Home Forums Gear Free Classifieds minty 1952 model 70 257 roberts. What is it worth?

I agree with all this. This is exactly my experience. Thank goodness I have some of them for myself and my kids and grandkids to enjoy.

The truth about model 70 rifles is they were never made to be collectors items. They were a "meat and potatoes" rifle made to hunt with. They became collectors items after America started looking at ways to produce the same profits with cheaper production costs.

What made them collectors items was what VarmintGuy posted about butchering, ruining, and wearing these guns out. The standard that was set by the manufacture of the "Rifleman's Rifle" was simply a straight grained piece of American Walnut, an improved Mauser Styled action with a 24 inch barrel.

These rifles were made and sold before the wimps of today had to find the superlight "Mountain" rifles. Hunters in those days bought the Model 70 and in some cases scoped it and went hunting with perhaps the best production rifle that money could buy.

There were only about 16,000 of them produced in 257 Roberts. I bought 2 of them in the last 6 months and looked over every available 257. I paid $2500.00 each for both of them. I found another that was priced at $3500.00 Anything that was priced around $1200.00 was far from mint, very far.

You will have to be prepared to pay good money for a minty 257 or be extremely lucky to find one that the owner doesn't know what it is worth.

Anyone sitting round entertaining the notion that pre 64 M70's are coming down in price,or that the Classics or FN M70's somehow diminish the value of pre 64's,is well...delusional(?)

A truly mint 257 Roberts pre 64 M70 is easily worth north of $2k;not breaking a sweat.....

If a rifle smelled minty that would make me not want it.

It's been some time since this thread started, did you end up with her?

I picked up a 1952 257 roberts a few months ago, has a period 4x redfield scope with cool mounts, Nevada gun store marked recoil pad ( ouch, but ok for a shooter) and the rear swivel was moved up an inch, metal has one small mark on bbl, a few minor scuffs in shiny original finish and 2 scratches indicative of gun safe scars, 2 small area's the finish chipped.


I just pulled it from the safe to see what the hubbub is about, man the action is smooth, inletting very fine. Rear sight there, but front sight cover was lost recently. I see why the seller was afraid to let his son hunt with it, he set a very reasonable $850 on it, and I doubt I'd let it go for a long time. Dad has a sentimental 270 he has killed most of his animals with after about 1970, I got this for the caliber and a desire to own something other than a rem 700.


Hopefully you got her safely home and can enjoy what I see in mine, once I am done loading for a varmint trip I need to load the new brass I have for my roberts and see if it truly is as accurate as it's reputation.


Thanks for the post reminding me to pull her out and remind me how nice a gun they are. I didn't want to pass to the old shooting grounds without owning a pre 64, lol.

Allen

I passed the deal along to another member. Too rich for my blood! He just PM'ed me that he shot a deer with it, and would like to re sell it for what he paid for it which was $1500.00. I can vouch for the fact that the rifle looked "As new" and was perfect in every way. Knowing the current owner, it probably still is, even though it took a deer. Wish I could afford to own it myself. Sigh.....

ILL GIVE 1500

One on GB with bid at 1700. Another with no bids at 2600, not too many fish in that pond. Brad has it.


HM