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Rifle builder Allen B. Postel of Gilbert, IA

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Joined
Aug 22, 2008
Messages
105
Reaction score
177
Location
East of KC, MO
Howdy folks! I just acquired what I think is a very nice unfired Hawkin style rifle that was made by an Allen Postel. I have looked extensively on the net for info about him, what type of work he did and any other arms that he made, and came up with nothing. All I could find out was that he lived in Gilbert, IA for some years before more recently moving to Ames, IA. He had an FFL and sold guns. I could find no mention of him doing gunsmithing work.

I believe that Mr. Postel, who was in his late 70's, passed away some time last year, because his rifle collection was being sold by a friend of mine, Steve Emmert of Grain Valley, MO. for the estate. I am inserting a few
pics of the rifle.

DSE_6487RS.JPG


The work on this rifle seems to me to be of rather high quality, very clean in design and execution.

DSE_6489RS.JPG


I know that some parts were browned, the lock plate, hammer and rib, while other parts, barrel, trigger guard, butt plate, seem to be 'greyed'. I have no clue as to what finish was used on them.

DSE_6490RS.JPG


At least sights were installed correctly, facing the right directions.

DSE_6495RS.JPG


All the components used appear to be of very good quality. The gap that appears between the breech and the lock plate bothers me a little. Does that need some attention?

DSE_6497RS.JPG


This rifle has a few features not usually seen on Hawkin style rifles, at least not by me. There are six piercings in the trigger guard. There are two scribed lines on each side of the toe plate with brass rod finials.

DSE_6501RS.JPG


When I removed the barrel from the stock, hoping to find a barrel maker's mark, I found instead that the three bottom flats had been fluted, where they would not show, to lighten the barrel.

DSE_6507RS.JPG


When I bought this rifle, Steve Emmert told me that he had done some of the machine work on this rifle for Postel, namely the barrel engraving, flute milling, attaching the rib and thimbles to the barrel and milling the dove tails for the sights and barrel under lugs. All the other work, I believe, was done by Postel.
I am curious if any of you have a rifle made by Postel, or know anything about the work he did in general. Part of the deal on me buying this rifle was that I also buy a flintlock rifle that Postel had recently started to build. I didn't really want a flintlock, but made the deal to get this Hawkin style rifle. I will likely be offering the flintlock 'kit' up for sale in the near future on this forum. Any comments would be a[ppreciated. Thanks!
 
Howdy folks! I just acquired what I think is a very nice unfired Hawkin style rifle that was made by an Allen Postel. I have looked extensively on the net for info about him, what type of work he did and any other arms that he made, and came up with nothing. All I could find out was that he lived in Gilbert, IA for some years before more recently moving to Ames, IA. He had an FFL and sold guns. I could find no mention of him doing gunsmithing work.

I believe that Mr. Postel, who was in his late 70's, passed away some time last year, because his rifle collection was being sold by a friend of mine, Steve Emmert of Grain Valley, MO. for the estate. I am inserting a few
pics of the rifle.

View attachment 148181

The work on this rifle seems to me to be of rather high quality, very clean in design and execution.

View attachment 148183

I know that some parts were browned, the lock plate, hammer and rib, while other parts, barrel, trigger guard, butt plate, seem to be 'greyed'. I have no clue as to what finish was used on them.

View attachment 148184

At least sights were installed correctly, facing the right directions.

View attachment 148185

All the components used appear to be of very good quality. The gap that appears between the breech and the lock plate bothers me a little. Does that need some attention?

View attachment 148188

This rifle has a few features not usually seen on Hawkin style rifles, at least not by me. There are six piercings in the trigger guard. There are two scribed lines on each side of the toe plate with brass rod finials.

View attachment 148192

When I removed the barrel from the stock, hoping to find a barrel maker's mark, I found instead that the three bottom flats had been fluted, where they would not show, to lighten the barrel.

View attachment 148193

When I bought this rifle, Steve Emmert told me that he had done some of the machine work on this rifle for Postel, namely the barrel engraving, flute milling, attaching the rib and thimbles to the barrel and milling the dove tails for the sights and barrel under lugs. All the other work, I believe, was done by Postel.
I am curious if any of you have a rifle made by Postel, or know anything about the work he did in general. Part of the deal on me buying this rifle was that I also buy a flintlock rifle that Postel had recently started to build. I didn't really want a flintlock, but made the deal to get this Hawkin style rifle. I will likely be offering the flintlock 'kit' up for sale in the near future on this forum. Any comments would be a[ppreciated. Thanks!
very very nice. Top notch craftmanship. Very tastefully done.
 
