Who did this Engraving? Seeking Help

[buckstix]

Rifle Floorplate - Seeking Help - Who did this Engraving?

Hello All,

I purchased this rifle a while back, and have been researching the details of its making. The rifle was built in 1972 by the A&M Rifle Company, in Prescott, Arizona. The Mesquite Stock was built by Nils Hultgren in California.

The Engraved floor-plate shows a Cape Buffalo. I cannot find a signature and I'm hoping that someone here may have an opinion as to who the Artist may have been. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Roger Bleile]

The engraving on your rifle uses what is commonly known as German scroll. I have answered many inquiries about German engraved guns and, with few exceptions, it is not possible to tell the work of one German or Austrian trained engraver form another. This is because they were trained in a very rigid system where there is only one way to do things and because they engraved using patterns developed by masters many years earlier. I have seen the exact same rabbits, ducks, dogs, etc. on many German guns of different makes.

The standards of Germanic engraving are very high so the work on your gun reflects well developed skill. If your gun was made in 1972 it would be very likely that is was sent to Germany for engraving. At that time the German economy had not fully recovered from the war and it was economical to send work there. That was especially true because in 1972 there were only a few engravers in the US who had the skill to engrave at the same level as the Germans. There were a few American engravers who worked in the German style like Jack Prudhomme and Frank Hendricks but the work does not look like theirs. Also they usually signed their work whereas Germanic engravers of the time almost never did.

That's about all I can tell you.

[buckstix]

Originally Posted by Roger Bleile

..... The standards of Germanic engraving are very high so the work on your gun reflects well developed skill. If your gun was made in 1972 it would be very likely that is was sent to Germany for engraving. At that time the German economy had not fully recovered from the war and it was economical to send work there. That was especially true because in 1972 there were only a few engravers in the US who had the skill to engrave at the same level as the Germans. .....

Hello Roger Bleile,

Thank you for the information. I have recently discovered that in 1972, the stock maker, Nils Hultgren, worked for Fred Shaw of "Shaws Custom Guns" in Anaheim, California. Apparently during that time Fred sent a lot of custom work to Munich, Germany, for Engraving; as was likely this floor-plate.

Its a shame that such detailed artwork was not signed.