Need rifles for sculpture

[Scojoh]

Hi all,
I am a sculptor from CT. I wasn't sure where to post this but this seemed a logical choice. I am working on a WW1 memorial that may or may not become a monument. (long story) Whether it does or not I want it to be accurate. I have attached a picture of the work as it stands right now. I have made a trip to the museum in Kansas City and photographed uniforms, rifles and field gear. I have hooked up with the GWA in PA and have had members come to pose for me. My biggest problem has always been the rifles. I work in terra cotta and it is really hard to get the detail needed for accurate depiction of rifles. There is also the fact that the sculpted rifles would be prone to breaking. I have just recently come across a way to do them which is rather expensive but seems to work well. I found a company here in CT that will scan the rifles into a 3D program and then print them in 1/4 size. (which is the scale of my sculpture) I can then make molds of the printouts and then cast them in the same material the sculpture will be cast in. I have gotten a Lee-Enfield to scan but I have yet to find someone with a Berthier 07/15 or a Belgian 1889 long rifle. I have a few feelers out for the Berthier to some folks in NYC but haven't heard back yet. I found this site while doing research and thought I would reach out and see if there might be someone here who had either of these rifles and, hopefully, lived fairly close to me and might be willing to work out something with me to get the gun to the scanner.
Sorry for the long post but there was a lot to say. Thanks for your time.

Attachment 103840

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[rcathey]

Wow!
Beautiful work!

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing.
I hope someone close is able to help you in your quest.

[Aragorn243]

I have both an 07/15 Berthier and an 1889 Belgian long rifle if you can locate someone near Lancaster Pennsylvania that could scan them for you and ship the information to your guys.

[Scojoh]

Thanks. I will look near Lancaster. The thing is the guy in CT who would do the scanning is a gun lover and has offered me his services at almost 1/2 off because he wants to see the rifles. There is no budget for this piece as it has not been commissioned (yet) so all the expenses are coming out of our pockets and we have rather limited resources. I can't afford to have these scanned at full price. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks again for the offer.

[Scojoh]

I found a place in Harrisburg but they have to "work up a quote" for me which usually means very expensive. I'll let you know what happens.