Frank and John House Rifle

[Eric Fleisher]

Here is Don Getz's latest acquisition.  I will let him fill in the details.

[Don Getz]

Thanks Eric, I feel lucky to be the owner of this great rifle.   According to Frank, it was built about 1989, and was the first
rifle he built, assisted by his brother John, when he went into gunbuilding full time.   It has a No. 1 engraved on the bottom of the barrel.    Frank said they melted down 50 cal. machine gun brass to cast the hardware on it.  It also has a
60 cal. Getz barrel on it, one that I made during my tenure in the barrel business.   I has about 1/2" of cast off built into
the stock, and has an extremely beautiful finish, the carving seems to be polished, just from handling.  Stock wood is walnut.  As I said before, I am fortunate to own a great Frank House piece, make sure you look at it the next time you
see me at a show................Don

[RobertS]

That's a real beauty, and has that "just right" look about it.  Wonderful pictures, too, and thank you both for sharing them.

[eagle24]

Don, You are indeed lucky.  That is one beautiful rifle.  I'd love to see it in person the finish does look awesome! 

[Ole Doc]

 Very nice indeed... thank you for the wonderfull pictures of a fine rifle.
Will it be taken for walks or part of a collection ?

[Don Getz]

If I were able, I would hunt with it, unfortunately, I have kind of given up on hunting.   Just don't get around in the woods
too well any more...........Don

[Tim Crosby]

 Wow that is a great acquisition. It wears it's time well.
Hey Don don't give up hunting just rearrange, send the young guys way back in the bush and you wait on the edges for what they scare out. 

 Tim C.
 

[Tommy Bruce]

1st build?? That's amazing.  I guess it just goes to show the gift that some folks have with wood & iron.  Don congratulations on picking up such a fine piece.

[Randy Hedden]

Tommy,

I think you misread the information that Don Getz gave.  This isn't the first rifle that Frank House made.  It is the first one he made after becoming a full time gunsmith.  Frank made rifles part time before going full time.

Randy Hedden

[G-Man]

Randy is correct - Frank started making rifles around 1979 or 80, I think, quite a while before he started as a full time builder. 

That being said, he obviously has amazing talent and even his early guns are great pieces.  Of course, he had quite a mentor to help him get going...but took it in his own direction.  That is one of the things I like so much about Frank's work - it would have been easy for him to just copy Hershel's style, like a lot of people try to do - but instead he developed his own vision.  You can definitely see Hershel's influence, but Frank's guns look like his own, no one else's. 

That sure is a nice gun Don!

Guy

[Don Getz]

Randy.....you're right about that......not sure when he first started building but I'm sure it was under Herschel's help.
I showed the gun to John and he recalled some of the things that were done when they built it.   I'm not sure what lock
they started with, but they did a lot of things to it, put a fancy finial on the frizzen spring, cut mouldings around the lock
plate and the cock.  It's a rather big gun and you would be amazed with the cast off in it, sure makes it feel good when you sight it...............Don

[Roger Fisher]

If I were able, I would hunt with it, unfortunately, I have kind of given up on hunting.   Just don't get around in the woods
too well any more...........Don

Been thinking which can be dangerous!!  Come the buck season the urge will come on to get out there!!   I assume you have a lifetime hunting license.  If you go out and set/sit on a stump in the deer woods til the urge wears off then head back to hearth and home you will feel somewhat satisfied that you 'gave it a shot'  If you don't see any deer so what?   

[Don Getz]

Our hunting camp is a log cabin we built back in 1951, sits on top of the Shade Mountain in Snyder county.   A real neat place, indoor plumbing, the whole works.    The official name of the camp is the "County Line Hunting Club".   However, the Penna. Game Commission has seen fit to keep all the trees healthy, at least in our part of the coounty, and have done
a great job getting rid of the deer.   I have sat in tree stand for two days without seeing a deer.  In view of this, we are
thinking of changing the name to "County Line Beer & Poker Club", sounds OK, not............Don