ID Clark Gable's Rifle In This Pic

Can anyone post a good, sharp photo of the Remington M-30-S and the later (1940) M-720, inasmuch as they've been referred to here several times? These were the primary factory rifles to have been based on the M-1917 Enfield action.

Also, one of the prop rifles on the former syndicated series, "The Lost World", filmed in Australia from 1999-2002 was made on an Enfield action. Lord Roxton (played by Will Snow) referred to it as a .416 Rigby, and it may well have been, or something very similar. In some close up scenes, one could see the distinctive safety.

(This was NOT the separate Lee-Enfield sporter used by character Marguerite Krux, which looked to be a fairly recent Parker-Hale product or an Aussie equivalent.)
 
John and Texas Star:

I have a Colt Army model with a custom hammer that looks very similar to the one on Clark Gable's RM....





I believe that it was manufactured in 1925, but not sure when the modifications were made. The checkering on the back and front straps may be a factory rework, it is stamped with the 6 pointed star that I seem to remember designated factory modifications.

Not to drift the thread, but was struck by the similarity in the hammers. Thought it might have been a common modification back in the day.

Les
 
Texas Star:

Here is a screen shot from about 1:29 of "Mogambo".... First clear shot of Gable's rifle...



I'll leave it to you rifle experts what it is, but I think this is a pretty clear shot of it.
 
Les-

Thanks! That's possibly a German rifle, not a famous British custom brand. But the bolt handle, although flat, is not a "butterknife" bolt. That requires that the whole handle be flat, as on Mannlicher-Schoenauers.

Because Tanganyika (now Tanzania) was a German colony and because many British settlers who couldn't afford a Rigby or Westley Richards rifle bought German rifles, many of these Mausers are in Africa.

The late Finn Aagard wrote that his father had one in 7mm, with which he shot all manner of game. Aagard was himself later a white hunter and moved to the USA after Kenya banned hunting in 1977. Many of you probably enjoyed his excellent articles in, "American Rifleman."
 
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les.b said:
John and Texas Star:

I have a Colt Army model with a custom hammer that looks very similar to the one on Clark Gable's RM....





I believe that it was manufactured in 1925, but not sure when the modifications were made. The checkering on the back and front straps may be a factory rework, it is stamped with the 6 pointed star that I seem to remember designated factory modifications.

Not to drift the thread, but was struck by the similarity in the hammers. Thought it might have been a common modification back in the day.

Les
Click to expand...


Les-

What an unusual hammer! It's intended to provide a quick grasp by the thumb, like S&W's later target hammers, and is low enough to reach easily in a firing grasp of the gun. An ingenious concept.

I suspect that whoever "did" Gable's hammer also worked on your Colt. And wouldn't be surprised if Colt's Bisley hammer was his inspiration.

BTW, who made your Jordan holster? Mine is by Don Hume, and is basketweave stamped. I prefer that to floral carving.
 
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Texas Star:

Here is a shot of the back of this holster. It too is a Don Hume. A local agency that I work with were transitioning to semiautos years ago, and they had three or four of these holsters new in zip lock bags, and we're going to throw them away. I told them that I would be happy to 'dispose' of them. They are the later thumb snap style, and aren't really period correct for this gun, but hey, free is always good. They were marked for S&W 'L' frame, and Colt Official Police, neither of which I had at the time. When I acquired this Colt, I found that it was a perfect fit. Here is a shot of the back.



Another one is a perfect fit for this West Virginia Stae Police S&W model 686.



Unfortunately, neither is basket weave. Here is my only basket weave holster, on a 1941 Colt Official Police that has been professionally converted to two inch bbl.



BTW, I have now finished watching "Mogambo ", and am going to tackle "King Soloman's Mines" next. I love watching on the iPad, now that I have learned about "X-ray", the feature that lets you see all the actors on screen at the time, with biographies and photo albums, and also, as I just did in "Mogambo ", I can take a screen shot of any moment and then blow it up or post it as I just did. Cool stuff.

