I’ve always liked the last photo you posted. Showing the test firing of the Model 92 SRC. I’ve had debates with folks in the past about a specific detail in it. I’ve argued with people that WRACo wrapped the rings with a protective cloth while shipping SRCs and that a few of them still have it on them. As for whatever reason the customer left them on and never removed them. 

Well at least in 1918 when this photo was taken, one model 92 SRC has the protective cloth on it while being test fired. You suppose it would be a big jump to conclude that this was done on more than one occasion and for a period of time. I think this photo gives some proof to that being fact. 

Sincerely,

Maverick

Tedk said
Does it look like the employees used any hearing protection back in the day?  

Yes they did. It was very scientific equipment! The latest and greatest technology in the form of a Cotton Ball.

deerhunter said

TXGunNut said

I’m very excited to finally get a chance to read Louis Luttrell’s article on the RCS guns, members of this forum have been getting bits and pieces of this story for years and will enjoy reading more about this man and his guns. 

Mike

  

Finally got my copy in the P.O. Box today.  I too, have been anxiously waiting for the article on the RCS guns.  I shared this on the forum awhile back when luck struck me at a local gun shop a few months ago when they called me about a pre-64 model 70 African in 458 Win Mag that walked in the door.  At the time, none of us knew the significance of the gold-inlayed “RCS” on the trigger guard and the shop actually discounted the rifle for me since it had “somebody else’s initials” on it.  Gun is like new condition and I have my doubts it has ever been fired since it left the factory.  It’s nothing like the factory-engraved specimens in the article, but still really cool to actually have a piece of Russell Smith’s collection now in mine–and it’s one of only 1,226 pre-64 Africans Winchester ever made.  Anyway, my hats off and thanks to Louis and Kenneth for putting this fine article together and sharing with all of us.  My copy will be paired with the rifle as long as I own it.

Don

  

I simply have to comment again on what a great job was done by all on the Spring 2025 issue! With so many good and interesting articles, as there’s something for everyone. IMO! Louis and Ken Barr’s article, on the model 70, that Dr. R.S.C. owned, and Don being able to further his information on his great find, is truly amazing all in all, and I will go back again and re read it again and again.

Bert’s article on the model 43, with his up to date research, is always interesting, and useful, to many of us in our quest and search for a good honest Winchester. Such interesting information, on the early composition grip cap vs. the latter steel grip cap, as an example.

Member Chuck Wachter had a very interesting article and story on a historical fine model 1887 shotgun. Nice job.

Brad’s article on the Winchester plane caused me to check further into a plane I acquired years ago, that I can research a little more on.

Longtime Life member Glen Ridderbush, interesting article on the paper patched bullets, in his 30-06 collection, I found interesting and  informative as a cartridge collector also.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this great magazine.

Anthony

When I was a kid at the range with my father and uncle, they put cigarette butts in my ears.

Steven-

What we (think we) know about M70s in Dr. Smith’s collection is that there were (107) of them, including rifles he’d had custom stocked by Al Biesen and several other custom rifle makers of the era. The (107) figure comes from a draft WACA article done some time ago by Vic Van Ballenberghe, but Vic’s information would have come from Lou Leonard who purchased the RCS collection along with Norm Schoonover.  A couple of RCS’s custom rifles are pictured in the WACA Collector Article by Jim Riis cited in the article.

The majority of Dr. Smith’s M70s were regular factory production rifles without personalization of any kind.  Most of these were Super Grades or Target Models.  He seems to have been particularly fond of 220 SWIFT Target Models, as he had about a half dozen of them.  I mentioned above that I have (2) M70 Super Grades in my collection that were originally purchased by RCS.  The only way to identify them is that they are listed by serial number on the collection inventory prepared by Norm Schoonover in 1972.  

Schoonover’s inventory is incomplete, but does mention that some of the otherwise unadorned rifles had an “RCS” monogram.  Don’s African, with a gold monogrammed trigger guard done by John Kusmit, is listed in the inventory and the monogram is noted.  I’ve no way to know exactly how many other factory monogrammed RCS Model 70s are out there, as the inventory is not complete and I don’t know how consistently Norm wrote such things down.

