Jeez, 175 looks and nothing.

Looks like over 200 of us are wondering who he is/was now! 

Apparently his reputation is a fairly limited or local one, or somebody would have chimed in by now.  Perhaps if you get in touch with Michael Petrov in Alaska, he will know something about him.  He is the apparent expert on custom gun makers of the last 100 or so years.

Sorry I can't provide any info about HH, though.

Froggie

Hal Hartley made percussion rifles too. Limited numbers I'm sure and I think I saw a picture of a hiwall stocked by him.  He did beautifull work, his lines being similar to Al Beisens. Very handsome.  He sure liked Maple.  Gun Digest is the best place to see his work. And I think he might have co authored Kennedy's book on checkering. I have the book and will take a look.   

   Joe.

Now we know who Hal Hartley was! Thanks guys!

In the tenth edition of the Handloaders Digest Page 136 is an aricle on a Hal Hartley single shot Rifle in 6mm/303 which I liked the look of and I had a Highwall made up in the same calibre and style. I used to have a very small and compact four power scope on it which looked a lot better than the four to twelve power on it now.
Not stocked by Hal Hartley, though John Pell did all the metal work. Twenty years on I still have it and it will still put three shots into half an inch. 
Also have a look at page 290 of the NRA Gunsmithing Guide where he writes on gunsmithing the BSA Cadet Martini. Also on page 284 is an excellent article by Frank De Haas on Gunsmithing the 310 Martini as well. Not sure of the date of this book but I think I bought it during the sixties or seventies.

Tim,

     Unfortunately, the wood on several of the rifles I have seen by CC Johnson did not live up to the high quality of Charley's metal work.  The fact that you have one with wood by such a talented craftsman makes yours a very special example.  Congratulations on a nice find.  BTW, how about sharing with us a little?  What caliber, barrel weight, etc, etc?  I assume you already know that the number Charley put on the bottom of the barrel is the year and the job number for that year.  You may be able to get a little more info, at least the original owner and what work Charley did from his grandson, Jerry Johnson, who sometimes posts on this board.

Froggie

Froggie,

 I'm sorry I should have done that at the beginning. It's a late piece by C.C., a mid-heavy 25" barrel, .225, 1 1/14" Unertle varmint. The gun seemed to have few rounds through it when I got it and bore scoped it. 100% blue, one or two very little handling marks on the stock. Since I'm a rf, cf bench shooter the first thing I tend to look at is the chamber and I'll tell you that he cut a beauty. The other thing I'd mention is that  I own or have owned all manner of classic scope from the big 2" target's, Lyman Supers, BV20, but I cannot over state how remarkably clear these 1 1/4" scopes were. I have not had much time to shoot it but will put honest 5/8" groups out there with 4064 and a 52 gr br slug. I shoot lots of 17 and 20 cal. stuff now so the .225 feels large by comparison.

I have three HH rifles, a maple flintlock long rifle, a maple Winchester 63, and a walnut Winchester 61. The FL was bought at auction but the .22s were made for me by him around 1967.  For a while I also owned a factory engraved Remington 81 with HH maple stocks, I sold it to the gent who wrote the little book on Rem auto rifles.  HH charged $75 for the .22s.   The wood for the 61 came from Shotgun News where sets of stock blanks for the fancy Iver Johnson Skeeter were being sold for $5.  The 63 is ser. no. 285, it came from the Remington sample room, they sold off a whole bunch of older rifles to a pawn shop on the East Side of Manhattan, mostly brand new, I bought two or three new Ballards, etc., maybe a dozen guns in all, the 63 was mint but with a busted stock, had read about Hartley so sent it to him.   Gorgeous maple, super workmanship.   But I never liked his bolt action stocks as much as his two piece work.   Then some years later I wanted another rifle stocked but HH said he was having trouble with his eyes and had quit stockmaking.

Green frog, Michael Petrov died early this year.

Hartley stocked 225 Win. SST  by C. C. Johnson.