Regards, Les
 
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les.b said:
Texas Star:

Here is a shot of the back of this holster. It too is a Don Hume. A local agency that I work with were transitioning to semiautos years ago, and they had three or four of these holsters new in zip lock bags, and we're going to throw them away. I told them that I would be happy to 'dispose' of them. They are the later thumb snap style, and aren't really period correct for this gun, but hey, free is always good. They were marked for S&W 'L' frame, and Colt Official Police, neither of which I had at the time. When I acquired this Colt, I found that it was a perfect fit. Here is a shot of the back.



Another one is a perfect fit for this West Virginia Stae Police S&W model 686.



Unfortunately, neither is basket weave. Here is my only basket weave holster, on a 1941 Colt Official Police that has been professionally converted to two inch bbl.



BTW, I have now finished watching "Mogambo ", and am going to tackle "King Soloman's Mines" next. I love watching on the iPad, now that I have learned about "X-ray", the feature that lets you see all the actors on screen at the time, with biographies and photo albums, and also, as I just did in "Mogambo ", I can take a screen shot of any moment and then blow it up or post it as I just did. Cool stuff.

Regards, Les
Click to expand...

Les-

I like those Uncle Mike's grips on the M-686. Nice stuff. Yes, Colts on the .41 frame do fit holsters made for L-frame S&W's.

Believe it or not, some guy posting here inherited an ORIGINAL snub Colt OP, made about 1940,I think. Only one I've ever seen.

Your grasp of that movie technology amazes me. I'm electronically challenged. :D

I enlarged the pic of Gable with the Euro or British rifle and am not at all sure the bolt handle is flat. Can't tell. The image isn't sharp enough. Mauser made a Type A sporter that looked a LOT like British custom rifles and it may be that or a similar rifle. Their Model B with flat bolt handle and Schnabel forearm was copied (?) by Brno/CZ. I think BSA and Winchester (M-70 Classic Fwt.) handled that basic stock style better, though.

If you view, "Out of Africa", a splendid movie that deserved its seven Academy Awards, look at Merle Streep's rifle. May or may not be a .318 Westley Richards like the real Karen Blixen-Finecke used. Robt. Redford, playing the real life Denys Finch Hatton, mostly had a big double rifle. There's a good scene where that duo had to face down an angry lioness. BTW, Klaus Maria Brandauer was superb as Karen's wayward husband, Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke.


In case you didn't know, Bror was the white hunter that Hemingway had in mind when he wrote, "The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber". I wouldn't have trusted him very far, especially if I had my wife on safari.
 
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http://media.theiapolis.com/b000000/d19/hLC/i271L/r6/s1/t3/wSG/x2Z1T/rhodes-reason.jpg

Here's a pic of actor Rhodes Reason, playing John Hunter in a 1958 series called, "White Hunter." Nice view of a rifle.

I just read that most of the series was filmed in the UK, using background footage taken previously to represent Kenya.

This was a favorite show of mine at the time. I had books by the real John Hunter, who looked little like Reason. I was surprised to learn today that Reason and his older brother Rex, were American. I thought he was British.
 
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I watched part of Mogambo this weekend (most of it) and there were a couple of scenes showing a Mauser-type wing safety, one with Gable switching it over.

Of course, he may have used several rifles.
 
Does anyone know which rifles Gable and Grace Kelly used on their real safari after making, "Mogambo"?

Gable was a noted sportsman, back when that meant a hunter or fisherman, not a basketball player. He had some nice guns.

W.D. Randall gave a knife, I think Model 1, to Errol Flynn. Member Rick Bowles posted a photo of Flynn wearing it on his boat. If he sees this, maybe Rick can ask Gary Randall if Gable also wore a Randall, and which model(s).

Robert Stack and a few other Hollywood greats owned and used guns. Charlton Heston stood out in fairly recent years, being about the only actor who spoke out for gun rights and who became an NRA President. But Clark Gable was as identified with guns and hunting as any major actor. We'll probably not see his like again in that regard.
 
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