This is just an absolutely beautiful, hand made, custom BSA Martini single shot rifle as manufactured by the famous Griffin & Howe Custom shop in New York, NY. This fabulous little rifle was beautifully hand engraved and signed by "Joseph Fugger" one of the pre-eminent custom engravers as employed by G&H from approximately 1930-1960. Joseph Fugger tutored under Joseph Kornbrath, who was probably one of the best German born custom engravers in the early 1900s, both of whom were two of the finest engraved during the entire, 1910-1960 period. This beautiful rifle is a true "one-of-a-kind" work of art, custom rifle. The basis of the fabulous little rifle was one of the superb early BSA martini model 12 single shot rifles. They were known for their super strong, compact little actions that featured an easy single loading lever mechanism with a very fast lock time. They were highly accurate and highly regarded as a top-notch target rifle in their day. This rifle was fitted with a newly manufactured, custom light sporter barrel, chambered in 22LR, that was fitted with one of the excellent G&H signature barrel banded front sights, that has a beaded post and a push-on front sight hood. The center of the barrel is fitted with a single leaf, folding rear sight mounted on a small raised rib. The top of the barrel has been fitted with a set of Unertl scope blocks and now sports a 1 1/4 inch 10 X Unertl scope with a standard cross-hair reticle. The scope is numbered 53097 which was made in the mid 1950s which may give an indication as to when this beautiful rifle was actually manufactured. The top of the barrel has been engraved "No.2581 GRIFFIN & HOWE, NEW YORK, NY.", with the left rear side also engraved "Cal. 22 LR". The complete action (99%) of the metal surface, the breech and muzzle ends of the barrel, the heel and toe protector and steel thru-bolt, hole plug have all been meticulously hand-engraved in a beautiful, diminutive floral and vine pattern, with a stippled back ground. Each side of the receiver has been beautifully engraved with a typical small game, hunting scene, depicted in a small oval-framed pattern. The left side depicts a man squirrel hunting in the woods, with a large oak tree in the foreground with two squirrels sitting in the tree with the hunter taking aim. The right side depicts a large great horned owl sitting in a large oak tree in the foreground, being surrounded and attacked by a flock of crows with the iconic midwest farm house in the back ground. Both scenes are indicative of what this rifle would have been used for. Additionally the top of the receiver ring has been hand-stippled and the breech block has been decoratively engine-turned. The trigger guard bow and loading lever are also hand engraved in a complimentary scroll and vine pattern with the loading lever skeletonized through the center. The lower rear edge of the receiver has been engraved: "JOSEPH FUGGER ENGRAVER". This beautiful rifle was then hand fitted with a set of fabulous deluxe English walnut, straight grip stock and forend. The buttstock has a small American style cheek-piece with undercut, shadow-line and the forend has a ebony tip. Both are also fitted with detachable sling swivel studs, (only). The complete pistol grip area and all three sides of the forend were hand checkered in a wonderful 16 line per inch, Fleur-De-Lie checkered pattern with additional stippling around the actual points of the Fleur-De-Lies. The end of the buttstock is fitted with a steel, heel and toe protector buttplate with the center section of the butt, also hand checkered in the same pattern as the pistol grip area and forend. Since the buttstocks on these types of rifles are attached by a thru-bolt, G&H also made a custom, steel plug that screws into the buttstock bolt hole in the end of the butt that has also been engraved to match the heel and toe protectors.