My fabulously engraved Winchester Model 21

[ElkBluff]

I am in Possession of a very detailed, very engraved and inlayed Winchester Model 21 Skeet 12 gauge. I have no idea who engraved this fine weapon. Looking at Bill Mains engraving it looks similar. I was told it may be engraved by other although I see no initials. How can I confirm if Bill did this?

 

[monk]

welcome. this is a fabulous intro to the forum.

 

[ElkBluff]

Thank you I have it an at auction but would still like to identify the original engraver it was not Winchester

and thank you Monk!

 

[papart1]

who ever it was did a wonderful job jmo Rob

 

[ElkBluff]

Still trying to track the engraver down… love to know who did this!!

 

[Toad]

Although Bill Mains was a prolific engraver. That is not his work. The anatomy of the animals is not right. Bill would never do that. I would guess that was done for a soldier offshore.

 

[ElkBluff]

Thank you for your response Toad! I presume you know Bill’s work well enough in order to comment w such detail?

 

[Toad]

I knew Bill for many years. I first met him at the Grand American in 1970. I would see Bill at most of the bigger trap shoots from the northern states Michigan, Ohio, etc. all the way to Florida. Every time I saw him. I would ask him to teach me. One day he tells me to bring my tools. He liked that I went to art school and a tool & die apprenticeship at the same time. I became his indentured servant(ha ha) prepping gun parts and bluing. My first lesson was sharping a graver.

Below is his obituary.

From the Bill Mains website: Bill Mains: 1936-2012 R.I.P.

"One of the Last of the Old School Hammer and Chisel Engravers in America.

Bill is on the road much of the year working trap, skeet and sporting clays shoots. Please contact him, preferably by e-mail, before sending anything for him to engrave.
Please note: Bill does only artistic hand engraving. If you need an inscription, or name on a gun or gun part, call Bill’s partner Brandon at 765-445-9243. Brandon will do it by CNC Router.

Bill served apprenticeships as a goldsmith and watchmaker while still in High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in the early 1950’s. Upon graduation in 1954, Bill went to Bowman Technical School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to take their course in hand jewelry engraving. In early 1955, Bill received his draft notice and joined the United States Air Force. It was while serving in The Strategic Air Command (SAC) in the height of the Cold War that Bill started engraving guns.

In 1959, after his discharge, Bill invented the Rotary Footwheel Engraving Bench. This device, resembling a potter’s wheel with a lathe chuck on top has allowed Bill, still a hammer and chisel engraver, to easily compete with all the engravers using the newer power handpieces.

Bill has been the engraver for several factories on a contract basis. He was the primary Colt factory engraver from 1967 to 1972, and is attributed in the books with having engraved more second generation Single Actions, by far, than anyone else. Although Colt frowned on signing the engraving, most of Bill’s factory engraved colts are stamped with a small buffalo under the cylinder pin, as Bill was working out of Buffalo, New York at the time. They never said anything about the Buffalo.

Among others, Bill was the factory engraver for the Ithaca Gun Company, engraving all of the Single Barreled Trap Guns, and many others, for the last eleven years of their production."

 

[ElkBluff]

Wow thank you so much got Bill’s obit and your detailed response. My search continues!!

 

[Roger Bleile]

Your 21 was engraved in Germany. German work, in the post-war era, is very distinctive. Until recently, German engravers did not sign their work. Most likely the gun was ordered by a GI through the PX then turned over to a German engraver. There was one who worked in conjunction with the Wiesbaden Rod and Gun Club. It is also possible that it was sent to a German engraver from the US. It was common for the Pachmayer Gun Works to do that. If I had to guess, I would say that it is the work of Claus Willig, but German engravers all have a similarity to their work because they are strictly trained to do things in a certain way.

In any case, the work is of Master quality.

 

[ElkBluff]

Thank you very much for the information regarding the engraving of my Model 21 and for the compliment. I appreciate your time and knowledge.

 

[Rannis]

Your 21 was engraved in Germany. German work, in the post-war era, is very distinctive. Until recently, German engravers did not sign their work. Most likely the gun was ordered by a GI through the PX then turned over to a German engraver. There was one who worked in conjunction with the Wiesbaden Rod and Gun Club. It is also possible that it was sent to a German engraver from the US. It was common for the Pachmayer Gun Works to do that. If I had to guess, I would say that it is the work of Claus Willig, but German engravers all have a similarity to their work because they are strictly trained to do things in a certain way.

In any case, the work is of Master quality.

Many thanks for this explanation sir. This has become a wonderfu reference post. Stunning work for certain.