Howdy folks! I just acquired what I think is a very nice unfired Hawkin style rifle that was made by an Allen Postel. I have looked extensively on the net for info about him, what type of work he did and any other arms that he made, and came up with nothing. All I could find out was that he lived in Gilbert, IA for some years before more recently moving to Ames, IA. He had an FFL and sold guns. I could find no mention of him doing gunsmithing work.

I believe that Mr. Postel, who was in his late 70's, passed away some time last year, because his rifle collection was being sold by a friend of mine, Steve Emmert of Grain Valley, MO. for the estate. I am inserting a few
pics of the rifle.

View attachment 148181

The work on this rifle seems to me to be of rather high quality, very clean in design and execution.

View attachment 148183

I know that some parts were browned, the lock plate, hammer and rib, while other parts, barrel, trigger guard, butt plate, seem to be 'greyed'. I have no clue as to what finish was used on them.

View attachment 148184

At least sights were installed correctly, facing the right directions.

View attachment 148185

All the components used appear to be of very good quality. The gap that appears between the breech and the lock plate bothers me a little. Does that need some attention?

View attachment 148188

This rifle has a few features not usually seen on Hawkin style rifles, at least not by me. There are six piercings in the trigger guard. There are two scribed lines on each side of the toe plate with brass rod finials.

View attachment 148192

When I removed the barrel from the stock, hoping to find a barrel maker's mark, I found instead that the three bottom flats had been fluted, where they would not show, to lighten the barrel.

View attachment 148193

When I bought this rifle, Steve Emmert told me that he had done some of the machine work on this rifle for Postel, namely the barrel engraving, flute milling, attaching the rib and thimbles to the barrel and milling the dove tails for the sights and barrel under lugs. All the other work, I believe, was done by Postel.
I am curious if any of you have a rifle made by Postel, or know anything about the work he did in general. Part of the deal on me buying this rifle was that I also buy a flintlock rifle that Postel had recently started to build. I didn't really want a flintlock, but made the deal to get this Hawkin style rifle. I will likely be offering the flintlock 'kit' up for sale in the near future on this forum. Any comments would be a[ppreciated. Thanks!
I would not touch anything. I really like rifles like that that aren't overdone. Just beautiful, a one of a kind.
 
Very nice rifle. I am sitting in a hotel in Kemmerer, WY on my way back home to Ames, Iowa and saw this thread. I have never met him and I wished I had, he certainly did a great job on that rifle.

My wife is sitting next to me as I type this and she tells me with confidence he is not passed but is still alive.

Is the breach tight to the wood on the inside of the channel? If not, you can add some brass shims or epoxy bed it and I would not worry about the gap.


Fleener
 
Lovely rifle , the gap between the lock plate and the breach looks to be cosmetic but if it annoys you, you could shim it in some way as Fleener suggests , . The rifle appears to have been made by a competent gunmaker , I'd leave as it is. It is a pity about the fluting as it reduces the ability to have it freshed out to a larger caliber at a later date .
 
Thanks so much for all your comments! I don't plan to do anything to change it, but only to shoot and enjoy it at some point. I still need to get a few accessories for it before I can do that as I gave one of my sons all the .45 caliber ML related items I had along with an unfired Lyman Plains rifle and powder horn I had made that had belonged to my father.

Very nice rifle. I am sitting in a hotel in Kemmerer, WY on my way back home to Ames, Iowa and saw this thread. I have never met him and I wished I had, he certainly did a great job on that rifle.

My wife is sitting next to me as I type this and she tells me with confidence he is not passed but is still alive.


