The ACGG Pigeon Gun

Shortly after the founding of the American Custom Gunmakers Guild (ACGG), in 1983, a few dedicated members decided to create and raffle off a special rifle to raise money for the group. The project was completely self-actualized by founding members Pete Grisel (metalsmith), Duane Weibe (stockmaker) and the late Terry Wallace (engraver). Without guidance or financial support, the craftsmen made a Mauser bolt-action rifle and then raffled it in 1985.
    With the exception of one early “hang-fire” year and one unnumbered rifle dedicated to ACGG Founder Emeritus John Amber, raffle guns have been completed and numbered every year since. For 2012 The Pigeon Gun, No. 27, marks the 28th such project for the organization.
    This extraordinary group of firearms has represented the cream of North American custom gunmaking for going on three decades and has included a wide variety of artistic styles and action types. The majority have been bolt-action rifles, but there also have been single-shot rifles, two double rifles, a lever-action as well as two- and three-gun cased sets. The Pigeon Gun is only the fourth shotgun that has been produced, and it deserves special attention for its singularity and sophistication.
Before describing the gun, however, I’d like to shed some light on the untold back-story of these projects. I gained firsthand knowledge of the process by participating as the stockmaker on Raffle Project No. 12, the Special Sporting Set (a Winchester single-shot rifle and a Colt revolver).
    It all begins with the ACGG Executive Committee appointing a project chairman, the criterion being that the person has to have previously participated in the creation of a raffle gun. This takes place in year one—6H years prior to the raffle. Project proposals are accepted from teams consisting of a metalsmith, stockmaker and engraver, and by the middle of the year the chairman makes recommendations and the project is selected. Contracts pertaining to liability and performance (i.e. deadlines) are signed, and the project officially begins on July 15 of the first year.
    Essentially each of the three major artisans is given a full year to create his part of the project. This may seem generous, but when one considers that these fellows need to fit the project into a bill-paying work schedule without immediate compensation, it becomes clear that it is quite a challenge to accomplish. After the major parts of the project are complete, more time is scheduled for metal finishing, function testing and professional photography. The project chairman should announce completion of the project and be ready to show it at the annual Firearms Engravers & Gunmakers Exhibition, in January of Year Five. From personal experience, I can tell you that it is a trick to coordinate and accomplish all phases of the project and deliver a fully finished and functional firearm of this high level of complexity and quality within the allotted time. I wish that I had kept track of the shipping mileage on my project; it was thousands for sure.
    After the introduction at the annual Exhibition, the final year is for promotion of the project, with the goal being to sell the 4,000 available raffle tickets. The guns typically receive widespread publicity, and the ACGG is always thankful for the enthusiasm and attention that the raffle project draws. The organization relies on the good will of the firearms press along with advertisements announcing the Exhibition using the raffle gun as the illustration.
    The notion that one lucky ticket holder can obtain a world-class custom firearm for a mere $20 with one chance in 4,000 helps make for lively ticket sales. The drawing for The Pigeon Gun will take place at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, in Cody, Wyoming, on June 23, 2012.

