A1 Reproduction Custom Project

[David Safris]

Hi all,
Thought I would share a project I started earlier this year - I purchased an A1 Reproduction - in the white - with the goal to have it custom engraved. After talking around a bit I was able to get on the list with Mr Geoffroy Gournet to do the engraving.

We traded sketches and then I made samples using photos I have of my dogs. Surprisingly tricky to find photos of the dogs that worked well on the gun layouts.

Shown below are some of the layout ideas we worked through. I wanted the gun to look like a Parker with the engraving and matching the A grade scroll work I have on another gun.

Also including a sample of completed work. Much more work to be done - but it is getting close enough to get excited now so thought I would share. Overall been a great project and worth the wait..

[Jeff langbehn]

Well there is no one who does it better than Geoff…. Looks like it’s going to be magnificent

[John Dallas]

Gotta love those springers!

[Brian Dudley]

Have fun with the project as well as the end result. You will love it.

Dont sweat every detail. There is fun in letting Geoffroy do his thing.

[Paul Ehlers]

What a great project!

I found the same thing about finding the right pictures of my dogs for a custom upgrade project. I had a bunch of pictures but none of them were appropriate, and I ended up going a different way.

Good luck with it & thanks for sharing it with us.

[Tom Kidd]

Ha, the quail sure look like the ones on my 20ga Model 21, right down to the blue and gold pins. Sure a nice complement! Merry Christmas to All!

[David Safris]

Ha, the quail sure look like the ones on my 20ga Model 21, right down to the blue and gold pins. Sure a nice complement! Merry Christmas to All!


You must be right ! The process started seven months ago and I was looking around at so many fine guns online I would have been hard pressed to remember what guns I was showing Geoffroy as examples.. Your gun is absolutely amazing and must be a match - and I thank you for taking the complement as it certainly is. I am not sure if the quail idea are going to make it into the final - but I will keep you all posted.. and yes- Merry Christmas to all !

[Bill Murphy]

I'd like to hear and see more of Tom's 21. It has a familiar look, maybe the work, before engraving, of a local PA gunsmith of great talent.

[Tom Kidd]

Sorry Bill Cody letter and known history back to original owner. Always easy to say 'it's a fake especially when it is another's gun. Merry Christmas!

[Bill Murphy]

Tom, I thought, because of the round sculpted frame, that it may have been the 21 that Russ Bickel built a few years ago and converted to ejector. I didn't mean to imply that it was a fake.

[Greg Baylander]

All fine sporting shotgun should include engravings of the greatest hunting dog known to mankind. Why are all my pics upside down? LOL

[David Safris]

Being upside down perfectly fits the personality of my two springers - hah - I had that happen once too - I think I cropped them on my iPhone and set them at the correct alignment and re uploaded and that seemed to solve it -

Was out with the dogs today at a private spot and bagged five pheasant on a chilly morning - the dogs did great and I got to have a good long walk with what may be a future son in law (who also happens to be an excellent shot and a great hunting companion ) - tired and happy

[David Safris]

A few more pictures - Sounds like a bird will be worked in on both sides of the design... I am anxiously waiting for the next steps that will start to incorporate the dogs into the pattern.

[Brian Dudley]

Will the dogs be in Bulino? Or cut in the “old style” as geoffroy says.

[David Safris]

After a lot of looking at examples I decided to go with bulino style engraving for the dogs - it is a departure from making it look like an old Parker but I think will allow Geoffroy to really show his skills

[Brian Dudley]

Bulino is the only way to do a true portrait.

[allen newell]

A pair of English setters belong on the frame

[David Safris]

Getting real now ! Super happy about how the first dog looks.

[gournet]

https://imgur.com/a/YZ8Kkfj
Here is the bottom scene . Note than it is not supposed to be an Italian bulino quality but something more fitting a good portrait in the old style for a casecolor .

[David Safris]

As posted by Geoffroy - new images available on the progress on the left side and bottom. I am really beyond impressed with how this can be translated to metal like this. I cant draw a circle with a pencil and a tin can to trace. I am really happy with how this looks. And nod of approval from my wife seals it. A few more steps to go...

[GunnerGrilli]

Absolutely Stunning!!!! Just Wow!!!!!


Thanks for Sharing.



Bobby

[Brian Dudley]

Here is your action fresh back from Turnbulls for Case Color.

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[Garth Gustafson]

Absolutely stunning engraving! Not to take anything away from Brian's equally outstanding work but what a lasting tribute to the late great Geoffroy Gournet. And likely one of his last completed commissions. RIP Mr. Gournet.

[David Safris]

I'm more than a little shocked about this news about Goeffory - Brian D - sorry for the email chaos in your messages - i needed to take a deep breath and get organized - This project started last July and I knew it would take a good while to get finished but who could have imagined this situation. Geoffroy was always very nice to work with and very encouraging on the project. He is much too young to have this happen. Just sad all around.

[David Safris]

Much has happened since the last post so I thought I would give a final update on this A1 Special project. As you all know Mr Gournet passed in March of 2025. I want to thank Brian Dudley of the forum who as it happened had just received the engraved pieces back from being case hardened. Brian was very helpful in pulling the last few steps of the project together.

After a bit of time passed I was able to trade some messages with Geoffroy's wife Virginie and we had a nice phone conversation - I was pretty torn up by this unfortunate situation and it was a tough call to make.. Hard to ask a grieving widow to worry about suddenly small things like FFL paperwork and shipping hassles.. We worked through the details in May and I received the gun in June.

Virginie was absolutely all class in helping to work through the final steps and shipment of the finished gun. I just can’t even put into words here the many nuanced meanings of this project.

There was a little stretch of weather here a few weeks back that allowed me to take the A1 out. I was nervous as all heck and thinking about Geoffroy and the gun and how well Virginie had treated me on the project.. The old cliche of - yah, i'll never forget that hunt. Managed to drop a fat rooster and get some pictures. Was out with a guy I have known since the early 70’s and it just really hit home that we are not here for a long time. It’s a pretty fast ride and I’m just thankful to still be on it.

Not sure how often I will take this in the field but I am sure happy I got it out this fall and wanted to share a few pictures and kind of put an end cap on this.. many thanks to those who followed along.

[Bill Davis]

What a totally stunning shotgun and fitting tribute to the so very talented Geoffrey Gournet! Thank you for sharing it with all of us. It’s a vicarious thrill for me and I can only imagine how you felt when that first rooster leaped skyward and came cackling out of the grass!