I sure miss Bob Beach

[Phillip Carr]

I sure do miss Bob Beach doing research letters for Griffin and Howe.
I just bought my 4th gun since Bob retired 4 years ago. Unfortunately even though G & H show they have records for these guns and Bob retired 4 years ago they still have not found a replacement per an email this week, so can not help.
Its too bad they wont give copies of their records to the Cody Museum.
A Parker 12 BHE, a D Grade 12 Lefever, a 375 magnum H&H and now a 1st year model 70 Super Grade 30 Gov. Awaits.
Would love to know if the rifle was delivered with the G&H side mount with windage adjustment and the scope.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

[Dean Romig]

I miss Bob too…

A lot of us miss bob and his wonderful research packages.





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[charlie cleveland]

a friend tried to trade me a Winchester model 70 30 06 just like the one pictured here...kinda wish I had traded for it........charlie

[edgarspencer]

Bob did a package for me on a GHE28. It included 10 pages of information on the owner who was a Wall St banker, who worked for EF Hutton. The A&F records showed his purchase, and the very next entry was a 12ga GHE, sold to EF Hutton. I can picture the two gents, going out for lunch, and EF telling the guy "Buy that little 28". We all know, When EF speaks, people listened, so he bought the gun.

When my dad was a student at RPI, he bought a DHE20 from the school nurse, who had purchased the used gun at A&F. He worked with her at nights, in the ER of the Troy, NY hospital. She was the head of the New York State Nurses Association. Ironically he sold the gun 40 years later (he hated the single trigger) and I bought it back, 35 years later.

[John Albano]

Bob did a couple of letters for me over the years. They were exceptional. He was a pleasure to work with. It seems that my attorney, accountant and several others that I have relied on over the years have retired. They all deserve it. Hopefully G & H will find a way to make their information available to collectors. I doubt it will ever go in to the detail that Bob provided.

[Phillip Carr]

Edgar and Bob you are spot on about Bob Beach and his letters. The details and data he provided was unbelievable.
Its been 4 years since Bob retired and unfortunately G&H has not filled the position.
For collectors, or guys like us that just love to find as much history as possible on a nice firearm. It many times is a stopping point as we have nothing further to use to trace possible history on the gun.
In the case of the model 70, I found the SN when I used the search option on the G&H website.
Its a high condition nice rifle with the G&H side mount and Zeiss scope. I would sure like to know if the rifle was ordered this way, or was ordered by A&F and G&H installed.
The research I have done on line pointed to many stating how they don't like the after market side mount and how it devalues the rifle.
I personally think its attractive and now believe that Winchester may have offered this set up as an option at least until 1941.
This morning while going through Roger Rules book I found on page 201 a picture of a 1938 brochure although unreadable, it shows pictures of the advertised target rifle with several pictures of what clearly is the same Mount as on my rifle.
I know we have a lot of very knowledgable members here that like the model 70.
If anyone has a copy of the brochure I would be most grateful to get a picture of the page showing the scope mount system.

[Reggie Bishop]

I don't think G&H are planning on replacing Mr. Beach. My mentor upon graduating from college once told me that "everyone is replaceable". Maybe he was wrong?

[Bill Murphy]

I guess it's common knowledge that a G&H installed side mount has filed off screws with the slots filed off and flush with the mount. This is probably not true in every case.

[Phillip Carr]

I guess it's common knowledge that a G&H installed side mount has filed off screws with the slots filed off and flush with the mount. This is probably not true in every case.

Bill you Re correct of course, that is why I always question the norm
I have bought som great guns that were sold because they did not have “ Factory work, or out of what was accepted to be the norm.

Winchester model 21 grade 6. Sold as if it had after market engraving. Winchester records stated it was a field grade when delivered in 1941. Pauline Murrle had records going back to Winchester in 1946 after the war for a restock, and grade 6 engraving.

LC smith 2 barrel set A2 with previously unseen engraving pattern. I bought it as a Monogram as it was made years after the last A2 was manufactured. Tom Archer did an article on this gun and I bought it for a fracition of the price of an A2.

Recently I bought a Holland and Holland 275 magnum. I bought it right because I was told as well as the seller that H&H never made a flat bolt. So it had been modified and not being original hurt the value.
A letter from H&H cleared this up.

If the quality is there on a gun I like, and the price is fair I buy the gun. Its somewhat of a gamble I guess but if you can research and prove the work was factory then no only is the gun more valuable but you now have a possibly a rare or one of a kind gun.

Copy of the letter from my recent discovery. As they say never say never.

[Joe Dreisch]

I love the mechanics of this rig! This rifle drips old-school cool and is a beautiful example of how it was done right back-in-the-day! Thanks for sharing this, Phil.

[edgarspencer]

Winchester never offered any detachable mount of their own, to my knowledge, and I think its absurd to say the G&H twin lever side mount reduces the value of a Model 70, especially since Winchester custom shop offered it. It is very functional, and adds a certain panache to a model 70. While the Super Grade stock was dressy for Winchester, it can't hold a candle to the G&H stocked guns.
I wish I still had the G&H built 7mm Mauser built on the '03 receiver. The John Warren engraving of bolt cocking piece, receiver ring tops and muzzle were the frosting on the cake, But I suppose the diehard Model 70 people would have found something to pick on.

[Bill Murphy]

I don't think the G&H side mount devalues any gun. I've got a bag of rifles with this mount and don't really care whether G&H installed them or not if it is a clean installation.

[Phillip Carr]

I totally agree. I really like the G&H side mounts with vintage era scopes. The setup allows easy loading, ejection, as well as the unobstructed use of the peep sight.
Edgar I wish I could have handled your G&H rifle.
This rifle has some really nice wood but I agree G&H stocks were exceptional.