Evening star., 1937-01-03

Testing the metal IN q
or inferiorities, as the case may be.
And If you are familiar with the wide
eamut spanned by guns from the first
rifle with grooved barrel. capacitated
to give bullet its twisting spiral mo-
tion-that weapon was produced in
1920 by Gaspard Kollner of Vienna
to the amazingly accurate shOtguns of
today which sell for 1,500 to $4,000
or more, you can pretty we'll appreciate
that it is a lifetime study to achieve
mastery in both ballistics and the
gunsmith's art.
Give James v. Howe crude blocks
OF steel and slabs of wood, tell him
what type of gun you wish, and
in time he will produce such duck
ing gun or big-game rife as you never
previously handled or shot. Not only
is he an adept craftsman, one of
probably a half dozen in the world
today, but he also knows the scientific
and technical details of small-arms
production, cartridge manufacture and
all that goes with them.
Mr.. Howe rates as an international
authority on guns and pistols; book
in two volumes. entitled The Modern
Cunsmith," of which he is the
author. is now used as a reference
and text book around the world. 1t pre-
sents trade secrets, gunsmith1ng meth
ods and small-arms history never be-
fore published. This book was founded
neither on traditions, precedents. nor
an extensive and invaluable bibliog-
raphy; most Of the information and
technique discussed is original, the
practical results Of diligent years ded-
icated to the task of determining all
there was to find out about guns. And
gunsmiths learn about guns by work.
ing with them.
MR.. HOWE spent two years with
AA Henry Ford at Dearborn, Mich.
prior to moving to the washington
area. He had charge Of the Ford
collection, which consists of some
1000 rifles, shotguns, muzzle leaders,
and the like, as we'll as 1900 pistols.
In fact, he assembled many of the
weapons in this historical collection
for the motor car magnate. One his
toric gun, Wheel-lock rifle, which
Mr.. Ford treasures, was gift from
the late Rudolph Valentino, who pur-
chased the present in Paris. MIR. Ford
personally procured but few Of the
guns, although once he made special
trip in his private car to the high
lands OF Kentucky, where he pur-
chased from John Shell, its maker, a
famous specimen Of the Kentucky
rifle, fiintlock muzzle- loader. Henry
Ford delights in rabbit shooting as a
field sport during the late Autumn,
but confines his hunting to his farm
and estate: he is a fairly good shot
and, in view Of what has been men,
toned. about his 3,40o weapons. never
lacks for change Of artillery"
One day Mr.. Ford, who gains great
pleasure from consummating mechan-
ical wizardy and solving shop-work
enigmas which never previously had
been mastered, visited the gun
smithery and museum where MFR. Howe
was at work with some of the fire.
arms.
"Jim," he inquired, "can you MAKE
drill which will cut hole one
sixteenth of an inch In diameter
through q block of steel "a inches
thick?" And then as Mr.. Howe pond
cred and calculated for a while before
replying, Henry Ford continued, "The
foreman in the shops, even the best
gauge makers, say it can't be done
However, I think it's possible"
YES" replied this man Howe, who
gained as much kick" as his then
employer in the conquest of the can't
challenges of modern mechanics, 81
believe I can do it."
Get busy at it then" responded Mr..
Ford who, decades previously in the
role Of q racing driver, had established
thrilling speed records for that day
and age at the Daytona Beach, Fla
speedway Of shifting sands.
Eventually Mr.. Howe completed that
assignment, but only after he had i'm
ported special high speed tungsten
steel from England, as he could not
obtain any in this country which
would Withstand the terrific strain.
That steel withstood temperatures as
high as 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit in
the production Of the nliputian drill
One-sixteenth Of an inch Is the ordi-
nary thickness of that leather strap
which holds your wrist watch in place.
Just imagine the strength, power, fiex-
ibility and durability which had to be
concentrated in such drill almost one
yard In length to enable It to pene-
trate Q huge slab Of solid steel.
II EVER you have visited the gun
shop at the local Navy Yard and