I don't spend much time on online gun auction sites. I'm a lefty and all I'm really interested in are flinters and that combination is fairly rare. I do look occasionally and the other day I came across something that caught my eye. It was a lefty southern mountain rifle with a fancy tiger maple stock and featuring a patch box. It also has a set of Lyman target sights which to me look a bit out of place. Somebody's target rifle? The seller admitted to knowing very little about the rifle or guns in general and stated that it had been hanging on a wall for years. He said it might have some rust and pitting in the bore although he doesn't have a bore scope to check. The barrel is 3/4" across the flats and 44" long. This was the first time I've ever had anyone describe a guns caliber as 'a 5/16"drill bit will fit in the bore'. A little math told me that it was probably .32 cal. The name of the probable maker, D. Motto, is engraved neatly on a flat near the breech. No other markings. A little online research revealed a well-respected rifle maker named Dave Motto from West Virginia.
Well, I placed a bid and almost hoped someone would out-bid me. I won it. When it arrived I set about unpacking my new possession with more than a bit of apprehension. Everything looked great externally but if the bore was toast I was the owner of an expensive wall-hanger. Swabbing the bore revealed some light rust but I didn't feel any rough places. I removed the lock and found DM stamped inside the plate. Did Motto make his own locks? Next I removed the barrel from the stock and was delighted to discover it was stamped "Getz" and a serial number. My day was looking up! Even if the bore was too damaged to deliver good accuracy I can still have it bored out and rifled to a larger caliber. Then there was the Mystery Screw. On the top-right flat is a round-headed slotted screw. That's a first for me. I gingerly attempted to remove it but it seems perfectly happy where it was and I saw no reason to remove it.
That bit about not needing to remove the screw lasted until I took the rifle to the range for its debut. A friend was there and we were chatting about the rifle. I'm sure you have already guessed what happened next. I dry-balled it. Well, my guess is that the MS is intended as a handy way to dribble in some powder in just such a situation. Unfortunately, that screw really likes being where it is! After marring the screw slightly I gave up and used the good old fashioned dribble through the touch hole.
So here's my question. Has anybody seen a set up like this? It's not necessary and frankly sort of like a wart on a pretty girl.
John
Topic: D. Motto and the Mystery Screw (Read 2278 times)