A cowhide double bag with a horn by Jeff Bottiger and an adjustable measure by Brian Barker. The rig shows much use, but is finely made. The bag measures about 7” square. There’s enough room here to service a Fowler or a rifle. Hence the adjustable measure. The bag is fully welted and has a small deerskin pocket inside the back compartment. Jeff’s powder horn was the inspiration for this set. It has a great feel and look and I tried to match that with the bag. The staple repair on the plug speaks years of use and perhaps a special fondness for the horn as the owner could have simply replaced it… Brian Barker’s measure brings it all together suggesting a rig that probably serves more than one gun. This set will be at the gunmakers fair in Kempton PA next month… hope to see some of you there
Copy and supplied photography by Lawrence Fiorillo.
When Robert Weil started collecting images for the Contemporary Makers book in 1973 the challenge to record contemporary gun work was daunting. Gathering material was difficult and time consuming. Few makers thought that there was any value in published documentation of their work. Electronic publishing has changed all that. Having a website or having one's work available to view on the internet is becoming a necessity. In spite of all the potential to finally have a true overview of what's being produced by the artists of today, a great deal of work still remains covered up and basically unknown. Our role is to make an effort to document some portion of what’s going on today. To comment on the established makers and to uncover the unknown. We welcome your comments and suggestions and look to you our readers to make us aware of the talented makers out there. Art and Jan Riser Robert Weil and The Makers