Many of you have already seen this piece, and to tell the story, this piece is part of a long process on it's way to the end result, which is a modern Volcanic rifle.
A friend and master machinist in houston, Charlie Mynhier, in the process of developing the skill to produce this gun, made this little pistol to test the barrels he was making from scratch, rifling and all. To see whether they would shoot accurately or not, he made this little single shot to test his barrels. He made a few of them before he got the right configuration to get the best results. He made this gun for me after inspiring me with the quality of his work. We traded work for it. It is one of three, but actually one of a kind. I suggested a couple changes from the original prototyes and so mine is one of a kind.
It features a bullet trap in the grip that holds two extra rounds. It is a forty cal. S&W. I can hit a tennis ball regularly even with my need to shoot with my left eye, and my nerves not too steady these days. So if I can shoot it, the gun will shoot.
After that, I decided it needed a qualified display case, so another friend made the box. Charlie wanted to call it "The Scorpion", so I used that theme to do the accessories and such.
I named mine "Texas Scorpion" and went with that idea, and that is inlayed on top of the barrel in gold, with a silver star along side the title. I also have a brass title plate inside the box.
I french fitted the gun and accessories myself, and also made the cleaning rod and screw driver that starts the dissasymbly.
Once the box was finished, I inlayed the oval scorpion theme in the lid in the center of the Texas. I waited till the box was finished with sealer and then glued the oval in.
Inside the box you can see another scorpion, but this one was a real one at one time. I have had this solid, 14k gold scorpion for years, wondering what I would do with it. Years ago, me and a friend in my shop cast this from a real once live, scorpion to show the detail we could get in casting. It sat around here for all those years until this project came along. I wonder if that scorpion ever knew what his destiny was, for that is what it seems to me.
I made another oval in the thickness of the platforme the gun is fitted into, to display him with a clear plexiglass cover where he is perminantly installed.
Now this project sits on my coffee table ready to be witnessed by any visitors who come to see me. It is my gun and not for sale.
I was going to bring it to Reno, but since I couldn't, I thought you guys might like to see the finished project.
Now the Volcanic is coming into fruition, but is a slow process making a gun from scratch, one piece at a time. I feel very lucky to be able to own such a piece. It is a work of art in itself, and feel almost blastfamous thinking about engraving it, but you know us engravers. Just can't stand to see bare metal on such a worthy canvas.
It too will be in 40 cal., but it will be a really short cartridge, as the original Volcanic shot a rocket ball which was simply a bullet, hollowed out, with a very little powder in it due to it's size, and one of it's reasons for failure. It wasn't very powerful. But this little gun with a carteidge and loaded with modern powder, is quite efficient, but not a long range gun. The bullets are custom made. I see it as a step between the original Volcanic and the Henry that ended up being the success of the idea. The Henry Rifle was chambered for the 44/40 and was a huge success and the rest is history, as it went on to become the winchesters of today.
I am very fortunate to have one of four of these. The first one (prototype) made of aluminum, the second made of brass for the frame like the original, the third made of steel for me, and the fourtrh made of stainles steel made for Charlie himself.
It will be some time before he finished mine, but I am waiting with much excitement. May have to go and get some new glases again, as these are fading on me, so quickly, but I will give it a go. The first one (aluminum frame) is beautiful and functions like a watch. Smooth as silk.
He had made a pistol before he went on to the rifle and it shucks, fires, and loads flawlessly. There was a little trouble with ejection, due to the short bullet, but Charlie has that ironed out.
Maybe I will show some more pictures when I get it if you guys are interested.
I hope I can engrave it worthy of Charlie's efforts. Like I said, it is a work of art in itself.
Ron S
A friend and master machinist in houston, Charlie Mynhier, in the process of developing the skill to produce this gun, made this little pistol to test the barrels he was making from scratch, rifling and all. To see whether they would shoot accurately or not, he made this little single shot to test his barrels. He made a few of them before he got the right configuration to get the best results. He made this gun for me after inspiring me with the quality of his work. We traded work for it. It is one of three, but actually one of a kind. I suggested a couple changes from the original prototyes and so mine is one of a kind.
It features a bullet trap in the grip that holds two extra rounds. It is a forty cal. S&W. I can hit a tennis ball regularly even with my need to shoot with my left eye, and my nerves not too steady these days. So if I can shoot it, the gun will shoot.
After that, I decided it needed a qualified display case, so another friend made the box. Charlie wanted to call it "The Scorpion", so I used that theme to do the accessories and such.
I named mine "Texas Scorpion" and went with that idea, and that is inlayed on top of the barrel in gold, with a silver star along side the title. I also have a brass title plate inside the box.
I french fitted the gun and accessories myself, and also made the cleaning rod and screw driver that starts the dissasymbly.
Once the box was finished, I inlayed the oval scorpion theme in the lid in the center of the Texas. I waited till the box was finished with sealer and then glued the oval in.
Inside the box you can see another scorpion, but this one was a real one at one time. I have had this solid, 14k gold scorpion for years, wondering what I would do with it. Years ago, me and a friend in my shop cast this from a real once live, scorpion to show the detail we could get in casting. It sat around here for all those years until this project came along. I wonder if that scorpion ever knew what his destiny was, for that is what it seems to me.
I made another oval in the thickness of the platforme the gun is fitted into, to display him with a clear plexiglass cover where he is perminantly installed.
Now this project sits on my coffee table ready to be witnessed by any visitors who come to see me. It is my gun and not for sale.
I was going to bring it to Reno, but since I couldn't, I thought you guys might like to see the finished project.
Now the Volcanic is coming into fruition, but is a slow process making a gun from scratch, one piece at a time. I feel very lucky to be able to own such a piece. It is a work of art in itself, and feel almost blastfamous thinking about engraving it, but you know us engravers. Just can't stand to see bare metal on such a worthy canvas.
It too will be in 40 cal., but it will be a really short cartridge, as the original Volcanic shot a rocket ball which was simply a bullet, hollowed out, with a very little powder in it due to it's size, and one of it's reasons for failure. It wasn't very powerful. But this little gun with a carteidge and loaded with modern powder, is quite efficient, but not a long range gun. The bullets are custom made. I see it as a step between the original Volcanic and the Henry that ended up being the success of the idea. The Henry Rifle was chambered for the 44/40 and was a huge success and the rest is history, as it went on to become the winchesters of today.
I am very fortunate to have one of four of these. The first one (prototype) made of aluminum, the second made of brass for the frame like the original, the third made of steel for me, and the fourtrh made of stainles steel made for Charlie himself.
It will be some time before he finished mine, but I am waiting with much excitement. May have to go and get some new glases again, as these are fading on me, so quickly, but I will give it a go. The first one (aluminum frame) is beautiful and functions like a watch. Smooth as silk.
He had made a pistol before he went on to the rifle and it shucks, fires, and loads flawlessly. There was a little trouble with ejection, due to the short bullet, but Charlie has that ironed out.
Maybe I will show some more pictures when I get it if you guys are interested.
I hope I can engrave it worthy of Charlie's efforts. Like I said, it is a work of art in itself.
Ron S
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