a super little rifle in which I have complete faith. It came with the original Ziel Dialyt scope as well as the original leather scope carrying case and lens covers. I'm thinking of having a replacement stock made for it so I won't be so reluctant to take it camping and hunting.

Anyway, I look forward to the excellent conversation here and wish all well.

Cheers
Ryan

Edited by CptCurl (29/12/08 03:57 AM)

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tinker
.416 member

Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Squarebridge]
#112552 - 26/08/08 06:06 AM

Ryan-

Welcome to the site!
Great looking rifle you have there, you should get some more images of it up for all to see, tell us how you found it, what loads you've developed for it, what you've killed with it...

It's good you've found a spot to camp here, as you've said this is a great crowd of folks and there's a lot of good conversation to be had.

--Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--

"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...

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CptCurl
.450 member

Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5284
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: tinker]
#112553 - 26/08/08 06:39 AM

Ryan,

Welcome to the forums. Glad you decided to switch from "lurk" mode to "participate" mode!

That Springfield is quite nice. It reminds me of a nice G&H Springfield Sporter I owned about 25 years ago.

Curl

--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.

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Squarebridge
.300 member

Reged: 21/08/08
Posts: 129
Loc: Tennessee

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: tinker]
#112554 - 26/08/08 06:41 AM

Thanks very much. I will put up some photos of my new 1909 Argentine sporter I had built also.

Loads-wise, I'm working on heavy bullet (220) loads now, and have yet to get to the range, but will have more information in a week or two. It seems to do better with 165gr and larger bullets, which suits me fine.

The original scope is crystal clear, but lacks windage adjustment - the mount itself adjusts for that. I have thought of putting it aside and finding a modern scope of the same diameter to avoid any accidental damage. The scope would not be cheap to replace or repair.

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xausa
.400 member

Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Squarebridge]
#112556 - 26/08/08 06:52 AM

Hi neighbor,

Welcome aboard.

There are two Sedgley Springfield sporters and three G&H's in my gun case, so we have that much in common besides location. Where exactly are you located?

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Squarebridge
.300 member

Reged: 21/08/08
Posts: 129
Loc: Tennessee

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: xausa]
#112571 - 26/08/08 09:31 AM

Thanks! - I'm in Ooltewah, just east of Chattanooga. We should get our guns together and raise a litter of pups.

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A10ACN
.300 member

Reged: 30/01/05
Posts: 198
Loc: USA

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Squarebridge]
#112584 - 26/08/08 11:26 AM

Howdy Homeboy! Nice Sedgley! That's one to be proud of! How about some more pics? Count me in on the Tennessee Rifle Breeders Club, too. I'll bring my Sedgley and some of my G&Hs. I can soil the lineage with some Brit or German pieces, too! Love the avatar, btw!

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Squarebridge
.300 member

Reged: 21/08/08
Posts: 129
Loc: Tennessee

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: A10ACN]
#112593 - 26/08/08 01:47 PM

I have a couple more, sadly no "full body" shots - I found this rifle on Gunbroker 3 years ago and couldn't believe it, and I couldn't believe that noone seemed to bid on it. It was one of the few times in my life when I felt like I was really in the right place at the right time, and made out like a bandit. It was my first "really nice rifle" and the start of a terrible spiral into addiction that I fear has no end in sight.

The avatar - I'm a big Townsend Whelen fan. He may not have been the Shakesperean writer that O'Connor was, nor the wild eyed story teller that Keith was, but I don't know anyone who contributed more true expertise and innovation, in addition to being a great and exciting writer to boot.

Here's another shot or two:

Edited by CptCurl (23/11/11 11:35 PM)

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Paul
.400 member

Reged: 28/08/07
Posts: 1031
Loc: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Squarebridge]
#112596 - 26/08/08 02:06 PM

A speckie rifle! Love the breadth of chequering behind the tang. The full grip must have been modern for its time. Does anyone remember who stocked the Springfield Hemingway had?

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dale
.333 member

Reged: 28/02/06
Posts: 341
Loc: logan W.V.

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Paul]
#112599 - 26/08/08 03:36 PM

Squarebridge,

Fantastic rifle and the pictures are just a tease, dying to see more of it. The scope & mount are just icing on the cake.

