engraved guns

[catnthehat]

Along the lines of the "best type of gun" thread, do you or would you hunt with an engraved shotgun or rifle?
I like engraving , but lean towards the lined and deep relief chased style, I'm not sure I'm sold on heavily inlaid gold figurines.





Cat

[ward]

No engraving and a dark receiver for shotguns.

[whitetail Junkie]

If I could afford it all my rifles and shotguns would all have extensive hand engraveing and case coloring!!! Blaser,merkel,heym,berreta,Rizzini,ceasar guerrini,kreighoff,perrazi,cooper,etc,etc,I wish I had them all.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by whitetail Junkie

If I could afford it all my rifles and shotguns would all have extensive hand engraveing and case coloring!!! Blaser,merkel,heym,berreta,Rizzini,ceasar guerrini,kreighoff,perrazi,cooper,etc,etc,I wish I had them all.

Take a look at my original post, I just threw some in there for ya!
Cat

[CaberTosser]

I've seen many that look exquisite, but only photo's of them; I've also seen ones both in life as well as photos that might look at home in Saddam Hussein's gun cabinet (where plentiful money doesn't necessarily translate to good taste). I'm definately not a fan of gold embellishment in any form, polished brass either (I didn't even allow any polished brass hinges or hardware in our house)

I'd hunt them for sure if I was in such a tax bracket, but I might wrap them in Camo Form when doing so.

One ornamental treatment I really can't stand is the very deep laser engraving Weatherby used on its stocks, the deep patterns look both welcoming to dirt and easy to splinter off, aside from butt-ugly.

[bb356]

Beautiful ... Thank's !!!

[catnthehat]

Personally, I love case hardened receivers and locks, but have a few that are polished receivers.
The second gun was new this past year, a fantastic shooting ( and looking ) 16 gauge FAIR , and the fourth one is also a very accurate gun, a little 28 gauge Ugartechea, both hand engraved , and I really like the lock engraving on it, it's not as heavy as some.
The last pic BTW, is not mine, but a matched set of Boss guns done by their in house engraver, Cristophe Rizzuto, I'd hate to see the price tag on them!!
The Browning of course is laser engraved, and the FAIR Tarteruga is laser but the gold inlays are hand done.
Cat

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Take a look at my original post, I just threw some in there for ya!
Cat

I love it!

[bchap22]

Well Santa was good to me this year and i was lucky enough to be passed down a family heirlume. The gun is a german made 300 wby (told it is about 40 years old) and started off with my grandfather (dads father) and he was the one who had it hand engraved. I believe it was given to my dad when he was in his late 20's and I have been bugging him for the last 5 years about when he would pass it on to me. Well finally this christmas i was given the rifle and not to sound corny or anything but everytime i look at it, it kind of takes my breath away and i sit and think about how many animals it has harvested. I think the gun is amazing and probably one of the smoothest actions i have ever handled.

[catnthehat]

Great looking rifle!

Sako or Mauser action?
Cat

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Great looking rifle!

Sako or Mauser action?
Cat

x2....now where starting to get into the Grey poupon! lol

Awesome Rifle!

[bchap22]

it is the weatherby mark V action. Not sure exactly how old it is but i was told around 40 years. I forgot to mention that the sheep is solid silver.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by bchap22

it is the weatherby mark V action. Not sure exactly how old it is but i was told around 40 years. I forgot to mention that the sheep is solid silver.

Crap, I missed a century somewhere!!
Yup, that would be a MrkV, I keep thinking the "older" ones are either Mauser , Sako, or S&L!!
Cat

[KegRiver]

Maybe it's the Scot's blood in me but I don't think I could bring myself to hunt with an engraved gun of any sort.

I'd put it in a locked gun cabinet with unbreakable glass doors, put the cabinet just inside the front door so all my visitors would be sure to see it. And I'd never move the cabinet or touch the gun again for as long as I lived.

[Pathfinder76]

Some can pull it off.

[catnthehat]

It ain't that bad , Keg, you get used to it after the first ding, scratch , whatever- sort of- I think.......
Cat

[Big Racks]

I like engraving, think it adds a touch of class even to modern-day non-expensive rifles. Just plain old factory engraving on the receivers of factory mid-90's Rem 700 SS BDL's or the Browning Gold and White Gold Medallions set them apart from others by the same manufacturers IMHO. They aren't fancy, and they aren't expensive by comparison, but the engraving adds just a little bit more to them. Same with small touches like jewelled bolts, fine checkering, etc...

