Definitely this^^^
There's plenty of old rifles that have been carried a lot but shot a little. You get that beautiful patina of age and wear paired with what amounts to a nearly new bore. Lovely!
Older Rifle Help
- Thread starter Dave Lakes
- Start date
There's plenty of old rifles that have been carried a lot but shot a little. You get that beautiful patina of age and wear paired with what amounts to a nearly new bore. Lovely!
Every now and again. something really interesting turns up that stands out from the crowd. Sure, an old Sako or Parker hale is a nice rifle, but they're not crazy special.
A quick Guntrader search just now revealed an E.J. Churchill for £495, a Holland and Holland finished L61R for £800... I've seen a number of Rigby's go for sub £1k. If I was in your position I'd be right on that Churchill I reckon, that's a pretty special old rifle.
A quick Guntrader search just now revealed an E.J. Churchill for £495, a Holland and Holland finished L61R for £800... I've seen a number of Rigby's go for sub £1k. If I was in your position I'd be right on that Churchill I reckon, that's a pretty special old rifle.
I shot my first deer, on the hill in Scotland, back in 1989 with a .270 Churchill fitted with a quick detachable sidemounted 4x81 Pecar.
Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
I have a lovely old Husqvarna 1640 in .308 that cost less than £400. It's a 1968 rifle, but the bore is absolutely pristine. As others have said, in a lot of cases the rifles will have sat idle for a long time. Mine, for instance, had been sat on the dealers shelf for over 6 years!
Wish I was in the market for another rifle, to be honest. This one really floats my boat!!
www.guntrader.uk
Wish I was in the market for another rifle, to be honest. This one really floats my boat!!
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Dave Lakes
Well-Known Member
That looks lovely. Wrong calibre unfortunately, I’m .270 and doubt I’ll get a 30-06 as well, as I’m relatively new on ticket
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
I have owned a few of your list. I still own one of those.
CF2 I had a 243 with home loads I shot half MOA with it and it accounted for many many foxes and a few deer. The trigger with a little polishing (gunsmith job to avoid it being unsafe) is as good or better than others I’ve had. Re-barrel was a problem with the size of the shank wasn’t cost effective (for me) shame as I liked the rifle.
PH both my mate and I bought our respective ones for less than £150. Both (243 & 270) shot around MOA and were nice enough to use. My 270 didn’t have the best cycling I’ve had a knack to proper cycling. Only sold it because I got a Sauer 202 at silly cheap.
Sako 75 I still own a 20 Tactical chambered A1 action, it is better built than the BSA and CF2 in the it feels so much better in use. The 60deg bolt throw is an advantage too.
Don’t discount the CZ550 Mauser type action and some with very nice woodwork too. Mine was a very accurate rifle, drop mag and beautiful walnut stock.
As for the much carried little used (fired) comment. I have owned a couple of rifles that fit that bill and they lasted me and in some cases are still going strong.
My current rifle a Sauer 202 was a cullers rifle. A little rough round the edges and the bore doesn’t look the best. I have still got a load that shoots under 1 MOA. The beauty of this one is I can buy just a new barrel. In fact I have a 270 (why the £70 PH went) and I can get within limits virtually any cartridge I want chambered in one.
However that said don’t get distracted by re-barrelling older rifles. I found it’s not financially viable, unless you have something that is very special. As you can usually buy another rifle outfit for less. Without the waiting for the work to be done (variation can affect wait time, but you can get that before you part with your rifle).
The old Holland's L61R is a .270. Bit more money though.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Sufficiently accurate for hunting and MOA are very much not the same. If your rifle can put 3 shots through an iPhone at 100m then it is perfectly capable of putting a bullet through a deer at any sort of sensible range.
But a rifle shooting an iPhone sized group would pass the accuracy requirements of many rifle aficionados, for whom anything that won’t allow to put three rounds through a penny at 1,000m is not good enough.
I know one old stalker who when taking a guest to the hill would finish his breakfast beer, tell the guest he needed to shoot the can before going to the hill, walk the can out to an indeterminate distance and set it up on a stone and then hide behind a big rock and then shout for you to shoot. You sighted in on the can and shot. If you put a hole in it of you would go. Never did find out what would happen if you didn’t.
You would then head up the glen and spy a group of beasts, and he would carefully select one he wanted shot. He would then spy out a route in, give you a radio and then invite to f……..up the hill and go and get the deer. He said would keep an eye on them and bring the argo up if you were successful - and off you went. Meanwhile he would open his bag and take out another target and pull the ring ….
I always chose to walk down probably far safer.
But a rifle shooting an iPhone sized group would pass the accuracy requirements of many rifle aficionados, for whom anything that won’t allow to put three rounds through a penny at 1,000m is not good enough.
