Well that was a bit of a brain-fart. Yes, I mean re-blued...not reblown. The stock was refinished by the owner with a simple hand rubbed oil finish. The barrel was done by a smith, didn't ask who as it became apparent it was not a collector piece.
![[Linked Image]](http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m504/psetch/p64alaskan_zps04a18e6c.jpg)
Let me know what your best guess is bsa1917hunter. Oh, and what year did they start DTg the p64s in the factory?
To answer your question: The first year they started drilling and tapping the receiver bridges (both front and rear bridge like modern rifles of today) for scope mounting was in 1947. The checkering looks like it was sanded on and covered with the oil. Here are a few things I see from the small pic you posted:
1. Checkering damage from stock refinishing.
2. Receiver was polished and blued.
If I were looking at buying this Alaskan, I'd check these things:
1. Look for cracks in the stock, in between the trigger mortise and mag well as well as behind the tang.
2. Make sure it has the ".458" stamp on the bottom of the recoil lug.
3. Does it have the original front and rear sights with the front sight hood?
4. Does the serial # indicate it was made between '56 (don't ask
..) and '63?
5. Has it been re-barreled?
6. Quality of the re-bluing?
7. Any extra holes?
I agree with reelman in that it is worth as much as a new FN BACO 338 Alaskan, maybe even a bit more. The pre 64 338 Alaskan is hard to find for less than about $1,500.00 in just about any condition and most owners really hang on to them. Trust me, I spent the better part of 2 years finding mine (just the right one). Your rifle in question has had a lot of work done to it, so it may only be worth around $1,150.00-$1,250.00 (realistically) from what I can see in the small 1 picture you posted earlier. If you get us some more pics, the value may go up a bit.
![[Linked Image]](http://s1129.photobucket.com/user/psetch/media/p64alaskan_zps04a18e6c.jpg.html)
