AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Contemporary Longrifle Collecting => Topic started by: flintriflesmith on November 24, 2008, 04:53:47 AM
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Have been updating my web site this weekend and have posted a page with snapshots of two Gusler made rifles from 1967. There are also a couple of pictures of the maker at work. http://www.flintriflesmith.com/GunshopEraGuns/Wallace_Gusler_1967.htm
There are also a couple of pictures of a rifle built by Tom Strohfeldt about 1971-2. http://www.flintriflesmith.com/GunshopEraGuns/work_by_others.htm
For other new stuff follow the What's New? link from the home page.
Gary
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Gary, thanks for posting these links. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing all this fine work...inspirational!
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I really like that fine rifle by Mr. Strohfeldt - it is always nice to see the work of folks that share their knowledge with everyone on here from time to time. Just a beautiful, unique looking piece.
Guy
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Thanks Gary. Sure do appreciate making this stuff available on your site. Marvelous rifles and to think they were made over 40 years ago! Spent time last night re-reading the hunting stories and looking at the new pictures. Entertaining stuff! Just noticed you included pictures of the Jaeger lock. What a piece of work.
Thanks again,
Jim
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It's difficult to believe that Wallace was ever that young.....he looks like a mere child. Nice to see those Dave Wagner
guns, too bad he went thru all of those health problems that kind of got him out of the gun building business. He made
a great gun for my brother Dick who sold it when he was going thru his bad times. The gun is now owned by a fellow in
Lewisburg, but, he won't part with it. We had several of Dave's guns on display at the Lewisburg show last year. He was not only a good gun builder, but a good engraver...did a lot of work for Kit Ravenshear. Nice guy and we still miss
his visits to the shop..............Don
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gary,i think your site is one of the greatest out there...thank you for sharing and continually updated us on your site..
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Here is a rifle I picked up years back from Track of the Wolf that was built by Mr. Strohfeldt. When I bought it, it TOW related to me that it was built at Williamsburg in 1976. Do you or Tom (if your checking in) have any information regarding this gun? It has a 45" .60 caliber Paris barrel. I really love this rifle!
http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s316/theresasink/TS%20Rifle/
Thanks!
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what was the cost of the williamsburg hand made rifles????....sonny
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what was the cost of the williamsburg hand made rifles????....sonny
The Colonial Williamsburg Gun Shop has been making custom longrifles for about 45 years so there is no simple answer to your question. For the first six or seven years we did not even offer an all hand made rifle because we were still learning the art of hand forging barrels.
I believe the first actual all handmade rifle sold out of the shop was in about 1968-9 and it went for somewhere in the $2k range. By the early 1970s we realized that was way too cheap for the hours involved and the price essentially doubled.
Please remember that for every all hand made rifle, the shop probably made ten with commercial locks and barrels. Only for a few years in the 1980s, when our waiting list had gotten out of hand, did we limit production for sale to only all hand made rifles.
By the end of the 80s an all hand made rifle was selling for about $10K.
P.S. I use the term "all hand made" to mean a rifle with the lock and barrel hand forged and finished without the use of any power source other than human muscle power. Even the threads on the wood screws were hand filed. Extreme? Maybe but that was the point!
Many makers today have their own definition of the term.
Gary
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Thank you Gary! I really like the photos of the early days of you guys breaking new (old) ground. Do you have some with both of you in the shots at CW. Also are there any special events or anything that might be particularly interesting to us at CW or the vicinity next year?
Darrin
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Here is a rifle I picked up years back from Track of the Wolf that was built by Mr. Strohfeldt. When I bought it, it TOW related to me that it was built at Williamsburg in 1976. Do you or Tom (if your checking in) have any information regarding this gun? It has a 45" .60 caliber Paris barrel. I really love this rifle!
http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s316/theresasink/TS%20Rifle/
Thanks!
I sent the link to your rifle to Tom and here's what he had to say in reply:
"That's a walnut stocked .60 caliber I made for myself at The Ohio Historical Society & then sold to Joe XXXXXXX- Associate Curator at the same place. I think it was in '75."
I blanked out Joe's last name in respect for the privacy of rifle ownership.
Gary
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Thanks for the info. I think I've had this rifle for about 9 or 10 years now and always wished I had a little more info on it. :)