Mention was made of the 03 Springfield, I'm now the holder of my grandfather's that was built probably sometime in the '50's or '60's. I'll get pics of it later today along with what's left of my own '09 Argentine Mauser in .25-06. Have a couple of original Argentines also but when you've seen one, you've seen 'em all...which is why I started this thread on sporters instead.
And absolutely do what you want with the dates. I was mainly hoping to keep out American-made derivatives like pre-64 Winchesters, etc which while beautiful in their own right, probably already have their own threads and aren't really unique like the individually sporterized rifles are that are showing up in this thread.
I've got a Schmidt-Rubin 96/11 scout conversion with an 18" barrel and Langois Ching sling. The rear sight is removed, with a scope mount D&T'd in its place.
Solid 2"/100 yard gun using the Burris 2.75x optic I've got.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
If I did not already have what I needed it would be very easy to go about collecting a whole rack full of the JC Higgins Mausers. They are nice old Belgian guns. The fact that most people pass them right over in favor of a Savage or something similar for the same amount of cash due to lack of knowledge is a bit sad. They are of a quality that when set up properly they are the type that a person would be proud to pass on to the the next generation after it has taken a few deer and elk.
I've bought probably a dozen J.C. Higgins rifles over the past decade, and never paid more than $350 for one. They all came with some variety of Leupold or Weaver fixed power scopes, and usually Pachmayr white-line recoil pads. They tend to be found in the same corner of the gun shop where Ithaca and Winchester pump-action hunting shotguns are gathering dust. Particularly in the last five years or so, the stores I frequent have had a hard time selling older hunting rifles--the only exception being pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters.
That is sad to see such great old guns being completely disregarded by the newer generations.
Marlin sold rifles on FN and Sako actions, too. The .30-06 was an odd duck, but appealing with a heavier than usual barrel and standard receiver sight.
They used Microgroove barrels which were said not to last long with cartridges hotter than .30-30.
Code Name: JET STREAM
Yep, I have been a fan of that rifle since he first posted it over four years ago. There is some solid thinking going on in the configuration.
I suspect even the late Colonel Cooper would give that one an appreciative smile.
And I am of a similar mind to you, @Malamute.
(Though P-F is behind the fact that I now own a fairly KISS AR carbine.)
"If I ever needed to hunt in a tuxedo, then this would be the rifle I'd take." - okie john
"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself." - Michel De Montaigne
I have not seen my grandfather's .270 deer rifle since it was lost in a burglary in 1976. My then ten-year-old self remembers it as a Belgian FN action with a jeweled bolt body and extractor,
a double set trigger, a 3/4 length stock reminiscent of the Mannlicher-Schoenauer model 50 (I seem to remember it was a Fajen), and a hammer-forged slick barrel, also of the Mannlicher Schoenauer type. Scope was a Redfield Variable in Buehler rings. All the research I have done over the last 5 years or so leads me to believe it was built up off of one of the Higgins model 50s.
There used to be some very good riflesmiths in the SF Bay Area in the 50s & 60s. He did most of his hunting from horseback, usually in the Trinity Alps in northern CA.
Come spring, I would be very happy to get one of the Higgins Model 50s in either caliber, or a Model 51. That variety of rifle is what caused me to look at the Mauser 18 WaldJagd in the first place...
"If I ever needed to hunt in a tuxedo, then this would be the rifle I'd take." - okie john
"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself." - Michel De Montaigne