Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Custom rifle by Heppler & Heilmann

When conducting a transaction at a LGS a few weeks ago I saw a beautiful rifle sitting all alone and asked to see it. The LGS folks did not know who the gunmaker was but it was clearly well done. I asked for additional information but they did not have any. The rifle was being sold by relatives of the recently deceased owner and they knew nothing about the gun either. It was fairly pricey but given the quality of work I just could not pass it up. Just now found the time to pull the stock off. I thought it might have been by Goens but found inside the stock that Keith Heppler did the wood work and Stephen Heilmann did the metal work. 30-06 on what I think is a commercial mauser action, Swift/Blackburn bottom metal, beautifully inletted, awesome wood. I'll get a few photos up soon. Does anyone have any insight into Heppler or Heilmann? I'm not a rifle guy but can identify quality work when I see it.

6 figure names there! hope you keep it

A few pics:

Gorgeous rifle, but not too gorgeous to hunt.

Well done.


Okie John

You done good!

Thank you John & Doug

Both individuals, Heppler and Heilmann are current members of the ACGG and both are highly regarded. There work is exceptional and priced accordingly, you probably got a "helluva" deal. Congrats

This.

Not sure whether I want to know how much (or how little) you paid for this.


Okie John

Based on what I'm hearing I'd guess that what I paid would be closer to a bargain than full value. Not cheap but not terribly expensive either. My problem is that I don't own another 30-06 and I don't hunt with a rifle. However, I collect old Parker shotguns just because I like them so why not a rifle was my (twisted) logic.

Order that rifle from that combination and it will be well north of $20,000. Nice find

I doubt $20,000. Maybe $7,500 for the blank and stock work. Maybe another $5000 for the metal. Steve Heilman makes some very elaborate rifles that do cost well over $20000 but they will have engraving and much more customization than this rifle.

Wow. Nice score!

Well, all I can say is that the rifle was quite a bit less than the numbers above. Expensive by my standards but not priced as new. I know enough about quality stock work to know that it alone on a new rifle would be more which is why I bought it.

My thought as well ^^^^^ Classy without being gaudy...

Yes a very gorgeous rifle , nice find .
Maybe its just your pictures but the scope looks like is 90 degrees off by the looks of the windage cap .

Beauty.

Nice clean looking rifle with a solid piece of walnut. Sights or slick?

What should he do? put the sidefocus into the port?

Ok sorry if that's the sidefoucus knob , just looks strange have the Lueopld Name on the under side of the scope when mounted .
Must be too old school ......

My Burris, Swaro, Redfield and Bushnells all have that pesky writing on the bottom of the turret housing, also. What they don't have, is the bold Leupold lettering on either side of the ocular....

That's how I do it. You just have to remember to cant your head 90 degrees. Nice rifle, John.