Parted with old Krag sporter today

[meterman]

Had a 96 sporter that was fitted with a 1922 .22 barrel and rechambered to .22 Hornet. It has a beautiful beavertail walnut stock, great checkering, cheekpiece, horn buttplate. The rifle had been polished and blued. Had a cheap jap scope on it, but damn, it shoots dime-sized groups. I put a low-swing safety on it. My wife's cousin, a P38 pilot in WW2, bought it after he got out. Lost his only son, and no one to give it to. I bought it and gave it to the son of another cousin (deceased now,) who always wanted to have it. The kid was very happy to receive it, as he had grown up listening to tales from his dad of how well this thing shot. The barrel was marked 'R.B. Engel Belmont, Mass' (2 lines.) Tried googling this name a few years ago, and nothing came up. But it is a dandy.

[5MadFarmers]

Had a 96 sporter that was fitted with a 1922 .22 barrel and rechambered to .22 Hornet. It has a beautiful beavertail walnut stock, great checkering, cheekpiece, horn buttplate. The rifle had been polished and blued. Had a cheap jap scope on it, but damn, it shoots dime-sized groups. I put a low-swing safety on it. My wife's cousin, a P38 pilot in WW2, bought it after he got out. Lost his only son, and no one to give it to. I bought it and gave it to the son of another cousin (deceased now,) who always wanted to have it. The kid was very happy to receive it, as he had grown up listening to tales from his dad of how well this thing shot. The barrel was marked 'R.B. Engel Belmont, Mass' (2 lines.) Tried googling this name a few years ago, and nothing came up. But it is a dandy.

Sounds like an interesting gun and you already miss it.

I'm not sure I see any questions in there though. Then again maybe you weren't asking one? Just mentioning a gun you just let go? I guess you might have been asking about the marking or maybe asking about P-38s or maybe wanting those two link together. Which would be an odd thing to link together really. A Krag and a P-38. One is a gun and the other is an airplane. Some airplanes, to include that one, have guns but some don't. Aviation and guns don't always go together I guess. Both of those have an army tie-in but it's separated by decades. I suppose I could spin something?

Richard Bucknam Engel was born on the 4th of July, 1900. Which was an auspicious birthday. Makes one wonder if his parents timed it. Entering the army at the end of the Great War he was stationed at Langley Virginia where a lifelong interest in aviation was developed. In 1931, along with his brother Albert, they founded Engel Air Products. With both of them being "Experimental Aviators" they felt that they could maybe make a go of their aviation skills. It was not to be. The Depression was not condusive to the formation of such firms and it folded quickly. With the aviation work not panning out Richard turned to his other interest - gunsmithing.

Sounds like the making of an interesting story. Does he then do pilot training during WW2? I mean, he was in the army and is a pilot. Seems likely. Maybe he and the P-38 pilot didn't have any link? Maybe they did?

Died on the 20th of July, 1963. In addition to living in Belmont he also lived in Natick and Boston. Wife's name was Gladys. The internets can provide strange data sometimes....

He really was at Langley. 1920. Really did start the company with his brother. Really was a gunsmith. The WW2 pilot training thing isn't something I found.

Sounds like an interesting gun.

[da gimp]

sure makes you wonder if there was a link........whether in the military, or as fliers or....even if it was just a chance meeting on a train & 2 gun nuts who met & talked about mutual loves in good firearms.. which led to the purchase of a neat rifle..........or if he just saw it somewhere & picked it up.............it does make a fella wonder though..........