It's time to play "Repro Detective"!
 

You see what I see? What's odd here? Identify the oddity and get yourself an attaboy. I can't say that I've ever seen another one like it before, have you?

"Made In Japan" in that location on the barrel.





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Good job Dean, that was quick! You've earned your way to an attaboy!

Have you or anyone else ever seen it on a splinter forend in that location before?

:whistle:

Same gun Scot. You knew that though, you little detective. :p

I'm still intrigued by that gun..true prototype or embellished?

I love the depiction of the pointer..

I have not seen a Repro with "Made In Japan" in that location before.

That pointer is an exact copy of Robert Runge's engraving when he worked for Remington as chief engraver on the Parker project.





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Very observant Scot, you also are awarded an attaboy! Congrats!

Just like the pointer varies from the pointers on the standard run of DHE Repros, so too, does the Setter and pheasants. Another seldom encountered stamping on the barrel of this gun is the 70mm chamber stamping, we discussed this stamp previously and it was thought to have been applied on only the very first run of Repros. In the listing of this particular gun it states that it's out of the Skeuse collection.

If I'm not mistaken, that's the location of the "mij" roll-stamp typical of guns with a BTFE. That said, the BTFE gun I have has the mij roll-stamp in the typical SFE location so..

I contacted the seller about this gun just about the time it became available..he didn't realize the engraving differences and he didn't have any info indicating the gun was in fact, a true prototype. Here's the left and, underside of the gun. If I recall correctly, it's a "P" gun.

Ha! we posted simultaneously..

*edited to add: I've come very, very close to taking a chance on that gun a number of times..I like it.

Absolutely correct, it is a different variation of Robert Runge's usually observed dogs and pheasants on DHE Repro's. We must keep in mind however that Tom Skeuse sent several of his very best Remington Parkers to the Olin Kodensha factory in Japan. Why the other engraving style was chosen for the later DHE Repro's over the one pictured in this thread is anybody's guess, but I suspect Mr. Skeuse himself had a hand in the decision.

Correction made - it was Tom Skeuse, not Jack as I had originally (and erroneously) stated. My thanks to Greg for politely and discreetly pointing out my error.


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What about the case colors? Are they bone/charcoal or chemical?

The CC's look typical of a Repro to me.

Occam's Razor says it's a prototype but, is that enough? ..it'd be quite a unique find if this gun could be definitively papered.

I reached out to R. Skeuse on this one but it didn't seem to grab his attention (the engraving) and I didn't want to pester him any further. I also had a chance to put my eyes on it but, wasn't able to make it to the event.

I think Greg should buy this gun and send it to me for inspection!

I agree 100% with you on the case coloring and I like your Occam's Razor terminology (I had to google that one!). But, preferring double triggers I'm not a good candidate for purchasing this one for you to inspect, perhaps Eric might be your man. :whistle:

I'm usually "up" for a discussion of Repros, but this thread has me under the bus. I have no idea what is being discussed. Don't get me wrong, Dean and MD GSP are good friends, but I just don't know what is going on. Maybe it's because I am not a fan of single trigger Repros and don't own one. I do have a selection of Runge engraved late D Grades that I may give a closer look.

Scot . . . could we see a close up pic of your BTFE gun? I'm wondering if the wood completely covers the MIJ stamping? Just as the subject gun differs from standard guns, yours sounds similar and something I hadn't seen before.

It appears I misspoke. The roll-stamp is atop the rib and there’s no roll-stamp on the side of the right barrel that says, “mij” at all. It’s a 12ga. Sorry for the misinformation.

Bill - we’re trying to make heads or tails of the engraving that’s on the photographed gun. Is it a pre-production PR prototype?

Dean - you said, in part, “ Why the other engraving style was chosen for the later DHE Repro’s..”. I understand it’s a Remington era Robert Runge pattern but, you’ve seen that pattern on Repro’s before?

It seems to me that I have but only once. It looks familiar to me but I don't remember where I saw it - only that it was unusual.





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It more than likely was Tom Skeuse, but whomever made the decision, I, for one, am more than pleased as the game scenes depicted are engraved in greater detail, particularly the pheasants.

The pheasants depicted on the subject gun are textbook Runge, especially the position of the wings of the uppermost pheasant in flight. Compare that wing position against any other of his birds in flight, quail, pheasants, ducks... they all have that same wing position.

I just took Kathy's Repro 28 gauge, 28-03961 and examined the pheasants on hers and they are far more artistically represented. Furthermore, I have always held the opinion that Robert Runge was a fine engraving artist but not so much of an anatomist. Wings set in awkward positions, dogs' legs protruding from the body at anatomically impossible angles are a couple of examples. These anatomic characteristics are evident in the subject gun but not on later Repros.





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Anatomy aside..to my eye - the pointer and, the pheasants are so quintessentially American, it's not even funny. All subjective of course but..there you go. I'm nearing 50 years old fwiw.

I'm 70... FWIW





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