doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Robert G. (Bob) Owen

Bob Owen was one of the best known custom rifle makers in America. I’m still learning about his early years. He started making stocks for locals as well as stocking rifles for himself at Sauquoit, New York sometime in the very early 1920’s. This rifle is a Remington Model-12C that he made for himself and later gave (sold) to his friend H.P. Sheldon. Sheldon is best remembered today as the person who named “Bo-Whoop”. A normal piece of Circassian walnut blank in 1923 was around $4 this blank cost Mr. Owen $24. He sold the rifle so he could use the money to by more nice wood.

As I have time I will post pictures and try to show how his work and style evolved over time.

Very nice. I was hoping you would post a color picture of this gun as I saw it in your book in black and white.Now, how about some pictures of Harvey Rodgers work?

Bob Owen is one of my favorites and so I was cruising the aisles at the Del Mar gun show and almost fell over when I saw two of his rifles on a table. Pictures cannot due justice to this mans work. Have looked since but never saw those guns again.
Best Roger

The finish looks like glass. That must be some dense wood. Which brings up the question of how these crafstmen finished their stocks. I think it was Roy Dunlap that remarked that the wood these men used was so good that hair oil would have sufficed to give a good finish. An exaggeration but just what did these men use?

Jerry Liles

I do believe Mr. Owen is my favorite American Custom Gunsmith.....an incredible eye for detail.
Steve

This is another very early Owen rifle, Mark found this one in New York. There are so many things about this rifle that are nothing like what I thought an Owen should look like. If I had not seen the Remington 12C I would not have know Owen did this. This rifle has a schnabel forend tip, horn buttplate, french polish, and rounded pistol grip. At some later date the rifle was sent to Griffin & Howe, had a scope with mount and G&H front sight added and rust blued.

When I was examining this rifle I thought it looked like French polish so I got a toothpick and some alcohol, the phone rang and in a moment of distraction while talking on the phone I let a drop of alcohol hit the stock finish, it ran and took it down to bare wood. It took a long time to repair this “run” in the finish.

We will get to Mr. Rodgers' neighborhood at a later date, I promise the wait will be worth it.

Not the best picture I ever took, I was playing around with the light coming from both sides to make the grain show.

I've seen several examples of Mr. Owen's work over the years and every one of them was simply spectacular. What is that particular combination of skill and artistic talent that makes such work possible and how much of it is inherent versus learned?

Magnificent wood skillfully shaped, checkered and finished. The French polish really brings out the figure but as I understand it isn't at all durable but my gosh it is beautiful.

More on Mr Owen please!

Jerry Liles