(I see that Necchi is still waiting patiently...
)
Bear, I know you know this already, but I'm gonna spell it out for newer guys who might not...
If you contact the shops to ask about plans, you may want to ask specifically if the plan is drawn from an original, or if (instead) it is drawn so as to use currently available parts. There can be a HUGE difference. For obvious reasons, some commercial shops draw plans that simply agree with the parts they have been able to find on the current market. I guess a lot of guys are content with that, but if you are picky (are there any of us on here who are picky?
), then such a plan might not fit your goals very well.
If you want a plan that represents the exact dimensions of an original, without concern over where you will get parts, then you may have to make your own. It's easy enough to make a decent plan of the right and left view. (Like Mike says.) The difficulty is in the various thicknesses and contours, shape of the forearm, shape of the wrist, etc., since none of these contours show up in the photos in the various books we have available. If you haven't had opportunity to hold originals of the style you are wanting, then those contours can be difficult to understand. Getting to see an original can help tremendously. Getting to hold one is even better. Getting to measure and photograph one is a delight.
I have occasionally found a rifle that I really admired at a show, and have sometimes been given permission to make snap shots. If you take shots of the wrist, butt, forearm, muzzle, etc. from
all sorts of odd angles, you can often get a feel for the contours. (Of course you get a feel for them while you are looking at it, but having photos gives you something to study back at home.) The more photos and the more angles the better. Same with carving. The more angles the better, so that you can get a feel for depth.
BUT WARNING: Do not assume that you can carry a camera into a show and take pictures. Some shows and some owners of antiques can be very, very upset by the cameras. A friend of mine was actually asked to leave a show some years back when he pulled out a camera and started to take pictures. He meant no harm, and had no idea that he was being offensive. (Yes, it’s a shame that they didn’t just ask him to put the camera away. But they didn’t. They actually escorted him to the door.)
SO, If you are interested in taking photos at a show, you may want to find out ahead of time whether or not they allow cameras. And even then, you should ask the owner directly BEFORE you get out the camera. And you may want to avoid using a flash. (Flashes can be irritating to the whole room full of people. And they also wash out much of the depth you would have seen from shadows, etc., and they produce a glare on all shiny surfaces.)
Julia's auction house sometimes posts rotating views of the wrist and lock areas of especially nice rifles. For example,
http://jamesdjulia.com/auctions/view_lot_360.asp?lot=2345-346These are just a sequence of individual photos, and you can save the individual frames if you want.
