I've of course always been aware of these rifles, but never owned nor shot one..those danged M70's always got in the way

I bumped into a mint 30/06 (never scope mounted near as I can tell, and not a blemish on it and NOT salt wood),at what I think is a reasonable price.

Those who are familiar with them,what are your thoughts/experience with these rifles?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

I own several in calibers from '06 to 338WM. I always liked them because their lop is a little longer than the standard 13.5 inches. This makes them fit my long arms better and they just feel "right." The mauser action is tried and true and the sako type extractors (called the short extractor) work very well too.
All of mine shoot 1 inch or better with hand loads, except the '06 which probably needs some bedding attention. Some are put off by the "shiney" finish but I like it. It can crack with age on some rifles. I would advise you to buy the '06. I think you will find it to be a great deer/bear rifle that is easy on the eyes.

I had one in 270 a number of years ago. Mine had a FN action. They are truly beautiful rifles and presented one of the premium commercial rifles available in their time. In their day they were the equivalent of say the Coopers and Dakota's of today. Mine shot very well and if there is any knock it stems from the difference in styles that were considered vogue then vs now. They are somewhat heavy compared to todays lightweights. If the price is right and it appeals to you I would jump on it as it is really a classic rifle imho.

AFTERUM/Bangeye: Thanks for your thoughts....this one has the FN Mauser action with the long extractor,and is for all practical purpose, brand new.For this reason as much as anything I was drawn to it,and agreem that they were nicely made rifles.

I am not put off by the weight,because it really is not all that heavy,and the stock feels very nice to me....has a comfortable feel.I will minimize weight by putting a scope of moderate power and weight on it.

I like and use synthetic stocks but there is a part of me that "likes" handsome wood stocked sporters and this qualifies. Seems like a nice rifle!

Bob: Get it, you'll like it . I have a 270 that my dad bought new. IMO, it's right up there with the pre64's...and that's high praise.

My buddy hunts with one, his only rifle. Finely accurate and he hits everyting he fires at. They are too "clubby" and heavy for me and I am not a fan of the stock style either. No question they are very, very high quality pieces just not my bag. I have a couple of original FN's that I prefer over the Browning import. Lighter and a nice classic stock. Sound like it appeals to you which is reason enough. It will appreciate over time as well.

south texas/Tony: Thanks for the comments...it "feels" likeit would be comfy to shoot,and appears not to need a thing....brand new really.

$900.....sound about right?

sounds like a good deal!

May be a good action to build another Mashburn off of...

Dober

southtexas: OK, thanks!

Bob-I'll be on the road all day, give a call if you've the time. Give me about an hour though.

Dober

Dober; Will do.

I've had several over the years both in standard and magnum actions. They really were visually nicer than all my pre '64s but each style was classic. Considering the condition you found yours in anything under $1K should be a very nice purchase.
You just have to watch out for those salt wood years because there is no way to neutralize the wood other than with a match.
I'm sure you will post the pics in due time.

bigwhoop thanks....yes I will get some pics up soon as I get it. I had it set aside while I decided if I wanted it,but do nt have it yet.

Sako or Mauser action? either way they are magnificent rifles. I have a couple of them and I prefer them to Model 70s in certain calibers. Their 458 is waaaay to light for example, but those 22" barrels for the non-magnum actions combined with superb fit and finish and accuracy make them quite a find!

I bought a .243 (Sako action) for my son's first CF.

Light weight and the stock fits us both to perfection.

A nice light hunting rifle that handles and shoots well, scoped with a Leupold 6X.

BobinNH,

That is an outstanding rifle, and the price is lower than today's going price. Get it! If you don't want it, sell it to me!

I had one exactly as you describe. Like new, large ring Mauser 98 action, claw extractor, in 30-06. I paid $850 for mine around 10 years ago. I eventually convinced myself that lighter rifles are better, so I sold it. That decision is highly regretted.

Passed up one at the last gunshow with an older Leupold on it for $450.00. I'm sure I could have bought it for $400.00 because the dealer only fooled with military surplus and wanted to sell it bad. I probably should have bought it.

jorg/30Gibbs,bigredhead: Thanks for the additional words of wisdom I knew they were a nicely made rifle but frankly just had not run into many who had them.

jorg this one is the Mauser action, long extractor.I am glad it's a 30/06....be a swell rifle for about anything.

Swampy you should have bought it at that price I guess...

Moron!

sactoller you and Carlos like them?

I have owned two. A .264WM and a 30-06. Both were Mausers and I liked them.

Some people used to say the bolt stop was a little weak but I did not experience any trouble with it.

I messed with an a bolt that wouldn't chamber its own neck sized brass is this model similar?

Damn straight!

No, commercial mauser.

That about covers it nicely, other than the LIE about the price...

It weighed a ton but it was in great condition and nice looking.

Moron!

You would be a fool to pass on a High Power at that price especially with a Leupold on it! I wouldn't pass on a salt wood one at that price!

Drop forged action,cut rifled barrel that I believe had a hard chrome plated bore, beautiful blueing and overrall exquisite workmanship. What is there not to like about it? I remember my dad had a tenant at his apartment building that had a slew of them. A nice one has the same effect on me today that it had 42 years ago.

