The attached photo is the "Gun belonging to Lawrence Nuesslein (USA), two-time Olympic shooting champion, Antwerp 1920."

I wasn't allowed to see what was in the attached cloth bag.

Anyone know what sight that thing has on it? My kinda rifle, thanks for showing us this one.

Thank you. I know so little about some things- like BSA sights. Good to have my body of tutors here for questions like that one. You guys are tops. 
I think the bag is for jelly beans to eat while waiting for the others  to finish shooting.

Here's a close-up of a BSA #8 mounted on a BSA adapter plate to suit a Highwall. This one was fitted to a .38/56. The yellow glass element on the eye piece really sharpens the sight picture.

That's a great Highwall in the museum. What cartridge was it chambered for?
Pete

QuestionableMaynard8130 wrote on Jan 24^th, 2017 at 7:23pm:


Maybe curious too? I am also!

If it isn't for mounting the display, it's just gotta be one of the now-outlawed bellybutton rests in its folded position. Rare accessory sold by Harry Pope in his later years.

watchthewind wrote on Jan 24^th, 2017 at 11:23pm:


Maybe the gold that he won

Frank

The when they went with the Springfield arsenal rebarrelled and rechambered Hammereli-Martini striker actions. 
  Fascinating period that is largely overlooked in our single shot "schuetzen" and "Buffalo hunter" dominated orientation.  I'm guessing it was a bit too narrow focussed with only a small group of active shooters made up of military teams and an even smaller group of civilians.  300 meter only matches were just too specialized for mass appeal.


Re the "belly-button rest""  After looking at it a whole lot more, and trying to make sense of the rather confusing exhibit technique; I've concluded that it is a museum fixture to support and stabilize a rifle with a pronged buttplate in a vertical position with the flat side oriented to the glass.   I'm speculating that there is a plug on the bottom that engages the sockets visible in the exhibit case floor and that it is attached to the grip-cap area with one of the museum archival-quality adhesive pads that will leave no residue when removed properly.  By supporting the arm with the fixtures the longer lower butt-plate prong and some sort of barrel or forend support the rifle can be exhibited solidly and securely. 
  Having been a museum-director in my past life I know the exhibiting in a vertical format exhibit case can be a real difficult PITA to do. {I wish I had access to that system when I was designing exhibits} 
 While distracting as it appear in the photo it appears to be a very good solution and if other long guns in the exhibit use the same technique it would not be as distracting as it is when isolated in a close up photo. 

No idea what's in the bag, maybe added sight accessories?
but since its in Switzerland I'd hazard it's chocolates rather than jelly-beans 

Crossman (same book) wrote of the 1913 ISU matches at Camp Perry.  "We had nothing in this country remotely resembling a Free Rifle and our Springfields were hopelessly outclassed except in accuracy (meaning no set triggers & hooked butt plates & palm rests).  Winchester ... stepped in with a heavy single shot Winchester with single set trigger and specially bushed and hammer-locked action to handle our 1906 cartridge."

P. 140, Crossman reports of Nuesslein's 1924 rifle, a Martini with a 30" Pope barrel in .30-06.  With sights & palm rest, it weighed 18 1/2 lbs.

Did the rules specify military cartridges?  They did not use the full-power military loads in later years.  The "International Match" load in today's equivalent was something like 36.5 grains of HiVel 2 and a 172 grain bullet.

My friend George has one of the Swiss Martini (Hammerli?) actions barreled by Springfield, 30" heavy barrel, with DST & free rifle stock, fancy sights, palm rest, etc. in .30-06.  This one was apparently sold by DCM circa 1932 for about $280.  6 month's wages or groceries for a year for a factory worker.

George & I have shot it a bit, using Sharpe's version of the International Match load; 38 grains 3031 and a Sierra match bullet.  Quite accurate.  We quit shooting it because it is horrendously heavy. 16 lbs +.  Those Olympic free rifle shooters must have been all round athletes, not just guys who were good shots.

This is a fascinating thread.  I wish the picture showed a bit more of the hammer.  I dug out Crossman's "Military and Sporting Rifle Shooting", 1932, which was hiding on my bookshelves but which I had never before opened.  Chapter 12 is about Free Rifle shooting in some detail.

Ned describes the free rifles made in 1913 by Winchester in more detail.  Specifically, he says "single set trigger" and a hammer with a slot, constructed so that gas from a pierced primer could not blow the hammer back.  The photo has DST, so that is probably not a 1913 rifle, unless the triggers were changed.

The 1913 ISU rules forbid any sort of peep sights.  The matches were shot with open sights, either the military target sights for the 03 & Krag or those odd barrel sights we see on European Schuetzen rifles.  Were our military sights modified to eliminate the little hole?  The 1914-1918 war ended ISU & Olympic shooting.  When Olympic shooting resumed in 1920, peep sights & tang sights were allowed, but it was iron sights only, no glass magnifying inserts.

The rifle in the photo could be a 1920 or earlier High Wall in .25 caliber.  What match-grade bullets were available?  What case?  The .25 Krag was a wildcat but pretty well known.  Who made the barrel?

Crossman lists the US team rifles year by year, 1920 to 1930.  He says the 1920 US Olympic team used regular 1903 rifles selected for accuracy.  The museum photo implies that other rifles were used and that Crossman was in error.  Crossman's list does not match what he wrote about Free Rifle shooting in "The Book of the Springfield", so none of this is the gospel.

to Questionablemaynard,  rereading this thread came upon your comment regarding exhibiting rifles vertically.  Today was on the Milwaukee Museum website looking for the Centennial muzzleloading Meunier schuetzen rifle.  The rifle is featured in their exhibit overview and the rifle is displayed vertically with a similar support.  The display does allow for 360 viewing.  I was fortunate to see this rifle displayed (vertically) in SanAntonio in 1968 at the "Hemisphere" but later when visiting Milwaukee the rifle had been withdrawn and in storage.  Sorry to get the thread off topic- jim

To Waterman, The Palm rest shown on that Rifle appears to be a Pope. Or at least Identical. Might have something to do with the Barrel source. I own at this time one of the Hammerli Team rifles in 30-06, Now I may be wrong about it being a Team Rifle as after 1930 I have read the NRA was able arrange purchase of Hammerli Rifles to those who wished to buy them and mine has Scroll engraving around the edge of the action profile, it also has a rear sight much like the one used on the Team Rifles but with Metric Screw adjustments.
I have at one time owned one of the Winchester Hiwalls used in 
I think 1913 in 30-06 Caliber at Camp Perry. I lettered it and it lettered as  Rifle that first left the Factory in 50 Express caliber and was returned a few years later for change. It then left the Factory in 30-06 with the Front Sight with the Top opened up as described in the description of those Rifles. It was very accurate with Military Match Ammo. But it was a Hard Holder.
You had to have a good solid grip and hard pull into your shoulder, shot it both Offhand and Prone, at 200 YDS Prone it just took out the X Ring on the NRA A-21 200 -YD SMALLBORE 
RIFLE TARGET. But it was rather an unpleasant Rifle to shoot and I sold it. A mistake I have come to believe. I suspect that when the 30-06 Hi Walls  were being built in the custom shop at Winchester the Lower Tang with Close Coupled set Trigger was appropriated for use in the Rifles for Camp Perry. HTH 
Regards FITZ-G.

on a related note I know a man who shot on our 1968 biatholon team. he told me they used Remington 40x's in .223 converted for clip feed.