As you might imagine, any project involving this many individuals and taking several years to complete can run into problems. Some I’ve heard of over the years have included: the engraver embellishing small parts too elaborately and not feeling that he could do the action as elegantly; the stock-wood donor backing out; the gold inlay falling out; the buttplate getting lost in transit; the gun being damaged in transit; the metalsmith quitting the Guild; and the second phase not being completed on time.
    Over the years all of the projects have sorted themselves out, largely thanks to extraordinary efforts from dedicated individuals. In recent years the Guild has come up with a way of partially reimbursing the artisans after their work is completed but before the raffle, and the organization has been blessed with the donations of actions, stock blanks, scopes and, in the case of The Pigeon Gun, the original 1910 vintage Remington Model 1894 shotgun.
    Project Chairman Pete Mazur, of Grass Valley, California, had been gifted a broken-stocked, 12-gauge M-1894 Trap Grade as a parts gun two decades earlier and, never having done anything with the quality American double, had imagined it a prime candidate for a raffle project. The gun had fine-condition barrels and was functional except for the broken stock and needing a few uncomplicated repairs.
    Mazur mentioned the project at the annual membership meetings and asked who might be interested in contributing. Gunmaker/engraver Larry Peters (see Fine Gunmaking, Jan/Feb ’05), of Odessa, Washington, approached Mazur about doing the metalwork, as he had a fondness for Remington shotguns and quite a bit of experience with early American doubles. After that Mazur enlisted stockmaker Doug Mann (Fine Gunmaking, July/August ’10), of St. Anne, Illinois, who had a lot of experience with double guns and engraver Kenny Majors, of Lake Arrowhead, California, who had worked with Mazur on other shotgun projects. It was agreed that the intent of the project was not to copy an original Remington gun but to create a 21st Century custom shotgun using many of the stylistic features and flavors of the earlier era. Charles G. Semmer’s excellent book, Remington Double Shotguns, was a major help to each of the artisans on this project. Peters steered the course of the project by coining “The Pigeon Gun” moniker, as live-pigeon shooting was the trapshooting of the 1910 era.
Peters’ first priority was the repairwork, consisting mainly of replacing one mainspring along with fixing and timing one of the ejectors. It was important that this gun be fully serviceable, and while he was working on it the barrels were sent to double gunsmith Dennis Potter, who gave the bores a light honing, returning them to as-new condition. The original 12-gauge, 2I" chambers and “Full & Fuller” chokes were retained.
    Peters hand filed all of the metal surfaces of the action, barrels and small parts and removed the original engraving. With his engraving background, he designed relief petals to be filed and chiseled into the ball fences. These fluted petals look a bit like bat wings and are handsomely apparent in the top view of the action. The fluted petals were raised and created by removing the metal around them.
    Peters hand filed scallops on the sides of the action in the “fancy back” style of Remington M-1894 “Specials.” A bench-made template helped with layout, but extremely careful handwork was required to perfect this ornamentation. On the top of the action a small step, chiseled and filed in relief, added character and helped trim the overall action height. Refining the toplever and safety button and a small bead on the trigger-guard bow completed the metalsmithing. Everything was hand polished inside and out.
    According to stockmaker Doug Mann, “American side-by-side shotguns have always been a favorite of mine simply because they are what I grew up with.” Although he was offered several fine stock blanks, in true stockmaker form Mann chose one of his own that he had set aside because it was fancy without being gaudy, was nearly perfectly quarter-sawn, had excellent layout for a straight grip, was hard and dense, and had nearly 20 years curing time. “These qualities made the wood a pleasure to work with,” Mann said.
    Mann is known for his extremely high-quality and elaborate checkering patterns, and The Pigeon Gun was the perfect canvas for this work. All of the early high-grade M-1894s had elaborate coverage, and it was no trick for Mann to design a unique checkering pattern using elements from various examples. He began with carved arrowhead-type drop points perfectly reflecting the Remington style.
    The extensive checkering coverage incorporates many features, including tiny double borders, carved “mullered” borders, partial fleur-de-lis and borderless areas. Ribbons separate panels with 24- and 32-lpi checkering. Above all, the checkering panels mimic and complement the adjacent metal parts, most notably in the action scalloping and forend tip.
     Straight-grip stocks always give the appearance of simplicity, but they are far from uncomplicated. In addition to the arrowhead drop points, Mann added cleverly contoured fluting at the comb and brought a relief line forward from the action onto the sides of the forend to begin the checkering borders. Again the stock gracefully complements the metalwork.
    The stock was made with something resembling “everyman” dimensions: 14-3/4" length of pull, 1-1/2" drop at comb, 2-3/8" drop at heel. The butt is capped with a leather-covered recoil pad, because, as Mann says, “This gun was made to use, not just to sit in the gun safe.” There is no question that Mann’s contribution to The Pigeon Gun is going to sell a lot of raffle tickets.
    Engraver Kenny Majors had no intention of copying early Remington engraving, but he definitely wanted to use original style borders and early American pigeon-gun themes as part of the embellishment.
    His blending of gold inlay, small tight scroll and period themes present a multi-faceted look that is both attractive and entertaining. The gold inlays include a rooster pheasant on the right side, a chukar on the left, a pigeon head on the trigger bow, and a vignette of a pigeon shoot on the action bottom. “SAFE” is inlaid in gold on the top tang.
    Majors virtually copied Remington with an interesting four-petal flower border at the barrel breeches and the trigger-guard bow. He also used Remington-style ball & bar and nick & dot borders. “Remington Arms Co” identifies the gun’s origin on the action bottom, and “Ilion, NY USA” appears on the top of the barrels.
    The scroll decreases in size on the sides and bottom of the action outside of the French-gray ovals. There are handsome scroll wedges at the barrel breeches and scroll on the last couple of inches of the top rib.
    The pallet of complementary colors employed by Doug Turnbull’s case hardening and Pete Mazur’s multi-hue blues and grays enhance Major’s embellishment. Mazur and Turnbull are the metal-finishing gurus of the ACGG, and their combined efforts amount to seven distinctly different and colorful hues. Mazur created the French-gray ovals surrounding the gold inlays by selectively removing the case colors, adding subtle but wonderfully contrasting surfaces.
    Having seen many of the raffle projects over the years, it is easy for me to say that The Pigeon Gun is as desirable, well conceived and executed as any. In fact, it is one of my personal favorites.

Author’s Note: For more information on the craftsmen involved with The Pigeon Gun, contact Larry Peters (509-982-2889), Doug Mann (815-932-4190, custom fox@hotmail.com), Kenny Majors (909-336-5700) or Pete Mazur (530-268-2412).

Steven Dodd Hughes has been creating and writing about custom guns and gunmaking for more than 35 years. His three books as well as more information can be found at www.finegunmaking.com.