As for the full factory customs, there were two sets of rifles.  The first (1946-48) was the Ulrich engraved set featured in the article.  There were at least (5), as these were acquired by Lou Leonard and pictured in Dean Whitaker’s 1978 Model 70 book.  There may (???) have been a sixth one, a 375 MAGNUM, as discussed in footnote 7 of the article.  If so, it’s still “floating around”… 

The second set, ordered in 1948, also consisted of (5) rifles.  At least that’s what Vic told me, as he had seen them at Lou Leonard’s house.  These are NOT engraved except for an RCS monogram, but have select wood with style D (oak leaf) carved stocks, gold triggers, checkered both handles, jeweled bolts, etc.  Of these, the only one whose current whereabouts are known is S/N 87160, which is pictured in the article, as well as the M70 books by Whitaker and Rule.  That one is in my collection.  Lou Leonard sold the other (4) to various unknown buyers.  The only reason that we have S/N 87160 is that Leonard sold that one to Vic, along with the Ulrich-engraved 220 SWIFT, around 1998.

So, depending on how you want to define “RCS engraved”; there are (0 to 1) of the Ulrich-engraved ones, (4) of the oak leaf carved ones, and an unknown number of the plain monogrammed rifles like Don’s, out there…

Hope this helps!!!

Lou

Louis Luttrell said
Steven-

What we (think we) know about M70s in Dr. Smith’s collection is that there were (107) of them, including rifles he’d had custom stocked by Al Biesen and several other custom rifle makers of the era. The (107) figure comes from a draft WACA article done some time ago by Vic Van Ballenberghe, but Vic’s information would have come from Lou Leonard who purchased the RCS collection along with Norm Schoonover.  A couple of RCS’s custom rifles are pictured in the WACA Collector Article by Jim Riis cited in the article.

The majority of Dr. Smith’s M70s were regular factory production rifles without personalization of any kind.  Most of these were Super Grades or Target Models.  He seems to have been particularly fond of 220 SWIFT Target Models, as he had about a half dozen of them.  I mentioned above that I have (2) M70 Super Grades in my collection that were originally purchased by RCS.  The only way to identify them is that they are listed by serial number on the collection inventory prepared by Norm Schoonover in 1972.  

Schoonover’s inventory is incomplete, but does mention that some of the otherwise unadorned rifles had an “RCS” monogram.  Don’s African, with a gold monogrammed trigger guard done by John Kusmit, is listed in the inventory and the monogram is noted.  I’ve no way to know exactly how many other factory monogrammed RCS Model 70s are out there, as the inventory is not complete and I don’t know how consistently Norm wrote such things down.

As for the full factory customs, there were two sets of rifles.  The first (1946-48) was the Ulrich engraved set featured in the article.  There were at least (5), as these were acquired by Lou Leonard and pictured in Dean Whitaker’s 1978 Model 70 book.  There may (???) have been a sixth one, a 375 MAGNUM, as discussed in footnote 7 of the article.  If so, it’s still “floating around”… 

The second set, ordered in 1948, also consisted of (5) rifles.  At least that’s what Vic told me, as he had seen them at Lou Leonard’s house.  These are NOT engraved except for an RCS monogram, but have select wood with style D (oak leaf) carved stocks, gold triggers, checkered both handles, jeweled bolts, etc.  Of these, the only one whose current whereabouts are known is S/N 87160, which is pictured in the article, as well as the M70 books by Whitaker and Rule.  That one is in my collection.  Lou Leonard sold the other (4) to various unknown buyers.  The only reason that we have S/N 87160 is that Leonard sold that one to Vic, along with the Ulrich-engraved 220 SWIFT, around 1998.

So, depending on how you want to define “RCS engraved”; there are (0 to 1) of the Ulrich-engraved ones, (4) of the oak leaf carved ones, and an unknown number of the plain monogrammed rifles like Don’s, out there…

Hope this helps!!!

