Shelhamer restyled Armory stock. The plugged sling swivel hole on the toe, and the inletting are the dead giveaway that the stock is an armory stock. The checkering, brass thing around the forend screw, and horn grip cap are the Shelhamer indicators. I've yet to see a Shelhamer stock without the brass thing around the screw, and all but one Shelhamer has had that exact same horn grip cap.
Very nice rifle. These armory stocks made into very nice looking stocks if done right. If you compare the original stock to one of Shelhamers restyled ones, you can see that there are some places where he did little more than remove the original finish from the stock, and other places where 1/4" of wood had to be removed.
Thanks for posting.
John
Thanks to PhysDoc for posting the pictures. When I bought the rifle it was represented to be a Shelhamer/Neidner. When I went to Petrov's Volume 2 to find some characteristics to satisfy myself that it was indeed a Shelhamer/Neidner I found a picture of this exact rifle on page 31. The serial number is not given in the text but the knot on the left side of the the stock near the buttplate and the the brown streak on the right side of the stock prove it is the same rifle.
Herschel, That's a fine 22. Thanks for the chance to see it. My son has a Shelhamer- stocked Model 52 Winchester. It has a much smaller action , of course, but it isn't any more graceful than this one.
Would love to see that one Bill.
John
Say, I've often wondered, did Tom Shelhamer mark his stocks when he worked for Niedner? In Michael's second volume, he wrote
"After the war when Tom Shelhamer left the Niedner Rifle Corporation and started working out of his home he begin (sic) the practice of not only stamping his name 'T. SHELHAMER' and a number under the buttplate in the wood."
I've only taken the buttplate off 4 Shelhamer rifles from the Niedner days, but none of those had his stamp. Every later rifle I had had a chance to take apart has had the stamp and number. It is a one piece stamp. For what it is worth, I have seen at least one rifle that said T Shelhamer under the buttplate stamped with individual characters. The workmanship on said rifle did not support it being made by the same Tom Shelhamer that we are familiar with.
John
Thanks John, I appreciate that clarification.
I corresponded with Shelhamer a few years ago (!), and he stated that he began marking and numbering his stocks after he left Niedners. I believe the stamp was one that his father had used? Shelhamer's stock number records are out there, but not readily available. Maybe owned by some member of this forum? Michael had made an effort to secure the records, but not successful.
There have been several attempts by collectors to acquire the records. Interestingly I was at an auction several years ago that had a Shelhamer stocked rifle with a Certificate of Authenticity stating that it was a Shelhamer built rifle. Where or how that certificate came to be I have no idea. The certificate was of much more recent vintage than the rifle.
John
When Shelhamer's daughter died (believe she was single), she left her house with her father's intact cellar workshop to a nearby family that had helped her for years. Couple of members of that family were trying to organize the large amount of Shelhamer's paperwork (which included his stock records). At some point they conveyed stuff to someone, but I don't know who?
and this too
The rifle kindly pictured above by PhysDoc has a very interesting story to tell. It was one of a set of three that John George commissioned to Tom Shelhamer. The other two were a 300 H&H and a 375 H&H. He planned to use the trio as his global hunting rifle battery. They are written up in the Oct. 1954 American Rifleman in an article titled "Three little rifles". In the case of the 22, a Winchester 69 was chosen due to the smaller receiver diameter and vertically thinner height thru the action that resulted in a small quick handling gun. He expands on this in the article but suffice to say, this choice makes for a wonderful little lightweight rifle!
It was purchased from Emil Mc Connell at the Ohio collectors show in the latest 70's. Emil had previously purchased it from Col. George who was quite a colorful gentleman himself. Colonel George was a sniper in World War ll and who went on to be part of the OSS which became the CIA. He wrote a book about his war experiences "Shots Fired in Anger" and talks about these rifles. It was later housed in a canvas and leather case that had been fitted to it by Holland and Holland while Col. George was assigned in London.
It has a Lyman Alaskan fitted in custom mounts and has such typical Shelhamer markings such as his stamp with number under the case colored Niedner butt-plate, his standard horn gripcap, brass forend tie-down and that marvelous rust blue he did.
I feel truly blessed to honored by the pleasure of it's ownership but know this can't last forever so I only hope the next one inline will value it as I have. I might add that I do shoot it once in a while... but carefully, and it's as accurate as the Col. mentions in the article.
If anyone recognizes one or both of the other two rifles shown with it from the magazine article I would appreciate hearing from you with any possible information. I have been trying unsuccessfully for years to "re-connect" the three together. Thanks so looking, Ed
