Meriden and Beyond...

[Bill Murphy]

Francis, I don't remember any prohibition on hunting in the area of the Eisenhower Farm because of the Kennedy assassination. My Dad had a friend, a retired PA game warden named Bushman, who ran a game bird operation for many years in the south Gettysburg-Fairfield area. We hunted there often and I continued to shoot there with a friend who handled dogs for Mr. Bushman's hunters. I still have pictures of my Irish Setter working that property. For your information, not all of Ike's guns are in Kansas. His famous 20 gauge Model 21 is in the National Firearms Museum. The curator has an entertaining story about the gun that was told in a recent issue of the American Rifleman. Locals like myself and Mr. McCormack check in with the Invincibles on a fairly regular basis, and I check on the Model 21 when I'm over there. Some of our friends have guns in storage in the Rudy Etchen display also. It is an interesting addition to the historical displays. On another point, Ike's Model 42 connection is a pair, a cased pair as pictured in Ned Schwing's book. They apparently didn't belong to Ike, but to a quail hunting buddy. They were in the late Mike D'Angelo's collection some years ago, went to Randy Shuman's, now apparently buried in a collection, possibly Shuman's. Ike probably owned another Model 42, as you suggest. I don't know where it is or what it looks like. In Ike's correspondence with John Olin, I don't believe it was mentioned.

[Big D]

Bill - I bought my M42 from Mike D'Angelo about 10-15 years ago when he was liquidating his collection. Gun was an unfired factory vent rib gun with 28" barrels. I've really enjoyed that gun. Would be one of the last guns I would sell.
Interesting quote overheard from Randy Shuman at an OGCA show years ago. "I'm headed out to the Reno show next week. There were only nine 7mm Mausers (Or whatever the obscure caliber was) Model 70's produced, but 15 of them will be for sale at the show"

[Old and Reliable]

Huum- back to my M70 Bible- Roger Rule-- by 7mm I am guessing you mean the 7x57mm (aka- Spanish Mauser) round. I passed up a 1940's ish (first style safety and cloverleaf tang M70 in that scarce caliber) at a gun show as the dealer advertised it as an original carbine with 20" barrel- Howsome-ever, the barrel had been cut and recrowned from 24"- and the replacement front ramp was from a 1956 era M70- silver soldered onto the barrel, NOT forged with same as on the "Good M70's)-- I prefer mine made before 1951- the older hook cut rifling and lead lapping, and I don't care for the Featherweight series- I have two in 30-Gov't-06, one a Super Grade my late father bought new in 1940, the other a std. made in 1948-and a .270Win (Homage to castus Jack O'Connor I guess) std. grade made in 1951-- all have Buehler mounts and have Leupold scopes--

If you want a M70 to shoot- hard to beat either the 30-06 or .270Win- especially with modern shells- I have an early M54 in 7x57mm with a Lyman Alaskan scope- it shoots fine- but comparing the trigger on a M54 with that of its successor the 1936-1954 series M70, IMO, is like comparing Mogen David to Leibfraumilch--