doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Who Next? (Wundhammer)

Vall, Nothing to apologize for, as always I could have been clearer in my post. I was uncertain if the stuff I was posting was interesting or not and just trying to find the next maker to ramble on about. Hopefully someone will come along that is knowledgeable about Mr. Flues and we can all learn.

Mike, Mark Benenson may know about Wilbur Hauck, I've seen a couple of his single-shot rifles but don't know much about the man.

thanks, Michael. Hauck's rifles that I've seen aren't in the stocking style that I prefer (they are kinda clunky 1950s-ish; pre-Weatherby "Californication" varminters) but the actions are interesting and I understand he did custom jobs on customer-supplied actions as well. Never seen one of those. Those small one-guy-who-does-it-all gunmaker/smiths fascinate me!

I know this tread is supposed to be about Pre-War custom American makers and maybe this gunmaker/smith is to new to be considered but I'll try anyway as I'm not sure when he started.

Does anyone know anything about a gunmaker/smith named John Korzinek, Riflesmith of Canton, PA. I've seen some of his work and I think it was extremely high end. From what I've been told he was one of those small gunmaker guys that did it all, everything from color case hardening to stock work but not sure of the time period he worked.
S-T

S-T, didn't Korzinek kinda specialize in converting Ruger #1s to rimfire at one time? Pricey but good, as I recall.

Yes Mike, that's the guy, I was told he converted about 700 # 1's to 22 rimfire, I don't know how true that is as I've looked for many, many years before I found one. I've seen some older guns that he did so wasn't sure just when he started working or when he stopped. I know the # 1 22 rimfire that I found was made in 1974 and was sent to him in 1995 to be converted. I have no idea how old he was when he started working as a gunmaker but was told he was getting way up there when he did the conversion in 1995.
S-T

contact hammerback, Paul Driscoll for info about Mr. Hauck, Paul has LOTS of stuff on Wilbur.
Steve

Thanks, Steve--will do.

Can't say much about Hauck, he was from New England or upper New York state, developed his SS action in the late 40s or early 50s I believe, I recall a review of it by Townsend Whelen who liked it very much, it would handle full length belted magnums. I have handled a few of them, the action is Germanic in inspiration, very big and heavy and deep through the middle. When you work the lever it clanks, so I did not like it much. A couple of years ago Russell Gilmore of the Rifled Arms Historical Ass'n had one in .30-40 stocked I think by Creighton Audette in rather light colored walnut. It was for sale altho Russell was not pushing it. He may still have it.

More about Hauck, maybe ten years ago I was told about a Krag sporter he had made and I wrote several letters and made a bunch of phone calls, could never quite catch up with it so it is still up there in New Hampshire or Vermont I guess. In the course of the conversations I was told that Hauck's workmanship was either first class or very ordinary depending upon his mood at the time.

I tried to get Hauck to make a rifle for me in 1960-61, but never received an answer to my letters. Apparently his health was in decline by that time. I have only heard about Flues in association with high-end Ithaca shotguns. Was he employed by Ithaca?