He probably ended up buying a pre 70 Model 700 ADL with impressed checkering for 100 more and thought he had a steal.

Oldelkhunter: This is a very nice one....not fancy like some of those Belgian engraved models with wood that would choke you......just nice and not real flashy.Solid working sporter.

I did not know the barrels were "cut"....IIRC it has a 4 groove barrel....like a new dime.

Bob I believe they were cut rifled barrel and chromium insides...I saw 2 at a dealer 2 years ago. One was really really abused and he would not take less then 450..the other was on the other end of the spectrum and was going for 1200. It was a 270 and had he said 900 it would be sitting in my house right now, it was that nice.

The resale on heavy mousers isn't very good here, and I don't have a use for a non-Remmy.

I know a guy that knows another guy that has some very nice Brownings. Now if I could get the original guy to help me negotiate with the second guy, I might be able to swing a deal from the second knowee.

Do it man!!!...times getting short!!
If not PM me with details,cause my SIL is taking all my good stuff....rifle

The last time I saw one, in good shape and good bluing etc, they were asking $1,200 dollars for a .300mag made in Belgium by Browning. I traded one in excellent condition for 2 brand new model 70 Winchesters in 25/06 & 243 caliber 4 years ago. So go figure!

What were the salt wood years?

Also, what years were the Browning Safaris built with FN mauser actions?

Do you want the 308, 243 or the 30-06.....All you do is hound me, make me call in all my chips...what do I ever get out of it?

$900 for a Safari in mint condition is a steal imo. For about the same money as a run of the mill factory rifle you are getting a forged Mauser action, 1 piece bolt, polished blue, nice wood stock, and a lot of old time belgian hand craftsmanship. They don't make em like that anymore....unless you go custom for big bucks.

RJY: I am inclined to agree.....this is a nice rifle

So where are the pics???!!!

southtexas: I will get some......

Cabelas in Rogers, Minnesota has a nice one in .458 Magnum.
I think they were asking $1,500.
whelennut

Bob,

Grab it up. If you don't like it you can get your money back.

The barrels are cut rifled and they have chrome lined chambers.

I have 1 left in 30-06 with a 22" bbl. It is a consistent 1" shooter with all the factory ammo I've run thru it. It will do 3/4" all day with handloads.

I think they are the finest factory production sporters ever made.

Good Luck,

JM

Gentlemen they just do not put that kind of craftsmanship in a factory rifle anymore, especially for what they sold for back in early 60's.

I have one in 30-06. It has a Weaver V8 with external adjustable mount. My Mom bought it for my Dad from a hardware store in Manhattan, KS. It has a 4 digit SN and years ago when I called Browning, the guy I spoke to said it must have been one of the first imported in the 50's since my SN seemed to predate any in his records. The SN is just an L followed by 4 digits. There is no prefix # to indicate year of manufacture. Has anyone else seen this? The only downer is that one of my brothers had "custody" of it for years before I got it. He kept it in a closet and apparently at some point, there was some kind of moisture and the butt plate(some kind of bakelite) was ruined and the wood on the end of the butt stock was damaged so I installed a recoil pad. This is a fun rifle to shoot and is very accurate. The funny thing is, I have hunted with it and not ever been successful but have taken many elk, deer, and antelope with my Win M70 Lightweight. I'll hang on to the rifle just because it belonged to my Dad and my Mom told me how she saved up for a year to buy it for him.

+1, I have 4 of them, my hunting buddy has 3.
All mine are the lever bolt release type as opposed to the pressed metal bolt release.
My 338 has an edge stock, with scope comes in at under 8 lbs; got an Edge stock on order for my 3006.

JM/Guys: Thanks for the words of encouragement on these.....few speak of them so I did not know they were that well-liked.

Were they made in Belgium like the early shotguns?

edited to add: I just looked on line.....guess mine is a Belgian rifle...Geez these things are not cheap! I had not kept up with pricing on these. As much as a pre 64's and sometimes a LOT more!

Better craftsmanship than a pre-64 too

Ooohh Noo!

Sacrilege I know, but were the run of the mill pre 64s really that great?

Solid working rifles.

True but I still like the Browning better. i also like the Model 54 Winchester better than the 64 just to be different! Especially one like this one: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=226252438

I had a Safari .270 bought used in the early 70's it had nice wood that caught my eye. But I didn't like it much for hunting, the safety is slow, the rifle is heavy, and like all mausers when the bolt is back it has a lot of rotational play. The play in the bolt allows the knob to ping against the rear of your scope, if the scope is mounted as low as you have them on a 70 or 700.
But if you just want a mauser, it is a smooth nice mauser.

I forgot to mention the iron sights are not removable.
My rifle balanced a little butt heavy but it had highly figured wood, if yours has more conservative wood it might balance better.

pacecars: Grieves me to say a local dealer had a SG 54 in 06 that looked just like that one....evry bit as nice....it hung around for over a year for about a $1000....coulda bought it many times over.....but didn't.

Of course pre war M70's were as nice.

StrayDog: This 06 is not a flea-weight rifle but not a club either....I like small scopes,so the bolt travel is not a problem.It'll likely just get a 4X.