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xausa
.400 member

Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Paul]
#112623 - 26/08/08 10:37 PM

As I recall, Hemingway bought his Springfield from Abercrombie and Fitch, so I would assume it was a Griffin & Howe product. (I just confirmed this from Carlos Baker's book "Ernest Hemingway"{p. 258}. The "heavy Springfield rifle" was custom made by G&H under the supervision of Hemingway's friend Milford Baker.)

Evidently G&H fitted the rifle with a scope of some kind, since Hemingway took it to Wyoming on a hunting trip prior to his African trip and used it with the scope to kill a mountain sheep at 350 yards. He also used it to kill two bears, with or without the scope.

Another purchase from A&F was a 6.5 Mannlicher which also went along on the Wyoming trip and to Africa. It and the Springfield were both mentioned in "The Green Hills of Africa", Hemingway's quasi-autobiographical book about the trip.

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Cinghiale
.333 member

Reged: 15/04/08
Posts: 406
Loc: Northern Territory

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: xausa]
#112628 - 26/08/08 10:56 PM

Squarebridge,

that is a lovely Springfield, you are indeed a lucky man!

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xausa
.400 member

Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Squarebridge]
#112654 - 27/08/08 05:02 AM

The Springfield that Captain Whelen is holding in that picture (your avatar) appears to be one built for him by Fred Adolph. At least the stock is practically identical to the one on the .30-40 Krag Adolph built which is pictured in the "Rifleman's Battery" section of the book "Mr. Rifleman". Michael Petrov, who's a Fred Adolph expert, could possibly confirm my speculation.

Incidentally, there is a reprint of Sedgeley's 1940 catalog available through Cornell Publications
www.cornellpubs.com, which shows both your rifle and the scope and mount ($165.00+$61.00).

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Paul
.400 member

Reged: 28/08/07
Posts: 1031
Loc: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: xausa]
#112691 - 27/08/08 01:55 PM

Thanks xausa,
I think Hemingway may have bought a db .577 from A&F, too, in the '50s. In 'By Line' he mentioned some little guy trying it out on a store's basement range, with results like those in the youtube video.

- Paul

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buckbrush
.300 member

Reged: 23/08/07
Posts: 120
Loc: Alberta

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Paul]
#112753 - 28/08/08 03:45 AM

Here is mine, star gaged NM high number Springfield, G&H Sidemount, Hensoldt Wetzlar 2 3/4 power scope with post reticle, Whelen designed Stoeger deluxe sporter stock.

Edited by CptCurl (29/12/08 03:58 AM)

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xausa
.400 member

Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Paul]
#112759 - 28/08/08 05:00 AM

I would be surprised if Hemingway ever owned a double rifle. His experience shooting a rented .470 on his first safari did not bode well.

"Instead of the sweet clean pull of the Springfield with the smooth, unhesitant release at the end, this trigger came to what, in a squeeze, seemed metal stuck against metal. I was like when you shoot in a nightmare...."

"'The hell with that four-seventy,' I said. 'I can't shoot it. The trigger's like the last turn of the key opening a sardine can.'"

The Green Hills of Africa

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xausa
.400 member

Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: buckbrush]
#112760 - 28/08/08 05:13 AM

I see your G&H mount has the rare micrometer windage adjustment. If the price on that tag represents what you actually paid for this jewel, double congratulations are in order, first for owning such a rifle, and secondly for obtaining it at such a price.

I have a Niedner .35 Whelen with a stock Michael Petrov thinks is a Stoeger. How did you go about identifying yours as such?

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buckbrush
.300 member

Reged: 23/08/07
Posts: 120
Loc: Alberta

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: xausa]
#112985 - 30/08/08 07:27 AM

xausa, yes that is the price I payed, in Canuck bucks! I think they under priced it by a lot. As far as how I determined it is a Stoeger stock, I have Mr. Petrov's book where some descriptions and pictures are shown. I have sent pictures of my rifle to Mr. Petrov, and he concurs with my assessment. The Lyman 48 has the flip up target aperture on it as well as the regular one.

I also have a Stoeger catalog reprint that shows the Stoeger stocks.

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mehulkamdar
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Squarebridge]
#113063 - 31/08/08 10:14 AM

Squarebridge,

A hearty welcome from the official pesterer for gun and hunting pictures!

You have some lovely rifles and do keep coming here often. We are a bad lot here - like the Hotel California, you can check out any time you like but you can never leave.