Fleener
Fleener, that is very interesting! Steve Emmert was showing me the collection of a friend of his last fall/winter that he said he was selling for the estate. It included a number of really nice rifles and a few shotguns along with the two Mls, the Hawkin and flintlock parts set. Steve did not specifically say that the man had passed, I naturally assumed that to be the case. I saw Steve again this summer and asked him if, by any chance, the Hawkin was still available. He said it was, so I made a deal with him for it which included the flinter parts (which I really did not want) that Allen Postel had only just barely gotten started on. (So why did he stop working on it? Bad health maybe?)
Looking up Allen B Postel on-line, 78 years old, formerly at 102 Prairie View, POBox 32, Gilbert, IA since 2013, and then more recently last known residing in Ames, IA, at what was listed as 214 Se Nd St. on an FFL locator web site (which when Google Earthed showed up as possibly being 214 SE 2nd St). His last FFL was #5-42-169-01-5E-01245, which was due to expire on 5-01-24, which when EZchecked today was no longer valid. It does appear to look as though Allen Postel has passed on, does it not? Other web sites show his mobile phone number was 515-451-4635, which I have not tried dialing, another said he was married, still another said he was single? No obit has been found in the local paper.
Since you live right there in Ames, I expect that you will try and contact Mr. Postel, and if you do get in touch with him, please let me know what his status is. Thank you! Clint
 
V
Howdy folks! I just acquired what I think is a very nice unfired Hawkin style rifle that was made by an Allen Postel. I have looked extensively on the net for info about him, what type of work he did and any other arms that he made, and came up with nothing. All I could find out was that he lived in Gilbert, IA for some years before more recently moving to Ames, IA. He had an FFL and sold guns. I could find no mention of him doing gunsmithing work.

I believe that Mr. Postel, who was in his late 70's, passed away some time last year, because his rifle collection was being sold by a friend of mine, Steve Emmert of Grain Valley, MO. for the estate. I am inserting a few
pics of the rifle.

View attachment 148181

The work on this rifle seems to me to be of rather high quality, very clean in design and execution.

View attachment 148183

I know that some parts were browned, the lock plate, hammer and rib, while other parts, barrel, trigger guard, butt plate, seem to be 'greyed'. I have no clue as to what finish was used on them.

View attachment 148184

At least sights were installed correctly, facing the right directions.

View attachment 148185

All the components used appear to be of very good quality. The gap that appears between the breech and the lock plate bothers me a little. Does that need some attention?

View attachment 148188

This rifle has a few features not usually seen on Hawkin style rifles, at least not by me. There are six piercings in the trigger guard. There are two scribed lines on each side of the toe plate with brass rod finials.

View attachment 148192

When I removed the barrel from the stock, hoping to find a barrel maker's mark, I found instead that the three bottom flats had been fluted, where they would not show, to lighten the barrel.

View attachment 148193

When I bought this rifle, Steve Emmert told me that he had done some of the machine work on this rifle for Postel, namely the barrel engraving, flute milling, attaching the rib and thimbles to the barrel and milling the dove tails for the sights and barrel under lugs. All the other work, I believe, was done by Postel.
I am curious if any of you have a rifle made by Postel, or know anything about the work he did in general. Part of the deal on me buying this rifle was that I also buy a flintlock rifle that Postel had recently started to build. I didn't really want a flintlock, but made the deal to get this Hawkin style rifle. I will likely be offering the flintlock 'kit' up for sale in the near future on this forum. Any comments would be a[ppreciated. Thanks!
Very interesting! Thanks for showing. Super quality!
 
Your rifle is a beauty! Is the stock of walnut? It has some really nice figure. I'm not familiar with the builder, but he did a super job. Personally, I could do without the piercings in the triggerguard and the carving on the buttstock... I really like plain, traditional Hawken rifles... but the builder of this rifle showed a unique aesthetic and tremendous skill in execution.

I would agree with @fleener with regard to the minor gap. I've seen much worse, and it's likely of no consequence.

I can see why the builder fluted the barrel. It looks like a full-sized Hawken, and in .45 caliber, it is likely pretty heavy. Those flutes are a clever and subtle way to lighten the barrel without affecting the appearance of the rifle.

Congratulations on your acquisition! You have an outstanding Hawken.

