{"id":29364,"date":"2026-04-18T10:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/18\/the-man-who-turned-guns-into-art\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T10:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:01:26","slug":"the-man-who-turned-guns-into-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/18\/the-man-who-turned-guns-into-art\/","title":{"rendered":"The Man Who Turned Guns Into Art"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mejs-video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"autoplay\" width=\"580\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w-j31vmbPDg?controls=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>This video explores the extraordinary work of master engraver Rudolph J. Kornbrath through two elite, collection-defining firearms: a 1934 Colt Government Model National Match pistol and a master engraved, gold inlaid R. G. Owen Model 1903 sporting rifle. Widely regarded as one of the greatest engravers of the 20th century, Kornbrath transformed steel into canvas \u2014 his work defined by flowing composition, masterful scroll, and unmatched artistic vision.<\/p>\n<p>From the Colt\u2019s rare factory engraving \u2014 one of only a handful of pre-war examples with documented provenance \u2014 to the breathtaking R.G. Owen 1903 rifle featuring gold inlay, carved detail, and exhibition-level craftsmanship, these pieces represent the absolute pinnacle of American gunmaking. <\/p>\n<p>00:00 \u2013 Rudolph Kornbrath: Master Engraver &#038; Legacy<br \/>00:35 \u2013 The Greatest Firearms Engraver of the 20th Century<br \/>01:50 \u2013 Kornbrath Engraved 1903 Springfield Rifle Overview<br \/>04:30 \u2013 Gold Inlay &#038; Master Engraving Details (Bull Moose Scene)<br \/>06:05 \u2013 Factory Engraved Colt Government Model National Match (1934)<br \/>06:35 \u2013 One of Only 25 Factory Engraved Pre-War Colt 1911s<br \/>07:40 \u2013 Kornbrath\u2019s Signature Engraving Style &#038; Craftsmanship<br \/>08:05 \u2013 Rarity, Factory Letter, and Collector Significance<br \/>09:00 \u2013 Final Look: Collection-Defining Masterpieces<\/p>\n<p>Follow us!<br \/>Email: <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/cg4yPb\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/eepurl.com\/cg4yPb<\/a><br \/>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RockIslandAuctionCompany\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RockIslandAuctionCompany<\/a><br \/>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rockislandauction\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rockislandauction\/<\/a><br \/>X: <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RIAuction\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/x.com\/RIAuction<\/a><\/p>\n<p>#Colt1911 #ColtGovernmentModel #ColtPistol<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This video explores the extraordinary work of master engraver Rudolph J. Kornbrath through two elite, collection-defining firearms: a 1934 Colt Government Model National Match pistol and a master engraved, gold inlaid R. G. Owen Model 1903 sporting rifle. Widely regarded as one of the greatest engravers of the 20th century, Kornbrath transformed steel into canvas&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/18\/the-man-who-turned-guns-into-art\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Man Who Turned Guns Into Art<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":29365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[89,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content","category-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surplused.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}