Yes, Mike is 100% correct, this was a fairly common way of cutting a wood box mortise and it can be found upon many German martial rifles in particular. To those who have not tried it out, I would *seriously* encourage you to try it. Not only do gouges cut with less effort than flat chisels (imho) but it is much faster and easier to cut a box mortise in this manner.
Re: the discussion revolving around challenges to proffered hypotheses. I am no academic and Prof. Gordon is certainly better placed to comment upon the world of academe than most of us. However, it seems to me that is is *only* within our little bubble of early arms collecting that the concept of 'deference' or lack-of-challenge is considered the norm. Or it used to be, not as much anymore if you ask me. In pretty much any other field of interest and certainly within the academic world, as I have skirted along the edge of it many years past, any theory or hypothesis is almost immediately challenged. Why shouldn't it be? Any postulation ought to be able to stand on its own merits. I think this has been changing primarily due to the near-ubiquitous access to the internet now, and people who previously did not have access to good study of these pieces now can do so via good photography that is nearly instantaneous and free vs. the long drudgery of getting things published in books. Furthermore, some collecting organizations, in order to stay vibrant and so as to avoid the slow withering death of exclusivity, have been a bit more relaxed in admission of new members (as is always necessary, if you ask me, which nobody did…) and "fresh blood" is always a good thing as it carries with it the cleansing breeze of new ideas and the disruption of stagnation.
