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The Koshollek’s

The markings on the Koshollek stock looks like it’s an “A” and not an “E”, Or A.J. Koshollek.





Thanks to Mike Mack for helping me get off my butt on this and try to put the pieces together properly. Hard questions are sometimes the best.

In a July-August 1989 article in Rifle Magazine “Emil J. Koshollek Master Metalsmith” by Ludwig Olson he wrote,

“Early in his gunsmithing career, Koshollek was in partnership with his brother, Jack, a skilled stockmaker. Emil could also make fine stocks and even produced some rifles in their entirety.
A major job by Emil and Jack was to restock and rework two rifles for Kermit and Theodore Roosevelt Jr.”

When trying to sort this out a few years ago I could not find “Jack” (pun intended) Koshollek. More recently I’ve learned that I spend a lot time trying to chase down nick-names. Turns out this was the case here as well.

Emil Joseph Koshollek & Alois Joseph Koshollek



Alois (Aloysius) Joseph (Kosholleck) Koshollek
Male 1886 - 1943
Birth 1886
Gender Male
Died 1943
Buried St. Stephen Cemetery, Stevens Point, Portage County, WI USA Find all individuals with events at this location

Emil Joseph Koshollek, b. 25 Oct 1887, d. 14 Mar 1968
Emil J. Koshollek
Male 1887 - 1968
Birth 25 Oct 1887
Gender Male
Died 14 Mar 1968
Buried St. Joseph Cemetery, Stevens Point, Portage County, WI USA Find all individuals with events at this location


Father Ferdinand Koshollek, b. 22 May 1846, Silesia, Germany, Europe Find all individuals with events at this location, d. 20 Dec 1910, Stevens Point, Portage County, WI USA Find all individuals with events at this location
Mother Veroneka Giesel, b. 6 Sep 1850, Silesia, Prussia Find all individuals with events at this location, d. 23 Aug 1912, Stevens Point, Portage County, WI USA
Married Silesia, Prussia

Emil and Alois held a joint patent for a hunting bullet purported to have been bought and used by WT&C.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=0yVSAAA...p;q&f=false

Too sum this up, this is a stock by Alois Koshollek and not his brother Emil.

As Michael mentioned, we both had different pieces to a puzzle that I believe Michael has solved.

A gun I had purchased over 30 years ago, had been acquired from a member of the Koshollek family. It was purported to be Emil Koshollek's personal hunting rifle. On the toe-line immediately behind the grip cap is stamped "E.J. Koshollek" with a stamp made from typewriter keys. That was the known info about the gun when I purchased it. There were rumors that it possibly was a Linden stock, but I leaned toward an Emil Koshollek stock because I knew he also did stockwork.

Recent removal of the butt plate revealed the initials "A.J. Koshollek". This was a complete mystery to me until Michael filled in some missing blanks. The two brothers accomplished some collaborative efforts in gunmaking.......and at least one incidence of holding a joint a patent in bullet making.

Michael and I believe this rifle to be an early collaborative effort of the Koshollek brothers. In all likelyhood the "A.J. Koshollek" stamp under the butt plate implies Alois did the stockwork.

I believe this is likely the early efforts of Emil in machining butt plates and grip caps. Certainly not to the level he accomplished later, but not complete junk either.

My brother now owns this rifle, and will be supplying more pictures of it early this week. The style will be obvious it is an earlier effort in stockmaking.

Right-click, view-image will give larger pictures.

Ok Michael, I have got to ask are you happier owning an Alois Koshollek stock or would you rather an Emil Koshollek stock?

What really makes me happy is to do a proper attribution and not screw it up.

A few weeks ago I thought I had about all the stocks I needed then a friend told me about this stock. Emil made so few stocks that it was nothing I was actively looking for. A few days ago I had never heard of Alois. Now I have a Alois I suppose I need a Emil just to round things off.

Never can tell what tomorrow will bring. I am still actively looking for a few rifles by obscure makers. Trouble is I have so many unsolved mysteries that take up all my research time.

I may have to rewrite the early years of Griffin & Howe, some new and interesting information is developing. There is always something new and great just around the corner.

You can look at my modest collection of pre-1940 custom makers as a reference library. With these rifle we can identify unknowns, well that's the idea.

As has been reported I guess I have also went from owning an E.J. Koshollek stocked rifle to an A.J. Koshollek one because of two Michaels.

At any rate it does have both the brothers names stamped on it. Alas, it has been reblued and also the stock has been glass bedded, not by me or my brother though.

Here are some pictures of it. Please excuse the quality of the photos. I'm not in the league of Michael Petrov or SDH by any means.

As others have so helpfully posted if you hit the reply button you can see the pictures in a larger format.

A few more.

Larry,
Is your marked under the buttplate as well?
Cool rifle with a lovely stick of Am. walnut, maybe Wisconsin grown?

Steve

Yes, mine is the one in GrandView's post.



I am betting it was a blank from Wisconsin.

Made a little progress today on the Alois Koshollek stock. Took the barreled action to John's and used his lathe because mine does not have enough length between centers.

Fitted the barreled action to the stock, fitted the barrel band and a Lyman 48.