1991 Shiloh Catalog

[Texas Shooter]

Hayden:

The rifle you discribed sounds like a Long Range Express or LRE. The 34 inch barrel and the absence of a rear barrel sight leads me to think this.

The Caliber being 45-110 is also a sign of a potential long range rifle.

Please reference the Shioh Web page and check out the LRE and let me know if this rifle meets your discription.

Thanks,

Texas Shooter

[Ray Newman]

Todd: you mentioned Wolfgang Droege in an earlier post. I once had the pleasure of talking to him @ a NRA Convention. very friendly man & highly skilled.

I know his son died after the move the Big Timber, but is Wolf still alive? Seems to me that he would be in his 80's by now??

[Hayden Winn]

Dear Texas Shooter,
Thank you for your comments and suggestion.
I neglected to mention that my rifle has double set triggers and pistol grip.
The current production 1874 Long Range Express description certainly fits my rifle precisely. Presumably Shiloh have been producing that model since Farmingdale days?
Best wishes
Hayden

[MLV]

Ray: Wolf is still alive but in very poor health. I believe he has suffered several heart attacks and strokes. The last time I saw him was at our mutual cardiologist's office last year. If memory serves me correctly he should be 76 this year.

[Texas Shooter]

Hayden:

I am currently trying to obtain a very early catalog that would answer your question precisely, but from what I can tell, the LRE has been around for quite a long time.

MLV has also been reading this string, maybe he can add some extra information to your query.

TAA <----Is this correct?

Texas Shooter

[Ray Newman]

MLV: thanks for the update on Wolf & sorry to her of his maladies. 76 is not that old!

For some reason I thought he was older when as an American he got caught in Germany during WW II. He has some interesting tales to tell & I hope he would write/dictate/audio tape them for prosperity. What really made our conversation interesting is that I grew up in Franklin Square, not that far from Farmingdale, & he & some of his buddies hunted in Upstate NY near my grandparents’ farms.

I know he will not remember me, but if you cross paths w/ him again, say hello for me & give him my best wishes….

[MLV]

Ray: If memory serves me correctly Wolf was born in this country in 1928. His father had come over from Germany after World War I. Then when war clouds were brewing he took the family back to Germany, and joined the German paratroops. Wolf was trained as a machinist during the war as a teenager. When the war was over things were bad in Germany so Wolf came back to America to work and sent money to them. Since he was an American citizen returning here was no problem.

In 1984 Wolf's father was visiting over here, and Wolf asked if I would give him a tour of Yellowstone Park since I had worked there for 13 seasons and knew it by heart. The old man and I drove in my vehicle while the rest of the family followed in Wolf's vehicle. Once the old guy learned that I was well versed on World War II history he started to talk freely, and by the way spoke very good English. He told me he had been shot in his parachute while landing on Crete, and then later was fighting on the Eastern Front when he was shot through the face. He said that last wound probably saved his life as he was still in a hospital in the American zone when the war ended. He had scars on both sides of his head to verify that one! It was a memorable day for me, and he seemed to enjoy the tour immensely.

In 1987 a B-17 touring the country landed in Bozeman and let people go through it for a nominal fee. People flocked from all over the area to see it. I happened to be at Shiloh and asked Wolf if he was going to go see it. He said, "No! I saw too many of those things, and always from below!"

I too, hate to see him in such poor health as he was one of the most powerful men I have ever known.

[Capt. Call]

MLV

Great Post....Just wanted say thanks for taking the time to share that story with us here! I could read stories like that all day and still want more!