Handel-aydt 8.15x46r

[GOPHER SLAYER]

This is the last of of my center fire single shots. I aquired this rifle along with six other single shots from a man by the name of Clinton Harris. The name probably won't mean anything to you but if you have an older box of Sierra bullets you will see the name Harris Machine Works. Thats the same man. He was selling the collection for a friend. He was a fine gentleman and we became good friends . Clinton was raised on a farm close to Whittier Ca. but he was always interested in machinery and guns. He had a fabuloUs machine shop next to his garage and he was glad to show me how to use the lathe or mill. He sold his interest in the bullet company early on so he could go into the automoble business and he became very successful at it. He also had a small collection of guns that he would have sold me but I thought they were a little over priced at the time. Big mistake. Like an early Winchester Model 52 .22 and Winchester 5 x power scope complete with original leater case for seven hundred dollars. I could get more than that for the scope today. I have never seen another case for one. In the collection I bought, I also got a like new single shot that was a tip up . It was a hunting rifle but in the same caliber. Of course it had double set triggers. I think the Germans put them on all there rifles unless they were for the military. This was a fine rifle but at the time I had an aversion to tip ups. I suppose because they are difficult to shoot off the bench and not all that great off hand either. I must have been under some evil influence . I sold it for three hundred dollars. I wish there some way to delete such memories from your data base. That is, some way short of alshiemers. If I misspelled that, don't worry about it. I don't really care. Getting back to the Handle. This rifle was a war trophy and like most of them it didn't make it over here with the rear sight. When I shoot it, which is rare, I use the scope or the peep sights on the base pictured with my Ruger #1 on an earlier thread. This rifle has a fine bore and is a great shooter. I bought a double cavity mold through this web site. It is a discontinued Lyman mold made for the 32.40. I size it to .319 and use about 12 grains of 2400 or maybe it was 4227, whatever. It shot so well it was boring. I love the 8.15x46 cartridge and I wish it had cought on over here. They have plenty of room for smokeless powder with cast bullets and they are easy to make from 30.30 brass. I can't think of any thing more to say about the Aydt but if there are questions feel free.

[Southern Son]

Gopher, I don't know that there has ever been a rifle, pistol or shotgun posted on any forum that is more pretty than that. Mayby there have been some that were as beutiful, but none more. It is truly stunning.

[gewehrfreund]

That's about as nice as you can find them these days, and hopefully you still have the original sights for it.
And, not to nitpick, but it's HAENEL, not Handel. Handel was a great composer, but I don't think he ever made rifles.;-)

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I appreciate the kind remarks about my Haenal-Aydt. When you are building something or composing something that requires inspection ,you always leave a little mistake for the inspector. If you don't he will find something big. Actually I was listioning to the idiot Bill Handle on the station Rush comes on and I guess I had him on the brain. I should also give credit to the composer Handle for the Hallaluha Chorus. As far as I know he didn't make off hand rifles. gewehrfriend, as nice as this gun is, I have owned others that make this one look like a Mossberg. I bought a Martini action off hand rifle in a yard sale that was engraved with deep cut images and covered in gold and silver inlays. The stock was a beautiful dark walnut with carving that looked like it could come to life. The barrel had gold vines with leaves inlayed like they were growing in the steel. One side of the action was an engraved image of Dianah, godess of the hunt. She had two elk hounds on leases and there was an downed stag in the forground, There was a cherub about an inch long made of silver inlayed in the barrel just in front of the receiver . The other side of the action had an engraving of cupid aiming his bow at a heart held by two other cherubs. The barrel was filled with cosmoline and perfect. Unfortunatly the breach block was missing and to have one made would have been impossible so I let it go. Another single shot was also a Martini action, deeply engraved , not inlayed but still had all the originol case colors. I sold the first one to the guy up in Wiscosion who puts out a catalog on single shots. All I remember is that his first name is .Joe. I traded the second one to my friend for the Ruger #1 I pictured earlier.

[waksupi]

There was an Aydt in the pawn shops up here, and I wish I would have got it. It had been in a fire, and would need re-heat treatment, and restocking. I beleive the price on it was $600. Still had the original target sights on it, which I consider to be worth that amount by their self.

[Bent Ramrod]

Gopher Slayer,

Thanks for the info on Clinton Harris and the Harris Machine Works. I've seen several boxes of Sierra gas checks made by Harris Machine works and always wondered what that was about.

[deerslayer]

Wow, that is to perty to shoot.