Post by rWt on Feb 2, 2010 20:34:49 GMT -5
I just learned that he passed away in August, 2008.
I had the great fortune to have a few custom rifles built around his great metalwork 15 years or so ago
I still have a .270 Winchester built on a Mauser G3340 action. The magazine box was extended and the Baier barrel throat cut so that I could seat the bullet out safely and get a few more grains of powder in the case. 130 grain bullets fly at 3350 fps, 150's at 3175. The 22" barrel has a 1 in 9 twist to help stabilize the old Bitterroot bullets I still have and load for it.
A .375 H&H Improved took a Cape Buffalo a number of years ago.
Tom was a machinist during WWII and had a wonderful knowledge of math. He knew the math behind designing a magazine box to properly align bullets for feeding, for instance. Jerry Fisher once told me that he was the only metalsmith he knew that always produced rifled actions that worked properly. Tom was always fixing the work of other well known metalsmiths. He always said that they didn't know the theory and math behind why things needed to be designed a certain way
He was also very badly backlogged. I know someone who had an action with Tom for 7 years and ended up picking it up. I'm sure that Tom gave priority to stock maker's work to help them out. Maurice Ottmar was a good friend of his and made wonderful hand worked stocks-no machine work for Maurice.
Tom's a loss.
I had the great fortune to have a few custom rifles built around his great metalwork 15 years or so ago
I still have a .270 Winchester built on a Mauser G3340 action. The magazine box was extended and the Baier barrel throat cut so that I could seat the bullet out safely and get a few more grains of powder in the case. 130 grain bullets fly at 3350 fps, 150's at 3175. The 22" barrel has a 1 in 9 twist to help stabilize the old Bitterroot bullets I still have and load for it.
A .375 H&H Improved took a Cape Buffalo a number of years ago.
Tom was a machinist during WWII and had a wonderful knowledge of math. He knew the math behind designing a magazine box to properly align bullets for feeding, for instance. Jerry Fisher once told me that he was the only metalsmith he knew that always produced rifled actions that worked properly. Tom was always fixing the work of other well known metalsmiths. He always said that they didn't know the theory and math behind why things needed to be designed a certain way
He was also very badly backlogged. I know someone who had an action with Tom for 7 years and ended up picking it up. I'm sure that Tom gave priority to stock maker's work to help them out. Maurice Ottmar was a good friend of his and made wonderful hand worked stocks-no machine work for Maurice.
Tom's a loss.