I may have the largest collection of Hartley stocked rifles in existence. I have seven single shots, Winchester High Walls and one Low Wall, and a Sharps Borschardt, that he stocked, all but two in maple. I also have four bolt rifles, three Springfields and an Enfield, which he stocked for me in walnut.

My involvement with Hal dates back to the late 1950's. He and my local gunsmith, friend and former business partner, the late Harry Creighton, had a serendipitous relationship whereby Harry, who did no stock work, recommended Hal to customers, and Hal, who did no metal work, referred customers to Harry.

I visited Hal at his home in Lenoir, NC on a couple of occasions, but otherwise our contact was almost entirely by mail. He was a fine man, a fine stock maker, and a real gentleman.

.218 Bee

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.219 Ackley Improver Zipper

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6mm/.225 Winchester

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.250-3000R

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.25 Ackley Improved Krag

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7X57R

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.30-40 Krag

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Hal Hartly also did an excellent article, in the Gun Digest about 1978 or so, on him completely rebuilding a percussion muzzle loader, including recutting the rifling.  If I remember correctly it had belonged to his grandfather.  Of course he built a new maple stock for it too.

Great craftsman.

xausa, what a great looking bunch of singleshot sporting rifles! Really classy workmanship! Don't see them built that way anymore!

My sales territory moved westward from Piedmont NC in about 1996 .... I stopped in to visit Hal Hartley when in Lenior. His shop was on 2nd floor of 2 story cinderblock building, 2 car garage on bottom and Hal's shop on top floor. I would introduce myself each time and I don't think Hal said much of anything just continued working. I was a SS rifle guy in those days and did stocks and mainly checkering. Hal made his checkering tools from a nail and file.
One day I watched him complete a 98 Mauser stock that had the barrel action already fitted and outside rough cut with band saw. Hal used a small hatchet with super sharp edge and 6-7" handle and chipped the final shape in less than 10 minuites.
My last visit DID NOT HAPPEN. Hal Hartley had passed. I found his brother that lived nearby and he said Hal got "sick" and passed in less than a week ..... cancer maybe??
I made a stock for a Ruger #1 270 Win in Tiger tail maple. Attached a picture.
My Picture was TOO Large to upload.

I really like maple stocks esp those that are darker, honey colored or darker.  Any ideas how he achieved the color?

Amoretti wrote on Feb 14^th, 2021 at 2:42pm:

I know Hal Hartley used a old "Blow torch" it produced a "cool" flame not too hot to  burn the wood. Potassium permangate will darken the maple also. A propane torch with a spreader tip will work but take care not to burn the wood.

checker wrote on Feb 16^th, 2021 at 4:46pm:


Here are three stocks of hard curly maple all stained with nitric acid. 
Bob

Amoretti, 
The last two in the photos came from Dunlap Woodcraft out of Virginia. 703-631-5174.  The first is from Tennessee but that gent is no longer with us.  There are other places but this is where i’ve always got nice hard maple.
I’ve never used permagnate but there was something they used back then that would turn green after several years, don’t know if it was this stuff though.  I know this happened because I’ve seen several green guns!  Nitric acid is applied then blushed with heat which turns it to the color., then it is neutralize with soda.  Best to practice on a scrap from the gun, each piece of wood reacts different to it.
Bob

Marlinguy, Thanks for the info.  I’ve always used the nitric acid mix or wood dyes so never ran into any issues.
I’m currently reading through Monty Kennedy’s carving and checkering book, which is not very exciting, and he also talks about burning curly maple to bring out the curl.  But also says you need to be careful because sharp edges burn easily.  This is also true when blushing the nitric acid although I would guess it takes lots more heat to burn the grain than the blushing.
Bob

Just ran into these photos while reading a book on checkering.  Hal Hartley

I agree, Vall, but for the life of me, I don't know why that is.

Bill Lawrence

I picked up Monty Kennedy’s Carving and Checkering book a few years back and found it to be some what helpful but probably just more interesting by having allot of creative stock work pictures. And some knowledge on who these folks were who were doing the work and I don't regret buying it.