I would also like to commend you for the quality of your photographs. They are excellent.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob
 
Last edited:
Hey fleener, your PM was replied to, sir! Thank you!
I ran into Steve Emmert at the MVACA collector's gun show in KC this weekend and I had a few more questions for him. Since he and Allen Postel had been good friends for many years, I asked him if there was anything more he could tell me about him. fleener was correct and I stand corrected! Mr. Postel is indeed still alive. He has suffered a serious health crisis that has left him unable to work anymore and he currently resides in another Iowa city, no longer in Ames. That is why Steve was selling his collection of firearms, to raise money for his estate and care.
Steve told me that Allen Postel was an FFL who bought, sold and collected guns, dealing mostly, but not exclusively, in pre-64 Winchester rifles. For most of Allen's career he was an automotive mechanic, and a good one! He evidently hadn't really ever built any guns before, and being good at woodworking, decided that he could build a Hawkin style ML. As mentioned earlier, Allen did all the woodwork and Steve helped him with some of the metal working. He thought that the Hawkin turned out very well (I'd say outstanding for a first time project of this sort!) and he gathered all the necessary parts for his next project, a flinter, which he just barely got started on.
So, that is evidently why there have been no other guns attributed to Allen Postel, and why he is relatively unknown to all of us.
 
Blessings on Mr. Postel. It's kind of his friend to help, as he is doing.

I will say that rifle is outstanding. And, it's his first build? Good grief! He had tremendous talent.

Thanks for filling us in. It seems that hand-made muzzleloading rifles always have a back story of some sort.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob
 
Howdy folks! I just acquired what I think is a very nice unfired Hawkin style rifle that was made by an Allen Postel. I have looked extensively on the net for info about him, what type of work he did and any other arms that he made, and came up with nothing. All I could find out was that he lived in Gilbert, IA for some years before more recently moving to Ames, IA. He had an FFL and sold guns. I could find no mention of him doing gunsmithing work.

I believe that Mr. Postel, who was in his late 70's, passed away some time last year, because his rifle collection was being sold by a friend of mine, Steve Emmert of Grain Valley, MO. for the estate. I am inserting a few
pics of the rifle.

View attachment 148181

The work on this rifle seems to me to be of rather high quality, very clean in design and execution.

View attachment 148183

I know that some parts were browned, the lock plate, hammer and rib, while other parts, barrel, trigger guard, butt plate, seem to be 'greyed'. I have no clue as to what finish was used on them.

View attachment 148184

At least sights were installed correctly, facing the right directions.

View attachment 148185

All the components used appear to be of very good quality. The gap that appears between the breech and the lock plate bothers me a little. Does that need some attention?

View attachment 148188

This rifle has a few features not usually seen on Hawkin style rifles, at least not by me. There are six piercings in the trigger guard. There are two scribed lines on each side of the toe plate with brass rod finials.

View attachment 148192

When I removed the barrel from the stock, hoping to find a barrel maker's mark, I found instead that the three bottom flats had been fluted, where they would not show, to lighten the barrel.

View attachment 148193

When I bought this rifle, Steve Emmert told me that he had done some of the machine work on this rifle for Postel, namely the barrel engraving, flute milling, attaching the rib and thimbles to the barrel and milling the dove tails for the sights and barrel under lugs. All the other work, I believe, was done by Postel.
I am curious if any of you have a rifle made by Postel, or know anything about the work he did in general. Part of the deal on me buying this rifle was that I also buy a flintlock rifle that Postel had recently started to build. I didn't really want a flintlock, but made the deal to get this Hawkin style rifle. I will likely be offering the flintlock 'kit' up for sale in the near future on this forum. Any comments would be a[ppreciated. Thanks!
Hey clint it is time to remove the pictures of this rifle off this forum. BECAUSE everytime i get on this forum I have to come back to your post and look at this rifle. lol It's a beauty. Can I borrow this on the weekends?
 
Thanks to Notchy Bob and Frankie for their replies! It is certainly a far nicer piece of work than I ever thought I'd own. I will also mention that along with the 2 rifles, I got 4 related books that belonged to Mr. Postel as well. They are: "Custom Muzzle Loading Rifles" by Toby Bridges, "The Hawkin Rifle - Its Place In History" by C.E. Hanson, Jr. , "Recreating the American Long Rifle" by Buchele, Shumway & Alexander and "Behold, The Long Rifle Again" by J.E. Whisker. It appears that Mr. Postel was no doubt well read on ML matters and used this knowledge to do such great work! I am glad that his work is now appreciated by others.
 
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