I have been meaning to post this for some time.
There was recent speculation about which was Michaels favorite rifle. I think I know but it is only indirect evidence.
His gun room was rather narrow but long enough to accommodate two tiers of exquisite rifles on one long wall and one narrow wall with shotguns and single shot rifles. As you walked through the door located at one corner of a long wall you were looking directly into the opposite long wall of the room that displayed what is probably the most extraordinary collect of American gunmakers 1903 Springfield rifles that has been assembled. This is speculation on my part and certainly open to dispute from the many collectors that he befriended over the years of collecting.
The short wall at the left at entering had a large overstuffed chair and the other long wall that shared the vault door had drawers and shelves of sights, ammunition, scopes and other shooting paraphernalia. The chair was the helm of the room. At some point in every visit Michael settled into the chair. Directly to his left on the lower tier of the Springfields is what I soon surmised to be the Number 1 position of the room. He could, without effort, swing his left arm out and grasp the rifle located here. It was the Wundhammer that he and others fabricated with only the gorgeous stock, without doubt the work of Wundhammer, as a starting point.
I think that he had an extraordinary pride in having directed and participated in seeing that Phoenix rise through ownership of this stock.
It is the only rifle that I attempted to purchase through the auction and sadly, it was out of reach. I dont know who the person is that got the gun but know that I never visited Michael that he didnt pick this rifle up, admire it and tell a bit more of how it came about or something of it that he admired. No other gun received this level of attention and whoever now owns it, you are a very lucky person.
Dennis