Now, when you get into the SXS's, doubles, drillings, etc... with the exquisite engraving on them, I'm with Keg I think - for the same reason I have a tough time carrying a rifle with a nice chunk of lumber. Scared to death of scarring it in any way.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

It ain't that bad , Keg, you get used to it after the first ding, scratch , whatever- sort of- I think.......
Cat

LOL The pennies in my pocket started to cry when I was reading that. LOL

[bigshell]

Well Cat I like some engraving especially on older SxS's and I would certainly hunt with a shotgun adorned with it or even shoot 5 stand/sporting clays.I'm not crazy about gold inlays though.

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Cat

Cat, what are those last 2, there absolutely gorgeous

[Mekanik]

Boss & co in the UK, IIRC
http://www.bossguns.co.uk/newguns.asp

Too rich for my blood but just the pics make me happy. Their unadorned Robertson line are still quite pricey, especially factoring in the £ to $ equation.

They are gorgeous though.

[saskbooknut]

My nicest engraved gun - AyA No. 2 sidelock 20 gauge with full english scroll engraving.
I am not too fond of the overly florid "Venus at the Bath" figural engraving or heavy Germanic style. I like some of the modern engravers who use open space effectively with fine scroll, both American and Italian.

Guns are a tool to be used. The AyA goes walking in the field for all my Sharptail / Hungarian hunts.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Cat, what are those last 2, there absolutely gorgeous

Like Mekanik says Potty, they are a matched set of Boss guns that were engraved by their in house engraver, Christophe Rizzuto.
These guns are unusual, not just for the exquisite engraving , but for their design, which is a special barrel bolting system that allows for a very shallow receiver , so much so at first glance they appear to be SXS guns, which they are not, but in fact O/U!!
This model was first produced in 1909 and is considered the most influential design of its type.
The photo, BTW, is taken from my book "The Best of British" by David grant and Vic Venters, a fine gift to me by one of our AO members who is English but now resides in Alberta.
Cat

[32-40win]

I love looking at that stuff, can't afford it, but, never get tired of looking at it.
I asked what some of the simpler patterns were worth, when I ordered the Krieghoff, doesn't take much to double the price of the gun.
I do like some of the stuff I have been seeing, coming out of Turnbull with the CCH they do. That adds a lot on it's own, a bit of simple engraving can go along way on that.

[Matt L.]

I love engraving, anyone got a winning lotto ticket I can "borrow"?

[gitrdun]

I didn't vote Cat. I actually don't feel as though as I'm well enough informed. But I will say this, the last one with the gold inlay really draws me in. The relief is very contrasting, love it, the subtle addition of gold inlay makes it pop. I'm curious, there is a skull and cross-bone inside the pyramid. What does this elude to?. The SS had such an emblem, the pyramid with the symbol above it, Free Masons? Either way, to me it's the countless hours of craftsmanship that I admire. And, if I were in that price range and could afford such treasures, I would hunt them. Care and preservation of course have to be considered, but to leave such beauties locked in a dark gun safe simply isn't right. Beautiful indeed.

The bottom metal that Chuck posted with the elephant safari scene is equally beautiful.

[saskbooknut]

Recent pictures of a cased Boswell boxlock comes to mind as an elegant engraving job. Thanks to the fine guy who shared this gun with us all.
This class act shotgun could easily live at my house.

Yeah, I know that it wasn't offered.

[catnthehat]

This is the left side of a Ruger no.1 that I had an engraver from Saskatchewan do for me.
One of the rifles i truly think I should have held onto over the years!!
Cat

[gitrdun]

The screw head is not engraved. BUT, the screaming eagle speaks volumes. Beautiful as always Cat. You know what you're doing to me right? I'm thinking of selling a bunch to finance one. But look at the metal to wood marriage, hugely lacking compared to what I've seen of some off your other guns. What is this doing to me.....I'm becoming a friggin' snob. A good thing????

[Cyclops]

Gorgeous guns in this thread! I love engraving. I wish I wasn't so darn poor.