Like perhaps too many of us, I never paid the Maynard single shots much attention.  Looked too much like the other more common, and usually cheaply-made 'tip ups' of the mid to late 19th Century.

So, I was bidding on what looked to be too good to be true on an auction site when the seller seemed decent, the gun looked good, and the price was 'right.'   Boy was I happy when it arrived and now have a whole new perspective on the Maynard. (And just reviewed my Grant books and see more of what I had been missing.)

I just acquired a 'damned if I can tell that it isn't brand new' late Maynard Model 16 in a 22RF.  The wood is spectacular, as good as anything I have seen in extra deluxe Ballards or Stevens, the workmanship is superb, and the case colors bright and fresh.  But the most impressive was the way it is engineered and put together.

Unlike most other tip ups, which seem to be on the hastily-built side, when I got the Maynard in two pieces, barrel/lever assembly and stock/lockwork I took some time to check the way the metal had been cut and finsihed.  You could run your fingers over it with a cotton glove and not snag!  The two halves then fit together despite their age in perfect alignment and with no fuss at all.

I marvel not only at how well built this gun is, but also wonder how the company lasted so long building a product of this quality.   Sic Transit Gloria Mundi indeed.   Dave

Sometimes things come like grapes, in bunches.  A dealer friend called last week to say he'd acquired a Maynard and if I wanted to see it, he'd ship it over to me.  It showed up early last week, an 1873 Model Fourteen Long Range Creedmoor, 44-100 Maynard, numbers matching, complete with the correct wood, lever wood piece, very nice wood and barrel, and the correct sights, including the Maynard rack and pinion tang sight mounted on the heel position with the tang position base in place but empty.   

Surprisingly good condition, with what he thought was "patina" turning out to be 130 years of accumulated dirt, dried grease and dust.  TLC and gentle soaking of the metal parts and Murphy's soap on the wood, and it's standing tall.  Nice complement to my other Creedmoor long range pieces of the era, Sharps, Remington, etc.   

Maynards are indeed 'neat.'   Dave