The checkered butt on this gun is not my idea of how to enjoy helice. But it is a very unique detail. It is 32-LPI. That's about as tight as you can cram into such a small area without flaws. I have a few other suitable guns for that game - most with recoil pads. I'll need to make sure I remove these from the muzzle when I take this gun out of the rack.
No Helice here but on my bucket list of things to try when I get back to the States one day. The exchange rate been killing that idea for a while though. That $3 be $ 5.oo a ZZ Bird my coin at present. Pass for a while.
Congratulations, I especially like the fine checkering and the detailed engraving, it is superb. There must be hundreds of hours in the engraving I wonder if the engraver works with a dissecting microscope when doing such fine art. Is the wood oiled or varnished?
Biz, as far as I know, it is varnished using a recipe that is similar to Winchester and Browning finishes from the '50's and '60's. It is neither Texacryl, Sherwin-Williams non-yellowing shellac, and is not the early 50's French polish (shellac, alcohol, and linseed oil), but has properties of the latter. I chose the somewhat 'softer' appearance on the D5 rather than glossy on 'lièvres de boxe et Coqs de combat' (boxing hares and fighting cocks).
There is some serious fine work and detail in that recoil plate when you zoom in close including the brass countersunk screws. Amazing they can keep the line work so true and precise in relation to the border. Amazing skills on display there.
That muzzle plug is interesting. What's the story behind that? Looks like some device from a seedy catalogue!
Thanks for your comments. The screws are the original screws and have not been touched-up. Pity but It's a wonder they are not in worse condition considering what the butt looked like before. Yes, good craftsmanship is hard to find - and the work IS amazing on this one. When the woodworker was shaping the heads of the side panels I told him I'm more anxious to see what he does with the butt - that it looked as if the gun rack at the original or previous owner's gun club had a gravel based. It was a complete disaster. He called the next day and said his checkering cutter rolled-out several small stones (white specks in the photos) from the butt. I told him it must have been the original owner's 'camel gun' (instead of 'truck gun'). There was a large divot in the upper left portion of the heel - the camel may have become defiant one day and needed a sharp correction to the head area. The checkered butt looks much better, now. Worth every penny. The 'tampions' are to insert in the muzzle when your put the gun in the rack muzzle down, to protect a checkered butt. Of course, depending on the gun rack construction at each shooting venue, the stock could be marked where it rests against the slot, normally shaped to receive the barrels, or not be very secure, otherwise. A friend in Germany has a nice 4"-tall trophy on black marble base on his mantle as a reminder to remove his tampions, hereafter. It's the last 4" of a set of Superposed barrels that were cut-off just below the 'banana peeled' section of the bottom tube after the gun was relegated to skeet-shooting, only.
Ok got it now. Never thought of the butt marring in rack but makes obvious sense now. Was just speaking to friend about his D5 and asking. it came new from FN in the day with the red rubber pad. Makes sense having what yours is for field shooting so not to get caught in vest or jacket. Apart from adjusting the Camels steering gyro Memory serves it got no hinge pin lube or mono block love either. Regardless it's in appreciative hands now. Hope it shoots well for you as it certainly looks the part.
No work needed on the hinge or mating lug. There was no side 'waggle'. That’s just to hang the barrels on when open, anyway. The proper lock-up and timing is accomplished with the forearm knuckle, forearm lug on the barrel and it’s mating surfaces (cam) on the round-end of the forearm lever. The ejector cam radii on the inside front of the receiver walls were worn and a few grains of sand or part of a primer anvil got rolled-in between the receiver walls and the flat where the choke markings are (normally) and galled both surfaces. It took some strategically placed micro welding and some filing and stoning to clear all that up. The worst part about the lock-up was, first gunsmith ‘tightened the action’ by filing the notches on both sets of instead of filing the locking bolt (which they had filed to a point instead of its normal wedge shape). They never addressed ‘lock-up’ - they just manipulated everything else so the lever would be farther to right-of-center. All that had to be built-up by micro/welding and re-fit to time and lock-up in the same position on both barrels sets. Re-build the action, my a$$!! It took $1400 to correct $375 worth of bull$#!+. Then, another 2 grand to correctly re-lay all ribs and ‘slow’ rust blue what the ‘restoration specialist’ charged for but did a marvelous short-cut hack of. Live and learn. Tell me more about your friend’s D5. Do I already know about it? What vintage is it? Engraver, etc.
My miss quote it's a D4 not a 5. Be K grade here. Can't say ever seen a 5 here with Louis scroll like yours and probably not likely too ,but never know what's out there. Think I have sent you images and a serial before 2 hounds and pheasant LHS 2 hounds on point and duck RHS Signed Vanracken (guessing spelling at work) bottom RHS under grass tuft i Yes was his Father's from new and and in family still , bought early 70"s the darker walnut finish. His Dad shot regular trap and religiously looked after it properly for 42 yrs I know of so be 120 000 plus through it before it got to the straight lever. Got rebuild and restore treatment with wood and re checkering as best available here. Things like new again doing the rounds with Son and Grandson using it regular shooter. I tell them Dad's ghost is on the tracks hovering behind them.
I have been absent for a bit and just saw Anatidae's post from 7-10-23. The inside measurement of the black pre war case is indeed 7 inches! Amazing work on the cases
Also, came across a couple of the Tolex cases recently. I was looking at both of them side by side and noticed a difference in the brass corner protectors. I guess there was a change in materials used at some point during their short production time
Thanks for the measurement and acknowledgment of my work. re: Tolex hardware - there were a lot of suitcases and train cases made in the same style as the Tolex construction but the locks are unique to the Tolex cases. The corner trim could have been sourced from different suppliers at various times until the preferred design became available on a consistent basis. Nothing disrupts production more than lack of availability of components provided by 'others'.
I was also thinking that it was possibly a design modification? If you look at the corner guard on the right case .. I think the fastener for brass guard is too close to the edge of the case to really give it a good purchase into that thin piece of wood. The case on the left has the attachment point moved a little further down from the edge giving it more of a bite! No way to really date the production time of the cases but I would go with that the case on the right with the smaller guard was an earlier case. Thanks again for all of the great pics and information!! I am catching up on everything now that I am back home!!
Your reasoning is spot-on for the lower rivet placement. There are a lot of critical details on the Tolexes. That's partly why I haven't branched/out into this style yet. After building 2 pre-war style cases (& working on #3), I'm devising a few jigs to help hold the case while attaching the rivets for the locks, hasps, and feet - otherwise it's a 3-handed operation with plenty of chances to mess something up. So, I can see the possibility of changes in original construction methods and designs to improve the product and production. welcome back.
