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A point of interest. Stacked components or Side by Side. Everybody loved the original Hoss 45. Everybody. I'm honored. That was the first Side by side I had seen. And it's not really a true Side by side. It's an asymmetrical triangle. You don't just have the reservoir and spring/hammer/trigger stacked with the barrel hanging "over there".

The Hoss is A LOT of work. A LOT of machining. MORE components. More COMPLEX components. That all adds up to .... not just a little more time and skill ... but a LOT more time and skill. Then, Hoss was Etched. It had a grip tang spine which was carved and had filed Liners. It had a case of dovetailed 200 year old wood. With tools. "Yeah, yeah, yeah .... we like tools and cases ... do that!" Ha. Right. Well, that's why the cost adds up.

Whenever I talk big Pistols and big Carbines, we are going to tribute Hoss. But that can't be the only story. Or else ... you know what happens? The New York Custom Knife Show, Kansas City, Anaheim, Dallas, Knoxville, Baltimore, Rhode Island, happens. I stand smiling at my table, with examples of excellent high class craftsmanship... many times I won Best of Show and Best Knife! But .... for outspoken, using, showing, friendly, Hi Gary!, numbers of people .... you had to look across the isles. The guys who .... for their reasons .... "chose" not to make the engraved, Carved, inlaid, exotic mechanical, theme, Damascus folding knives. Yes. I sold mine .... often to "representatives of the actual buyers". They sold theirs to the guys who immediately took them to the lounge, and started telling anybody who would listen how amazing young Billy was, who made this 3 1/2" drop point hunter. Mine got quietly slipped into a brief case .... .... with a stern look from the representative .... as if to say ......"we shall not speak of this again."

If I'd get sick of the witness protection version of doing business ... I'd make a couple simplier knives. Lay them on the table ...and watch dust settle around them. People would come buy and write dates in the dust with their finger. 1976, 1979 ..... and then a "Representative" in dark Aviators would catch my attention. The glint from his mirrored lenses must have flashed in my eye. He would not approach ... but I would detect a faint flick of the lenses toward the dusty knife with 1982 smeared over the 1979 below. The set jaw and failure to approach said it all. "WHAT is that. It shall be reported." The "representative" would move on. Thru the hootenanny that has formed at Billy's table. And at first, I wondered. "WTH". Well ... actually it was well before capital letters .... . But, I wondered. And then, an ancient 4' green man with large hairy ears appeared it front of my table as the hall was being torn down. The show was over. I was packing up. I looked into the large sad eyes ... he glanced at the lump of dust completely obscuring an object on the table .... "make these, you do NOT - hummmm." It was a statement, and he was gone. As he stepped behind a hearty group of men hoisting Billy on their shoulders .... I wondered at what had just happened. And I began to consider the strange statement .... "make these, you do not." Clearly, I had. Hummmm.

I almost forgot to pack the two small simple knives I'd made for quick sales. But I bumped the table with my thigh. A tower of dust crumbled and collapsed. There was one of the knives. "Oh yeah ....". On the train home, I puzzled over the small man and his riddle. Clearly ... I HAD made those two knives. They weren't like my others but I certainly ha..... I stared into the darkness. An occasional light flashed by. And then, the mirrored image of the small green man .... wearing .... mirrored Aviators??? And he quietly repeated ... "make these, you do NOT!" OMG .... that's it! I've been condemned to obscurity by winning all those awards!!! Billy's friends would never come to my table. I'll have to roll my knives in a Wall Street Journal, and swap them with stern "representatives" on the Subway. Rent a Lexus, and leave my knife under the seat. It's all clear now .....

And so; yes, I decided to Stack the components to make the Hawg Leg about half the price of the Hoss design. Maybe get somebody with a Carbine, up a tree in November. Maybe get somebody talk about one they own. Maybe have fun with it. Because we already know I can make the Hoss. And what I made before, I can make again. So there's the logic. I'm fond of the designs I've proven. I appreciate interest in them. I really want to make sure though, that I don't get pegged as "only" wanting to make the few Classics. Because I don't want people walking away if a Hoss isn't in the budget but a Hawg Leg might be.

Is this clear? Did ya already know this? Was my story writing pen wasted trying to bring s bit of humor to the tale? Does this thing work? Tap tap .... hello .... I have to go get another battery ....

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2017 11:23PM by barnespneumatic.

Gary,

Point taken, I know I am one of the ones who has professed a love for good old Hoss ( and without any understanding of how complicated it was to machine versus any other types) I just liked they way it looked! The acid etch on the barrel for me was not needed, but I do love the filework! I guess when I read about the project you mentioned in the family of hoss and hawg so my mind went to a side by side. I was sent a few photos of some of your rifles by the wife of a collector and they just sit on her wall ( she knows what they are worth) but they don't get used and one is one of the more ornate ones you made (just a beautiful gun) Even at half the cost of Hoss it would be hard for most people to use the gun as intended because of the cost and what it is worth. My plan would be to use it but as my kids and wife tell me my head is not on straight all the time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2017 09:41PM by hmmca.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for participating in the discussion text here.

There's only appreciation here, for people liking the Hoss. It's my nature to find human nature interesting. Why they do the things they do. The psychology of appreciation.

Part of this craft is the oddity that "I" have to be able to afford to make a given project - before the customer can buy it. There are s LOT of hours in my projects. They are usually quite a drain on my time and expenses right up to the turn over to client. So; while it may seem I'm hesitant to make a project ... much is planning and anticipating the requirements. And ..., it "can be" that newly designed pieces are configured so as to lessen the build strain just described.

All that said, it is and will be the "Signature Pieces" which mark my career. So; if someone cares to commit to one of those, I'm honored.

Hope the conversation becomes part of the experience
Gary

Gary
You know what always goes thru my mind is the precision that knowbody see's except for the lead on the target . If an artist like yourself an make a airgun LOOK like that on the outside ..... you know the smith making the internals parts HAS to be spot on . That flows over into the knife department too . If the outside looks sooo good imagine the blade quality and mechanical quality. I'm going on 5 years on the Barnes knife in my pocket loose that I carry and use every day . It's still better and looks better than anything I've ever had . And I use the living daylights out of it .
I can't wait to see the hawg leg and maybe shoot a white tail with a Barnes hawg leg if I'm lucky enough to be able to get one . Money's is tight and I'm sure your not making a dozen of them . Well hafta see how it goes .



Ps: if you send me it when you're done I could do some field testing ! Ya that's the ticket!'

Thanks
Kurt



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2017 11:59AM by kurt wag.

Thank you Kurt,

I do fuss around inside the airguns - and I do remake parts, put a finer belt on the grinder, go back and fiddle with things after range test sessions, where things are just fine (but I know I can make them better). Kelly teases that my goal is to drain every dime of profit from every project, by fussing ... at which point I mail it off). Ummmmm ..... true.

Hey, regarding testing a Hawg Leg 50 .... I got a text from a Michigan deer. He said they're all headed for Canada! Ha

Gary

Hey
That's perfect. I'm only a hour away from Canada !

Thanks
Kurt