Buckbrush,

You have one mroe treasure! Thanks for posting though I am more than a little jealous that you found such a superb bargain!

Just joking, of course, but you knew that . . .

Good hunting, gentlemen!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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Paul
.400 member

Reged: 28/08/07
Posts: 1031
Loc: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: xausa]
#113082 - 31/08/08 02:20 PM

Quote:

I would be surprised if Hemingway ever owned a double rifle. His experience shooting a rented .470 on his first safari did not bode well.

"Instead of the sweet clean pull of the Springfield with the smooth, unhesitant release at the end, this trigger came to what, in a squeeze, seemed metal stuck against metal. I was like when you shoot in a nightmare...."

"'The hell with that four-seventy,' I said. 'I can't shoot it. The trigger's like the last turn of the key opening a sardine can.'"

The Green Hills of Africa

thanks xausa,
Yes, I remember and often plagiarise the last-turn-of-the-sardine-can quote. I can't be sure EH owned this rifle, since he only ever speaks of 'the .577', but he wrote of using one several times in 'True at First Light' as well. Maybe he didn't want to emphasise his wealth and maybe it was just the rotten trigger of the .470 he hated. A hair trigger, as preferred by his PH Philip Percival, might be more pleasant when sighting in but a little light when a lion charges.

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Squarebridge
.300 member

Reged: 21/08/08
Posts: 129
Loc: Tennessee

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Paul]
#113325 - 02/09/08 03:08 PM

Really nice rifle - I love original scopes on original rifles. They're the icing on the cake. Is that the "hight" scope mount? I believe, if I remember correctly, that the GH sidemount came in two heights. It looks pretty high to me. But I've never shot an original scope mounted rifle that I thought was uncomfortable or awkward to shoot.

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buckbrush
.300 member

Reged: 23/08/07
Posts: 120
Loc: Alberta

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: Squarebridge]
#113815 - 07/09/08 08:51 AM

I know the rings are the standard height, not sure about the side mount. The scope is mounted high enough that you can use it or the Lyman 48 with a slight movement of your head.

I have found the original pre WW2 classic style stock like this one or on Mausers and Huskvarnas fits my physique much better than the modern classic style as promoted by O'connor, Carmichael, Amber, and most high dollar custom gunsmiths.

I believe the modern classic style with the comb parallel to the bore is designed for shooting off a benchrest or out a pickup truck window. I am now replacing all my modern classic stocked rifles with the older traditional classic designs, they fit me better, especially offhand and kneeling -squating. To my eye they also look much more "classic"

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Squarebridge
.300 member

Reged: 21/08/08
Posts: 129
Loc: Tennessee

Re: Hello the fire... [Re: buckbrush]
#113860 - 07/09/08 03:43 PM

When I bought my first really nice custom rifle, I went OUT OF MY WAY to specify a classic, traditional profile, with plenty of drop at heel, for use with iron sights. I still use the irons as much or more than the scope. I sent pictures to nail the point home. What did I get? A modern classic profile with the comb parallel with the bore. I love the rifle, it's gorgeous, but if you're ordering a stock from a modern maker, you really really need to twist their arm or you'll get whatever comes off the pantograph, which is usually the "modern classic" (one of my host hated oxymorons). It's a lovely stock, but it's made for shooting with a scope first and foremost, which is of course a logical and natural transition to make in the concept of the sporting rifle. As Craig Boddington said, modern scopes are more durable and dependable than iron sights, which may just be the truth. But it ain't classic, and it doesn't suit my taste. To me it's what a trap shotgun should feel like, not a rifle.

But it's the world we live in.

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bonanza
.400 member

Reged: 17/05/04
Posts: 2335
Loc: South Carolina

Drop in stock. [Re: Squarebridge]
#193612 - 11/11/11 11:13 PM

My 1896 H&H (.303 / .35 WCF) double has lots of drop and comes to my shoulder like a .410 shotgun. I love the way it "points" and can come on taget super fast. And those 28" barrels are rock steady.

My Dakota on the other hand is very straight. I have found that placing my front hand closer to the magazine (AR-15 style) makes coming onto the scope easier.

--------------------

"Speak Precisely" G. Gordon Liddy.

"Life is absurd, chaotic and we must define its purpose with our actions" Abert Camus

"I''m the dude playing a dude disguised as another dude."

"Yo! Mr. White"

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