GUN SPRING 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
SPECTACULAR ENGRAVED AND CARVED TAKE DOWN HAENEL SCHUETZEN RIFLE.C.E. HAENELAYDT SCHUETZEN244088.15x46MODERN; C&RCal. 8.15 x 46R. An incredible rifle with 31.5" oct. bbl with fluted flats and orig sights along with a wide and narrow gold band at the receiver. Top flat of the receiver is inlaid gold "Haenel Original Aydt". The side flats of the receiver are engraved by Suhl master engraver Walter Holzbaum with full coverage deep engraved vignettes of a traditional Schuetzen scene on the right side depicting a shooter wearing traditional clothing and Tyrolean hat at the firing line getting ready to shoot. The scene is further detailed with 3 other shooters with steins, sitting at a table kibitzing the shooter. The entire vignette is executed in great, intricate detail with oak trees and leaves and a fine, dark stippled background. The left side details a Schuetzenfest participant with rifle over his shoulder, holding aloft a prize goblet. He is also dressed in typical 19th Century fest clothing with Tyrolean hat and medals on his jacket. The background is a very finely detailed forest scene. The rear 1/3 of the left side is engraved with the vignette of the painting of Professor Hermann Kaulback (1906), depicting the little boy (Scheiben Toni) in wooden shoes joyously marking a target with a center bullseye hit. The top flats and bottom of the receiver are engraved in oak leaf & acorn patterns. The take down levers and diopter sight base are engraved to match. The rifle is mounted with an elaborately carved walnut Schuetzen buttstock & forearm. The buttstock has a typical heavy Schuetzen cheek piece and is mounted with a short prong Schuetzen buttplate that is engraved to match the oak leaf patterns on the receiver. The area behind the cheek piece is deep relief carved with the vignette of a shooter with rifle over his shoulder embracing a young woman dressed in a dirndl, surrounded by an oak leaf & acorn wreath with fine stippled background. The right side of the buttstock is deep relief carved with the large parallel vignette of the same shooter holding his rifle in his right hand and a trophy wreath shooting prize aloft in his left. The bottom of the stock and the forearm are deep carved in ribbon and oak leaf acorn patterns. This cataloger has seen only three Aydt rifles of this quality in over 50 years of collecting. This rifle was proofed in 1927. PROVENANCE: "Alte Scheibenwaffen" Vol. 1 pgs 254-255; "Classic German Target Arms" pgs. 6-9; The Allen Hallock Schuetzen Collection. CONDITION: Wonderful condition. The bbl, forearm and buttstock exhibit almost all their orig blue finish. The buttstock has a very minor crack behind the tang and a couple of very small dents from handling. The engraved buttplate shows most of its orig case color. There are no apparent chips. Spectacular deep relief carving. Bore is excellent. 50900-4 TWR (8,000-12,000)