My unknown rifle journey

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Expect ANYTHING made in Europe to be metric. To imagine anything else is foolhardy.

Your rifle barrel has the date code AN - and was made in 1998 -

View attachment 368065

The coat of arms stamp is that of the city of Gardone Val Trompia, location of the Italian National Proof House. Europe has its own version of walnut - most gun stock are made it. Turkish walnut is common to Turkish guns, and to the VERY high end guns made in England/Scotland and the rest of Europe. French and Turkish is by far the most beautiful, and I remember being shown around Purdey's man years ago, and stunned to see a walnut blank priced at £15,000.
I looked a little closer. 1985 for AN ??
 
Very likely a Pedersoli rocky mountain hawken, or some similar cousin to it from the mid-80s.
Just a general comment as you're sanding or working the stock to not round off the edges too much. Lock panels and top of the barrel channel (IMHO) look best if they have some crispness to their edge and the whole thing doesn't look smooth.
 
Yep! You can ruin a piece so fast with power tools. Been there, done that, and have the scrap to prove it.
Don’t jinx me now, but I love a good challenge. Slow and steady. I’ll feather out from center, once started, I’m committed and there is no replacement. All the more reason not to but, I’m going to give it a try.
 
Invest in a building book. I like Alexander's "Gunsmith of Grenville County" best of the four I own, but Blevins and others out there are very good too. The archives here are a terrific, free resource too.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/books-building-flintlocks.94189/
Ok, I ordered the Greenville County book to get me started. Over last ten years I’ve been purchasing books on Muzzle loaders, but none are gunsmith types. I’ve been putting all this off till now. I really appreciate the info this forum so easily shares. Funny side note. Ten minutes or so before you shared this, I ordered front sights from Track of the Wolf. The book is from them also. Just called and added to order.
 
Looking good.
Alot of the parts shown so far resemble my Santa Fe Hawken, very similar to Pedersoli Rocky Mountain as already stated, could be Ithaca too I suppose.
Take your time and go slow, you'll have one sweet rifle when done.
 
Back
Top