Can I please get a little help identifying this rifle?

S

spleify

New member
So this is a rifle I inherited in 1990 and I have had it out to the range a few times. It is a 30-06 but that is about all I know about it. I would be interested in what it is, its rarity, parts availability(the bolt has a broken piece. I would like to have an idea of what t would be worth also. THIS IS NOT FOR SALE I ONLY WANT TO KNOW SO I CAN HAVE A PRICE FOR MY INSURANCE.

Serial # is 8XXX

Please ask any questions, and I will try and answer them if you need more information. I will do my best to identify what you need to know.

Thanks for any and all help.

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I'm probably wrong, but that looks like a Belgium made Weatherby Mk II. Don't know which caliber, but I know someone who has a .300 Weatherby Mag and it looks almost like the one in the pics.
 
As soon as I saw the stock, I immediately thought "Weatherby". It has that classic Weatherby look, so I wouldn't be surprised if RogueLeader is right.
 
It's a Belgian Mauser (1935 model), that has been reworked, sporterized, and significantly polished.

The give-aways are:
A: It's a Mauser action.
B: It's a Mauser bolt.
C: It's a military-style floor plate, not a commercial-style floor plate.
D: The wing safety is the modern version of a classic conversion.
G: It still has military action screws.
K.5: The checkering and fore-end cap aren't quite right for a Weatherby (the angles are off).


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There should be a wonderful crest (a crown) under the forward scope base, but it was probably polished off, or had a hole drilled/tapped in the middle of it. :o
 
No matter what manufacture, someone loved that gun and put a LOT of time and effort into making it beautiful. Look at the blueing job on the barrel.
 
Franken beat me to it.

At first look, the stock screamed Weatherby. My guess it's a FN Mauser Sporter 30-06. Op posted the caliber :)
 
It is definitely FN, it's a mauser action, and it is definitely a beautiful piece. That stock is magnificent american black walnut.

Weatherby first went into operation they used 98 actions and made their work in belgium. They were using standard commercial calibers in some rifles. The skipline checker panels places it pretty early, IMO.The buttplate is identical to weatherby. The flat bottomed rosewood forend is a weatherby trademark, the angle of the white line spacer is by all appearances just right. The stock isn't quite right for weatherby, though, as it's pretty unique with the rollover cheekpiece, but it is lacking the crazy ornamentation or the glass like finish they usually used.

two things that bother me are that it is lacking in diamonds, and lacking a weatherby marking. they did, however, simply start out making custom rifles, to spec, and would not necessarily have made them with all of the normal weatherby trappings.

I would not rule out that it is very early weatherby custom production without better information. I've got doubts, but I'm still not certain what to think.

In any case, that is a magnificent beast. The stock, if it isn't custom made, may have been a fajen, probably not the more conservative bishop.

Insurance price? It would take maybe 5-10 thousand dollars or a lot more even, to build that rifle now.
 
I'm never going to understand the people who can look at something like this and not have their hearts skip a beat and their mouth go dry.
 
It's a military FN Mauser that's been sporterized, had the heck buffed out of it, reblued and put in a custom stock. The styling is definitely Weatherby inspired, but I'm skeptical it's actually a Weatherby, since the stock isn't quite right and there don't appear to be any Weatherby markings. Nice wood.

Personally, I find the white line spacers, shotgun pad, pancake cheekpiece, skip line checkering and angled forend cap as dated as tailfins and poodle skirts, but à chacun son goût. YMMV.

As far as value, it's still just a sporterized military Mauser, so maybe $600. If it somehow turns out to be a Weatherby, add a few hundred.
 
It can be funny.If you walk in a gunshop and say "I need to buy my daughter braces" they might groan,sneer,put the rifle down,maybe even say "Bubba",and tell you,only because it is for your daughter,$200.

But,then,if you went to a gunshow,there might be some fellow with some Weatherbys and Browning Superposed shotguns,wearing a Filson vest,with Double Gun Journals spread out,who would have a $1600 price on it.And,he may take it back home.

Frankly,no value we will tell you will mean anything to your insurance adjuster.

Talk to your agent.You might look into the NRA .They have a firearms insurance benefit for members.

My recommendation,if you are not going to sell it,some dollar number just doesn't mean much.I'd put that number in a category"A gentleman does not discuss such things" Like,if I offer you some fine whiskey,please,do not ask "What did that cost?".Just enjoy it.

Regardless,the folks with the skills to make a rifle like that,are a lot harder to come by these days.

The value is set by buyer/sellers,not riflesmiths.

And none of them(buyer/sellers) could make that rifle .Not in a week,not in a month...

While I do not suggest it could be a H+R Ultra,that was a rifle had similar styling and was done,I believe,on a commercial FN action.
 
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The last thing I thought of when I looked at this rifle was Weatherby.

The stock really doesn't look much like what Weatherby put on their rifles, as others have mentioned, and as far as I know no commercial weatherby was ever built on a military receiver.
 
I have a rifle that is almost identical to the pictures. In fact I have 2 of them, one in 30-06, the other in .308 Norma Mag. It is a sporterized military mauser by Parker Hale in UK. I got mine between 1964 and 1966. One rifle is a tack driver, the other strings vertically as the barrel heats from firing -- despite freefloating the barrel and pillar bedding. They have beautiful finish, both stock and deep bluing.
 
If I were you, I would ask in the Mauser section of Gunboards. I say that because they have quite a few European members. This looks like a custom rifle built as a gift. Magnificent.
 
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