I know one old stalker who when taking a guest to the hill would finish his breakfast beer, tell the guest he needed to shoot the can before going to the hill, walk the can out to an indeterminate distance and set it up on a stone and then hide behind a big rock and then shout for you to shoot. You sighted in on the can and shot. If you put a hole in it of you would go. Never did find out what would happen if you didn’t.
You would then head up the glen and spy a group of beasts, and he would carefully select one he wanted shot. He would then spy out a route in, give you a radio and then invite to f……..up the hill and go and get the deer. He said would keep an eye on them and bring the argo up if you were successful - and off you went. Meanwhile he would open his bag and take out another target and pull the ring ….
I always chose to walk down probably far safer.
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
I wonder if he did any goose guiding too?
Sounds like he has a similar alcohol intake to someone a mate described from a trip years ago.
You were undoubtedly taking the wiser choice in walking. Even functioning alcoholics have bad days.
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
here is a bit of nostalgia for you.
In BSAs Armoury Road looking into the main entrance gate, the main admin offices are at the rear, on the left side the red arrow is the canteen - great chicken pie and chips, the yellow arrow is the Motoplas accessories area, they made the BSA tank emblems leaving hundreds per day as nio on the scrap pile, oh to have collected them all for nowadays. And right at the back on the left is the black arrow and this was the rifle wood stocking shop that I walked through most days.
Our area (the BSA group midland training centre) was located behind the main office block.
In BSAs Armoury Road looking into the main entrance gate, the main admin offices are at the rear, on the left side the red arrow is the canteen - great chicken pie and chips, the yellow arrow is the Motoplas accessories area, they made the BSA tank emblems leaving hundreds per day as nio on the scrap pile, oh to have collected them all for nowadays. And right at the back on the left is the black arrow and this was the rifle wood stocking shop that I walked through most days.
Our area (the BSA group midland training centre) was located behind the main office block.
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
Agh!!. I forgot to add the picture. Age is creeping up on me?
Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
Which to my mind should be a perfectly justifiable reason to possess on any FAC application . . . . . .
As mentioned by others, Lothar Walther offer threaded and chambered Mauser 98 barrels at a really good price. I had one of these in 308 fitted to my Mauser in sporter profile 20" almost ten years ago. It is possibly my most reliable light rifle and shot many deer out to over 400m, last one yesterday morning 225m. This three shot group was shot off the car roof with 5 mag scope at 100m. From a clean slightly oiled barrel. Nice thing is the chambers are cut by Lothar Walther to medium spec and one has no issues with tight fiiting cases. (unlike several other rifles i have/had.) I recon most 98's or similar could shoot like this with a LW barrel and well bedded stock.
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Dave Lakes
Well-Known Member
what are peoples thoughts on this Sako:
www.guntrader.uk
And no, the mod and scope aren’t included!
It’s listed as a an A7, but it’s actually an L61R AV (I think the Finnbear Hunter version?).
Looks quite clean, but I think this version puts it as early 80’s. Anyone got any experience of these? They seemed to have a relatively short production period, so I’m worried that if anything breaks I’m stuffed for spares.
Any insights appreciated.
Guns For Sale | New and Used Guns | GunTrader
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And no, the mod and scope aren’t included!
It’s listed as a an A7, but it’s actually an L61R AV (I think the Finnbear Hunter version?).
Looks quite clean, but I think this version puts it as early 80’s. Anyone got any experience of these? They seemed to have a relatively short production period, so I’m worried that if anything breaks I’m stuffed for spares.
Any insights appreciated.
Hello mate, just my opinion but both my rifles steyr mannlicher .223 and mauser .308 are fairly old guns both well over 30 years old. Built like tanks, accurate, nice to look at and a pleasure to own and they have a bit of soul too. I prefer a good condition old rifle to the new ones. Cant beat blue/wood/iron sights as backup and a good fixed power swaro. Hope you get wot you want mate.
Why buy one with a bad barrel ? Check it out first . The remaining value in a vintage gun is in it being original. And under 300 will get you a good one , likely a lot more and these things exist in the trade , often coming from family into an rfd upon the demise of its previous keeper . They ain't easy to sell , I was looking at two a few weeks ago one a high grade bsa , the other a Musgrave. Damb near bought them for the wood they had on them doubt they had done more than 100 rounds .
With the exception of some military and the highest quality makers old stalking rifles are not worth much at all , why buy a less than fantastic one ?
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
Last time I was in Sweden the local gun-monger had rows of perfectly usable second hand blued steel and walnut rifles for well under £500. Lots came as packages with scopes and moderators attached and he can’t shift them, everyone and his brother wants a Blaser or a stainless and synthetic rifle.
My friend bought a lovely old Mannlicher M in 6.5 plus scope, mounts and moderator for about £400.
My friend bought a lovely old Mannlicher M in 6.5 plus scope, mounts and moderator for about £400.
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
If a rifle does not have a bluetooth connection the young uns are not interested.
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