| Author | Message | ||
     Just_ziptab |
Can anybody find this patent? (U.S. Pat 255917) I'd love to see a sketch or drawing of the piece. Game on.............. | ||
| Jpagel |
ziptab.. what is this patent for? | ||
| Froggy |
http://www.google.com/patents?id=czdcAAAAEBAJ&pg=P A1&dq=255917&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=one page&q&f=false Patent number: 255917 Filing date: Jul 19, 1881 Issue date: Apr 4, 1882 OIL-WELL BAILER WILLIAM H. BIRGE | ||
| Ridenusa4l |
is there anything google cant do??? Jake | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Not it :-( Give me a minute to post a picture. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Probably made in the 70's  | ||
| Geforce |
That looks like a firearm... Indeed. | ||
| Froggy |
Here ya go, next time give some more info in the first post  http://www.google.com/patents?id=eAw-AAAAEBAJ&prin tsec=abstract&zoom=4&source=gbs_overview_r&cad=0#v =onepage&q&f=false | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Froggy! That is so cool! You're the best!Links led me to internal drawings......and that was what I was looking for. The piece is serial numbered "NON GUN" as it was made as a sales demo. I knew the maker and his son(both gone now).It's history is lost in time. It has been redesigned by the new company owners in AZ. Pretty much the same,but wider frame and with better trigger and extractor.......which mine is missing.These were completely built from scratch,machining,bluing and all....... in a two car garage about 20 miles from me.  | ||
| Court |
It's nearly indistinguishable from a Browning Challenger. | ||
| Jramsey |
Merrill Sportsman switch barrel single shot made by Rex Merrill of Rockwell City Iowa. Calibers,.22LR,.22WRF,.22WMR,.22Hornet and 17 K Hornet. Zip, I have the September 1968 issue of Guns and Hunting that has a full article and field test on it. If you want it PM me your address and I'll send it next week. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Thank you Jramsey. That would be great and you will be returned with a fair token of appreciation for you time.Back in the 70's,I heard there was a guy in Rockwell City that made pistols. I was interested and went for a visit. Rex showed me a 22 pistol with a wire wrist rest and a scope that I fell in love with...but no funds for that kind of toy. He then showed me a 30-30 caliber pistol and I thought "what in the world "! Rex said they use them for silhouette shooting and showed me some clippings. Seemed kind of "he man" stuff to me at the time. He gave me the full tour of the shop and I went on my way in wonder and awe. A few years later, I got involved in Silhouette shooting from remembering the "tour of the shop" . Hey,I've been there!(at the shop). I have shot in competition with Jim Rock and Gary Wrigley,who were then the new owners of RPM/Merill. I went on to shooting hand cannons with many wins....but never did get a real "Rockwell City" pistol. A great period of many years in my life are due to Rex! I still have his obit on the side of my refrigerator. I ate supper with his son Buzz in Idaho during the 1984 IHMSA International Championships when he came out to visit the event.I started looking on the net for Merrill Sportsman pistol information and it is pretty much a ghost in all pertinent information. Disaster struck when I found the obit for Buzz as I was looking for him to see what he knew of that gun. I saw that Buzz lived in my town at one time,38 years ago,before I moved here.A shooter friend told me that he had seen the very first gun that Rex built in 1948. Very crude,carved out with a hacksaw.I am simply amazed at the quality,fit and finish of the modern production pistols. Fascinated with the design.Very tight and well made.. You can feel the warmth of hand made in America!I only now wish I had the foresight to have asked Rex if he needed any help to build those pistols back then. Farmers helped in the evenings with the build in the off season. That would have been so cool to have been a part of it all,especially after I got into IHMSA shooting around the country. That would pretty much be like saying I worked for Erik Buell. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
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