Sorry, my-rifle, but I'm not in LA! I'm down here by the race track on the beach, on that big sandbar southeast of LA.
These are the kind of goodies I consider as C&Rs. If it MUST be a pseudo-military issued trainer, how about this one.
This is an all original Winchester 85 Low Wall Winder Musket. According to the gent writing the book on these, this one was part of he final government contract for .22rf single-shot trainers, signed shortly before the 1918 signing of the Armistice which ended WW I.
Below is a Winchester ad found in a 1917 "Arms And The Man" magazine, which was the official journal of the NRA back then.
mwk1975, that is a very nice piece of old iron. I wonder how difficult it is nowadays to find .32rf ammo? Glad to see soeone else likes the old timers.
This is one of SIX observed/reported Fiala survivors marked COLUMBIA ARMS CORPORATION. The total number of survivors, with one of three known maker marks, is only 130, of an estimated 9,000 produced - all variations.
Collectors are still trying to piece together a sensible scenario which could logically explain why the six known serial numbers are among serial number sequences we know were made by one of the OTHER two makers. It's a mystery none of us have come up with an accepted theory for.
Another point adding to the mystery, all six known Columbia-marked guns have their company name HAND ENGRAVED on them, rather than roll-stamped like the others. Almost as if the ownership somehow KNEW they would not be producing enough guns to make an expensive stamp worthwhile.
I would be very happy to hear from anyone who owns ANY of the Fiala guns.