doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Remembering Michael Petrov

Fred, I love those photos. Thanks for posting them again.

My story from Michael is very different. I never actually met him but I did talk to him about a strange gun.

The rifle was a Sharp Model 74. There were a number of unusual things about, one of which was that it was charred by a fire on the left side. So it was a very identifiable gun. But there was something else about as well and I have forgotten now what it was. Some feature that made it especially valuable, but I have forgotten now what it was.

In any event, the rifle was for sale at a Rock Island Auction. Michael had seen it in their catalog and recognized the burn mark on it. He also was that some things had been added to the rifle -I wish I could remember, but it has been altered significantly in some way, and he sent me photos of the gun with the same burn marks before the alteration. It was obviously the same wood, but it was not the same gun. It was now a fake. And that is why he called.

What he wanted to do, and I agreed to, was to write up a description documenting the fake, put it all in a letter and envelope addressed to RIA, and send it to me. I was to then open the outer envelope, and remail the inner envelope to RIA so that it would have an Iowa, not Alaska postal code on it, no return address.

Apparently, he felt that RIA would see any AK postmark and know it was from him and he wanted to remain anonymous in all of this. I don't know why he was worried about anonymity.

It all seemed quite legitimate to me (that is Michael's story), so I agreed and deed was done. RIA never changed their listing of the rifle on their website, and I was never able to learn what it sold for, but it appeared that the rifle was sold as was claimed and not as what it was.

I wish I could remember the details of what was wrong with that rifle and why it was so much more valuable for the alteration. Maybe it will come to me. But think Michael was really unhappy to see that rifle sold as a fake.

Anyone know why some of the single shot rifles in the one gun rack have those "flags" tied to them? Were they someone else's guns?

Michael was a very dear friend and we shared numerous emails on Schuetzen Firearms and everything related to their use. Michael was a real Saint of a man and the Targets he shared showed he was also an extremely excellent marksman. The emails and the content he shared are true treasures and I truly do miss this wonderful Man who was also my very dear friend.

John Louis

hello Vall ...

Re: purpose of the red flags

Michael had decided before his death that he was going to send the majority of his single-shot rifles to Amoskeag along with our firend�s John Wills collection after John passed. He figured while Amoskeag was willing to make the flight he would include those rifles as the majority of John�s collection was high quality single-shot rifles.

Joe

Thanks Joe! I knew Michael once told me he had very few old single shot rifles, and suspected those might be someone else's.

I introduced my self to Mike in 1983, when I'd found a Neidner rifle in a shop while in Missoula. That letter began a correspondence that ended when He died. I still have an inch thick file of his letters, the first was in his long hand. After 1999, It was more frequent emails. We helped each other with our research and writing. I got to see the prankster and joker side of him that I think he liked to hide from the public. I met him once in Vegas, we bunked together for a fun few days.

Absolutely not being a smart a$$, but Michael would have replied:

Niedner

"Absolutely not being a smart a$$, but Michael would have replied"

To what? are you referring too.

Looks like someone - who should have known better - misspelled Niedner

I have to ask, any good pranks or jokes of Michael's to share?