doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Anyone familiar with a gunmaker named A.R. PRYOR

Hey Guys, just got back from a month of hunting in Montana. Catching up on the sites entries! Question...I have a beautiful VZ-24 Sporter in .270 Win., built in what appears to be the purest classic style of the late 40's or 50's AND THE BARREL IS MARKED A.R. PRYOR. Totally Jack O'Connor's style, with the exception of the barrel contour being somewhat heavier than normal. No white line spacers, beautiful fleur de lys checkering, 30 l.p.i., shadowline cheekpiece, classic stock, no monte carlo, open grip, real ebony forearm tip. Metalwork is a Niedner steel gripcap, Len Brownell pear shape bolt handle and Dayton Traister trigger with a great trigger job, damascened bolt and polished runways. Drilled and tapped for a Lyman 48, slick barrel. Top notch work equal to G&H. Anyone heard of this gunmaker? The gun dealer I got the rifle from said he thought he was from Arizona. Any info will be appreciated! Glad to be back, headed to Illinois Dec 4-6 for Muzzleloader. How's the bolt/single shot, rifle sales site idea coming along? Still viable...I hope!!! WARMEST SEASONS GREETINGS ALVIN LINDEN AKA JERRY P.S. Still looking for a single lever G&H SIDE MOUNT...ANY RING SIZE...NO BASE NEEDED!!!! COME ON SANTA I REALLY NEED ONE BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alvin still trying but no luck. So far. Whitey

If you haven't already done so, ask on the gunsmithing forum at accuratereloading.com.

Like to see pictures too.

Another one!
http://www.stevebarnettfineguns.com/asp-bin/archivedetail.asp?ID=4921#

http://single-actions.phpbb3now.com/viewtopic.php?p=23195&sid=59d1f305b9d67384d55d57ac076739f5

AH! I knew I could count on the maestro... Michael Petrov! Reminds me of a quote my dad told me one day while quail hunting...“Other people may be there to help us, teach us, guide us along our path, but the lesson to be learned is always ours.” The fact that several of our esteemed contributor's think they need photos to say whether they have heard of a certain gunsmith tells me they are more interested in seeing my rifle than helping me find out about the builder. I don't mind publishing photos but if the rifle were here with me now, I would have already done so! The graphic effects of texraid impressed me more than any effort to help. Again a Warm Thank You to Michael Petrov!!!!!!!!!! Alvin

Pryor was a gunsmith in or around Birmingham, AL. He has been dead for several years. I have seen several of his guns that appeared to be 1950-1970's vintage. Most were heavy barreled target/varmint rifles. I believe he had a good reputation with the benchrest shooters as an accuracy gunsmith.
I have seen two rifles that I believe that he stocked(a heavy barreled varmint rifle and a .270 based on a Remington 722 action), and while generally well-executed, were more utilitarian that what you are describing.
He ran around with T.K. "Tackhole" Lee and helped him develop the .224 Lee Tomack cartridge, for which few rifles were chambered.