doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com 25 Niedner

Hi John

For what it is worth, I think he did it to match the buttplate extension.

This, in my opinion, is a great example of a very early sporter possibly pre-wwi. I think Michael Petrov would have been so glad that it hadn’t been modified to take a scope. How whether or not Niedner did modify the bolt like Worthen is famous for, or that was done later, we will never know.

I hope that as Dan puts it up to his shoulder, he thinks “this is great, I’m glad I have this”.

PhysDoc

I would certainly be interested to know what is under that. But why it has three screws. Maybe nothing but whenever knows until one looks. Very cool stock and I love the in letting carving. It looks so much more personal than something that was machined out with a mill. It is very easy to imagine maker working with his carving tools that left those unique marks.

Brent, there is nothing under the BP, just wood.
John, There is no evidence that there was ever anything else but the extension which I would say was soldered on to the tang. I'm guessing it was just decorative, but it is neat.

FWIW, I never actually handled a Niedner or paid much attention, but I have read enough to know that a lot of people are interested. I will have to say that, while all you say is true, I was shocked by these pictures. I never realized that was part of his method. From my perspective as someone who has owned a lot of custom guns of that period, worked on them and done quite a bit of stock work, that wouldn't be my take on the workmanship of a stock maker.

It's a Wundhammer stocked rifle rebarreled by Niedner in 1920.

I don't believe that it was a rebarreled Wundhammer rifle, it doesn't have any Wundhammer features on the stock or metal work. The barrel channel was never reworked for the Niedner barrel

I know Shelhamer wasn't an employee of Niedner's yet, but could this be an early Shelhamer stock?

Awhile back, I got to take some pictures of a Wundhammer that Dan owns. Michael Petrov said that Wundhammer's checkering followed
the grip. Here is a picture of the checkering. While there is no swell on this rifle, I think I understand how this way of checkering might be better
for checkering a pistol grip with a swell. If you blow up the pictures of the checkering on the Niedner pistol grip, you will see the differences between the two.



after posting this, I thought I should do the job right and add a blown up image of the Niedner checkering




pity I can't rescale them, but I hope the differences are clear