OAC two day collector gun show

[marlinman93]

OAC setup yesterday, (Oregon Arms collectors) so took some pictures before the crowds get in today, and tough to get pictures taken. My display this year is "Custom gun makers of the late 1800's".




Top to bottom.
1-Gove Rolling Block underlever conversion. .32-40 False muzzle.
2-Freund Bros. Sharps. .50-3.25"
3-Zettler Bros. Ballard #6, with Stevens scope, Pope mounts, .22 Short.
4-AW Peterson Ballard, with Belding & Mull scope. .22LR
5-George C. Schoyen Ballard, with Win. A5 scope. .38-55 False muzzle.
6-Cased on the table is my Pope Ballard 3 barrel set. .32-40, .28 Pope, and .22WCF barrels.

Tope to bottom.
1-Emil F. Flues 1881 Marlin. .40-60 M. Built by Flues for his brother, who lived here in Portland.
2-George C Schoyen Ballard. Souther scope. .32-40
3-Stevens-Pope barreled Ballard, rebored to .32-40 by Ken Bresien. JW Fecker scope.
4-Ballard #6, George C Schoyen, 1st year JW Fecker scope. .32-40
5-Ballard #6 A-1 engraved, George C Schoyen, John Sidle scope. .32-40
6-Ballard #6, HM Pope 3 barrel set. Winchester A5 scope. Calibers .32-40, .28 Pope Special, .22WCF, with Pope mold, muzzle rest, lube pump, etc. cased. Built for LG Pridy Denver Rifle Club early 1900's.


Various tools.
1-Top left Pope tools. Lube pump, bullet mold, muzzle rest, false muzzle starter, re-decapper.
2-Top right Schoyen-Peterson powder measure, re-decapper, false muzzle starter.
3-Bottom row Ballard tools, re-decappers, bullet seaters.

[Griff]

Nice display.

[Tycer]

Wow. Just. Wow.
That 1881 sure is a looker. Love that stock. Seems I remember seeing that a few years ago. You got me interested in Flues during Covid.

[EG73]

Agreed, love the 1881. How strong an action are they? Can they do smokeless trapdoor loads?

[marlinman93]

Agreed, love the 1881. How strong an action are they? Can they do smokeless trapdoor loads?

The 1881 isn't as strong as the Win. 1886, but plenty good for loads under 30,000 psi. I load nothing but low pressure smokeless in the three I have. The flues 1881 is in .40-60M, which is what Win. copied when they came out with their version, the .40-65 Win.

[marlinman93]

Wow. Just. Wow.
That 1881 sure is a looker. Love that stock. Seems I remember seeing that a few years ago. You got me interested in Flues during Covid.

The 1881 Marlin/Flues rifle is a mild custom that Flues stocked, and converted to scheutzen with the Ballard Farrow buttplate. Screw heads are all engraved also. It was made for a judge in Saginaw, Mi., but the story is the judge didn't get it, and flues sent it to his brother who lived here in Portland, Or. His brother's home was robbed, and many guns stolen. Unknown what those guns were, but most were guns built by Email Flues for his brother.

[Walt]

Beautiful display, Vall!

Thanks for the pictures

[Woodsloafer2]

Gorgeous display of history and gunmakers art!

[RIHMFIRE]

awesome set up

[AJMD429]

.
That there is an ART collection as well as a gun collection...!

[Bill in Oregon]

Wonderful stuff, Vall, as we have come to expect! Hope you are having a great show, and that the fire smoke isn't too awful.

[marlinman93]

Thanks guys! It's been a fun first day, and hope tomorrow goes as well!
I picked up a great deal on a Kahr 9mm E9 pistol. Didn't need it, but seller wanted $100 and it looked near perfect! So another small 9mm to maybe carry once I see how it shoots. This is an early one before they went to polymer frames. Pics later.

[Paladin]

WOW great display

[earlmck]

Awesome Awesome display Val! Much thanks for the pictures. I'd really like to come see it but you are on the wrong side of the mountain for this ole country boy.

Friend Brownie has one of those Marlin 40/60s that he uses to whip our butts in our monthly "Big Lever" competition here in Central Oregon. He loads 62 grains FFg behind an Accurate 320 grain bullet. We take a break after two targets for him to clean his bore (he's the only one using black normally). I've tried modern Marlins in 30/30, 35 Rem, and 38/55 and can't seem to beat Brownie and his 40/60.

[marlinman93]

Yesterday was really slow, and sitting at my table waiting for anything to happen when a guy approached my display and was cranking his neck trying to look at my Freund Sharps. I got up and asked if he wanted me to take it down so he could see it better, and he said he'd like that. So I cut the tie, and handed him the Sharps. He began asking a lot of questions, which many I couldn't answer being a neophyte at Sharps rifles. He said he had a copy of Vol. 3 of the new Sharps book at his table, so we headed back to discuss Sharps there.
When we got to his table his table partner began talking Sharps rifles and had as much, or more education on the old Sharps! Turned out the first person was the editor of the Sharps books, and 2nd person was past president of the Sharps collectors Assn., and the person Vol. 3 is dedicated to! He was David Carter, and the first guy was Mike Rector. I sat and soaked up as much info as they talked about Sharps rifles, and various model features. I then asked if the book was for sale, and bought it. Both David and Mike autographed my copy, and then David asked if I went to the CGCA show? I told him I went every year, and he invited me to come to his home in Colorado to see his Sharps collection of over 450 Sharps rifles!
So Sunday ended up being a very eventful day, unlike Sundays usually are at most gun shows!

[Tycer]

Oh my!
That’s fantastic.
Did they enjoy the story of your rifle?

[marlinman93]

Oh my!
That’s fantastic.
Did they enjoy the story of your rifle?

They seemed to know more about my Sharps than I knew! A lot of what I got in the Sharps letter didn't cover the later changes by George Freund, and there's always been some questions as to which action it was built on since in 1880 Sharps was tossing "A" rifles together using all sorts of receivers and mixture of parts to sell what they called "1874 models", although some were not even new actions, but salvaged percussion actions remodeled by Sharps.
So I discovered my action likely began life as a percussion Sharps action, and converted to cartridge with '74 parts. It also was a carbine action, and converted to Sporting Rifle too. This sounds like deficits to me, but he told me it's 100% acceptable because that's what all the hundreds of rifles assembled and sold then were. The "A" stands for "Assembled from parts", and Sharps collectors recognize these as legitimate as this type rifle.
The Freund Improvements are what they said make it what it is, and what it left the factory as is not of much importance after those custom mods were done.

[Griff]

Fantastic Vall. Getting to learn so much from the "horse's mouth" so to speak.

[marlinman93]

Fantastic Vall. Getting to learn so much from the "horse's mouth" so to speak.

Yes! I love spending time with true experts, who have been doing this long before there were any books! Hard to ever get the same knowledge these gentlemen have without hands on with hundreds of specimens!

[GunnyMack]

Vall you have an impressive collection, I sure hope you get the chance to go see his collection next year.

[marlinman93]

Vall you have an impressive collection, I sure hope you get the chance to go see his collection next year.

Thanks Gunny!
Just have to convince my traveling partners to leave a day earlier, so we can go to Boulder, Co. But I think that wont take too much doing.

[GunnyMack]

Somehow I think they might enjoy a little side trip to see that!