doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Working with Mr. T

For Erick' of Indianapolis, Yes, the counterweight on Barry's T/Circus Barrel-Holding Jig is the vice'Head' from my engraving'Ball' We took it to bits to help BLH balance out the Weight of the Gibbs .450 Bbls. And 'Yes to 2nd Question, I do still have the "Cannon-Ball" Engraving Vise tha Arnold Grieble gave to me for a Wedding Gift, and a few of his Engraving Tools.I'll leave that stuff to you in my"Will"!!!!!C/C aka.DT.

For "Stocker Bill" In Barry's photos of my"MESS", I use 3 Vises on my Stock/Woodworking/Chequering Bench,Top in the 'pic'with Mike Dow, Is the"Big' Wilton Swivel-base(Much Modified by me for stockmaking) the other is a 1930-40s;Wilton,swivel-base,from one of the old Maine Railroad Shedsup in Aristook(squse spelling)County, also much modified for stocking.#3 is a"Chicago"Machine Vise,From the Old Gunsmith who used to have his shop on North State St,George Pearsol(or a name close to that)He was 'In Business back in the 1930s I think Maybe Mr Piekarczyk Can remember his name I worked a few Sat.mornings in his basement workshop in Sept-Oct.1966.He had a"Range" in one corner of the basement!(It was a bloody great Hole, blown there by thousands of rounds fired over the years!.C/C..DT.

The only "old" gunshop I could recall was one at Milwaukee and Ogden and Chicago, about 750 niorth on Milwaukee ave. It was a block from the bowling alley where Machinegun Jack McGurn was gunned down on the second floor in 1931. The building was under the sane ownership since then, perhaps, as the first floor business operator showed me a composite news and picture montage of the 1931 incident. He said part of the bowling alley floor was still up there. Crime history photos will sometimnes show a nicely clad body in good three piece clothing on a wooden floor with a raised section of benches for spectators in back. I once saw a loose actual photo of that type which was unmarked but showed this nice young Rudolph Valentino type on the floor with the wrought iron metalwork and benches in the rear. I put two and two together to determine that was McGurn (who was actualkly italian).

I passed the Milwaukee gun shop on the streetcar (and later the busses when those started) and at the time (perhaps age 8-12) had no interest of a more scholarly type in guns. The place must have had fabulous things in terms of American history and "ol' timey" American stuff go through there.

Incidentally one of my 1977 paperback crime histories of the Capone era did mention a gun shop of some age which I believe was on State street and which may have provided Thompson machine guns to the mob. I happened to buy an Enfield jungle carbine at the west Washington St. shop downtown where Lee Harvey Oswald bought his mail order Carcano.

Hmmmmmm, that wouldn't be a "bowling alley" by any chance???. Look around and you'll, likely find a few more

Speaking of the windy city , working with Mr T and Arnold Greibel, we have a pic recently unearthed from the Trevallion archives showing the two of them discussing an engraving project in Mr T's office in chicago,if I have my facts right. I would be interested to know the who what when where and why details of this pic from the horses mouth.