Lou

  

Lou,

Do you happen to know what dollar amount RCS’s widow sold the collection to Lou Leonard and Norm Schoonover back in 1972 for?  A couple months ago, I took my RCS African to an old gun shop here in Portland just to show.  The owner of the shop said he knew all about the RCS collection and was actually very bitter about it.  Evidently, back in 1972, he and his dad drove to Petersburg, AK to buy the collection, but was outbid by Lou and Norm.  He said he is still kicking himself to this day for not forking over the money and buying it.  Thought that was interesting.

Don

Hi Don-

No I do not know what the collection sold for…  My understanding, from one of Wayne Van Zwoll’s articles, is that several people tried to buy various parts of the collection from Mary after Dr. Smith passed away in 1968, but she wanted to sell the entire collection (418 guns) all at once, not piecemeal.

Norm Schoonover was working for the Alaska Forest Service in Petersburg AK at the time and apparently knew Mary pretty well.  He wanted to buy the collection, but didn’t have the money.  So he put together an inventory and sent it to Lou Leonard in Oregon to interest him in the deal. 

At the end of the day, they made a package deal for the whole collection.  As Van Zwoll claims, Leonard put up 3/4 of the money (paid in installments), and Schoonover the rest.  Norm mainly wanted guns he could resell in AK.  RCS had a LOT of guns of many makes, including handguns.  They weren’t all fancy custom rifles. 

But Leonard got most of the real high end guns and shipped them to Oregon.  After that he kept what he wanted and gradually sold the rest. Seems likely that your RCS African never strayed very far after Leonard brought it to Oregon…

Interestingly, since the article came out, Ken and I were contacted by a current WACA member who also worked for the Forest Service in Petersburg in the 1970s, but after the RCS collection had been sold.  He has some interesting stories!!!  Apparently many of the RCS-owned guns that Schoonover got were sold locally in Alaska, including several to other Forest Service employees.  Apparently some were sold pretty cheap, but I don’t know how cheap…

Lou

Mike-

Thanks for the compliments on the gun photos…  They look better in the on-line digital magazine b/c the resolution is better than on the printed page.

One thing I regret is that the flat/diffuse lighting that I deliberately use in my “studio” to reduce glare didn’t capture the stock figure well, especially on the 257 ROBERTS.  It looks like plain quarter sawn walnut, but it actually has a lot of tiger tail in the butt stock that doesn’t show.  The plainest wood is on the 300 MAGNUM, which Winchester might (???) have done purposefully due to the greater recoil of the cartridge???

This pic, which I took when the guns were together in my gun room, shows the wood a little better.

Lou

Mike-

I can’t help critiquing my own “art” work…  It’s my pathologic OCD streak!!! 

The pic I posted above was (obviously) taken in my own gun room when the RCS rifles were being photographed for the WACA article.  The “backdrop” happens to be part of my Super Grade section…  The Ulrich-engraved guns do not belong to me, only the carved one, S/N 87160…  That’s probably why I HAD TO put MY gun in the article, even though it’s “second class”…  Jealousy or Ego!!!

Lou

Yeah…  One reason Ken and I had for writing the article was to raise awareness of the other RCS guns that MIGHT be out there…  We would love to see them, get photos, stories, etc…

Like I said in the article, especially footnote 7, there’s pretty good evidence that there was a sixth Ulrich-engraved rifle made for that set.  Supposedly, Mary Smith gave it either to a family member or friend before the collection was sold.  So, IF it exists, it went either to Wisconsin (where both Russell and Mary Smith are buried) or it stayed in AK…  But NOBODY’S ever seen it…

To make matters worse… I have seen fake “RCS” monogram rifles with fake “Factory Work Order” paperwork, that have tried to play on the “story” that’s been covered in several articles over the years (including many informative articles written by Wayne Van Zwoll)…  Don’s African, however, is NOT a fake!!!  That one is 100% legit…

Authenticating a sixth rifle, should it appear, would probably require either Pauline Muerrle’s validation or locating George Ulrich’s engraving logs (ideally both).  Insofar as I know Ulrich’s logs are MIA…  If a greedy person were to fall for the romance ($$$) of what the 220 SWIFT sold for, the motivation for fakery would be there.  The Ulrich-engraved rifles in the article are 100% legit, but there’s nothing to go on for the yet-to-appear sixth rifle…

We’ll have to see what transpires…

Lou