c. 1890: Handguns decorated by Tiffany

Retronaut.cm ^

[eartrumpet]

I know I am in a distinct minority but for me, nothing destroys the functional beauty of a firearm like engraving it. Trying to make a piece of jewelry out of a gun is wrongheaded, IMHO.

I used to read all of Elmer Keith's magazine articles and have all his books. He was once given a 375 Ouch and Ouch rifle that he helped design from a custom rifle builder. They had dolled his rifle up like Saturday night. The first three paragraphs of the article described the gold inlays on the quarter rib, the ivory animal carvings in the stock, the highly engraved action, the floorplate with the gold charging lion... The next paragraph... "I started with my old favorite load of 78.0 grains of IMR 4350 and a 270 gr. Speer Grand Slam bullet and found it gave great accuracy." I loved it.

[GeronL]

SO, you are the more utilitarian kind?

I wouldn’t really care either way personally. I definitely wouldn’t pay more, cuz I am poor and cheap.

[Beowulf9]

Those are incredible.

[biff]

Me too, those weapons are much too gaudy for me. They look like they would have been done for some Turkish mullah or some camel jockey king.

Engraving when done in good taste is nice and should enhance the gun and not be the center of attendtion.

[wjcsux]

Form, Fit and Function.

[wjcsux]

The ultimate in Form, Fit and Function.

[Myrddin]