Let me run this one by you ;

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The stock is not exactly what I would chose for myself, or want to be seen with.  But, for a dusk to dawn groundhog rifle, hey, who would notice it?

CMM

Well, I wasn't aware that laminated stocks were popular back in 1919 or that Earl was that old but, I do know that Earl was one of the all time, best OH shooters in the good o'le USA

Frank

Laminated stocks are Earl's trademark per-say on the Miller bench rest and offhand rifles that I have seen stocked by him. One would assume he uses it for stability reasons as it definitely is not period correct. His stock designs do tend to follow those of the Schuetzen era on the one's that I have seen and shot against. I would not go as far to say laminated wood was never used back in the day as it seems I have read about its use at some point in time.

Any way one looks at those ground hogs and targets won't be any the wiser.

J.Louis

Thanks Chuck for the reinforcement.  I do not  have Dutcher's book but I do know that I have read it somewhere. I just can't put my finger on it right now so I can share it with the group.

J.Louis

Others will not understand the concept.
CMM
Could it be called snob appeal. In my past life I had access to such institutions And a lot of these people were very smart without a lick of common sense. Compare it to this one
Tom

If one looks at the personnel rifles of Schoyen and Pope they were without embellishment. About as plain as a rifle could be. Pope did not even turn and clean up his barrel blank as he preferred to retain all of the weight possible in his words. There are other extremely competitive shooters of day that preferred straight grained wood without figure do to it's inherent stability. Their rifles were tools of the highest order purposely built with winning in mind. There is nothing more pleasing to look at than a finely finished Schuetzen rifle with all of the embellishments but that was generally something those of great wealth could afford and more of a show piece with a few exceptions. If you look at Mann's rifles in his book the Bullets Flight he tended to follow Schoyen and Pope. Also when one looks at those old free rifles of the day for long range competition they were about as ugly as ugly can get. I think it wrong to state that those you mentioned shot rifles with the highest grades of wood, with checkering and other embellishments when it is not actually true. In today's world if one can afford the fine work of the extremely artful with talents that others rival there is nothing wrong with it at all. They are works of art and pleasing to the eye and make their owners very proud and who would not like to have one in the front of their safe for all to see. Do they shoot any better than the plain rifles  typically used by some of the best shots in the day, the answer would have to no. Schoyen's personnel target rifle sold at Rock Island auction for under 4000.00 and all though it was quite plain it was the buy of a lifetime in my opinion and I know the owner is very proud to have been able to purchase it. The re-worked mechanics of those personnel rifles is what makes them really shine as they were as perfect as those perfectionists could possibly make them.

Continued

J.Louis

I have always wondered why some persons spend more time rubbing wood (gunstock) then practicing
shooting.

Quote:

 
Thanks Chucky, .  .  .  ., but "no thanks"  That, if it still exists, is an aberration that I don't want to know about.