In a moment of fiscal insanity a few years ago I picked up one of these puppies in 30-06 in near mint condition. Its got a couple of minor nicks on the stock in the shiny finish and a little spot on the barrel from where it had been resting in a guys safe for forty years, but otherwise it looks new and I don't think it has ever been fired. No box or manual came with it so its not perfect as far as what a collector would want.

It is one beautiful piece of gunnery. That is the problem.....its just about too pretty to hunt with and I have been storing it. Lately the darn thing has been calling to me, raising hell about wanting to get out. It really wants to burn some powder, and next season, I think it wants to kill a deer. Can't say as I blame it as being in a safe since 1974 has got to suck.

Anyway, I am wondering how badly it would affect the value of the rifle if I took it out and put a few "character marks" on it. I'm certainly not planning on abusing it but when hunting, stuff happens.

I know from the search function that a few of you own one of these. Do you hunt with it? Do they shoot pretty well? Yes, I know they are heavy by today's standards but I hunt from stands and don't care.

Comments?

My brother has one. Decent accuracy. Nice rifle. I assume you have had it out of the stock to make sure you don't have rust below the stock line? Weren't those the ones that had salt in the stocks? My brother's stock finish started to craze all over with tiny cracks and since I hate that thick finish anyway I re finished it for him. It's one gorgeous piece of wood.
I'm not one for collectors so wouldn't care one way or the other if it had a few character marks.

Hunt with it. As you noted it already has a few blems, a mark here or there extra isnt going to considerably negate the value. Now I wouldnt take it in a zodiac on salt water, but a back forty trrestand hunt, absolutely. The main thing is to not modify it, leave original. All original guns, even if used but cared for, attract buyers. They are very nice rifles, enjoy.

I had one in the condition you described, and I hunted with it for quite a few years. I enjoyed hunting with it.

It is one of the finest production rifles ever made, and mine, and a few others I am aware of were all very accurate.

In the condition you describe, it's probably worth a little over $1k. With a few more marks, its value won't suffer that much.

There's a lot of rifles I could spend 1K on and not enjoy hunting with as much.

I'd hunt it. Life is too short to let a nice rifle sit in the safe.

I've decided to let my children worry about all the lost value from me using my nice guns at the estate sale when I'm gone. Shoot it if it's calling your name!

Yes Browning had the infamous "salt wood" problem with them. Mine has been checked out. It was made in 1974 which was the last year they were made and IIRC from internet research, this was after the salt wood period....but you never know. I also remember that the problem was more common with the stocks in higher grade rifles with fancier wood.

What did you use to refinish your brother's stock? Sounds like a fun project.

I have one in 270 that my dad bought. Worth more than money to me! Quite accurate and well balanced. Slightly heavy by today’s standards. But, as they say: “They don’t make ‘em like tha any more!”

Great walnut and steel rifle. Hunt it and enjoy it!

Should have never sold my 30-06 Safari... Awesome Rifle...

I have a couple - a 270 and a 243. I agree with the comments above. You have a rifle worth a little more than a grand. If you hunt with it a bit and put a few scratches in the stock you will have a rifle worth about $900. Trust me, it will be about the best $100 you've ever lost.

I will also offer another suggestion. I have never been a huge fan of the very shiny and hard finish that is on most of these, especially in the later years. When I bought one of mine the previous owner had stripped off that finish and applied a hand-rubbed oil finish. It made the rifle even better. So if you hunt with it for a while and decide you want to make it pretty again, I would go that route. A hand-rubbed oil finish will bring out the true beauty of the stock. Those rifles usually had some pretty good wood on them.

SR

Take it hunting.




Okie John

It was Built to "burn Powder". If You don't, the next person to have it will. Might as well be You.

Shoot it. Don't drag it on a gravel road behind your truck, but shoot it.

I've got a similar gun, an L579 Sako Deluxe from 1968. I was told by it's previous owner that it was likely never fired. He inherited it from a guy who bought it in Germany. It's really nice,in near perfect condition with only a couple scuffs in the wood finish because that finish isn't as hard as it once was. i take it out and even hunt with it occasionally.I usually just carry it on easy hunts though. I don't drag it through swamps and through the roughest country I can find. I've got other rifles better suited for that purpose.

My brother's rifle had a ding in the cheek piece. I removed the finish with a good paint stripper, sanded it with fine paper and broke the sharp edge in the cheek piece where the ding was then finished it with may coats of Watco Danish finishing oil (we are in California so not worried about hunting in rain for days). Sanded with 400grit paper between coats. Came out nice. Lately when I refinish a stock I just strip and rattle can with Verathane Satin. Brings out the grain nice and it's quick and easy. Again, my wood stocked rifles don't go on international hunts or out on rainy days so I'm not worried if they are waterproof, I have syn stocked rifles for beaters.

The polyurethane finishes are very tough. Verathane by Rustoleum, Minwax polys, etc. I've been occupied by redoing a rental property the past few months. My Mom finished the kitchen cabinets 30 years ago with Minwax poly. They have been through hell, the most recent tenant failed to see the need to use the range exhaust fan or change the filter. She must have really liked fried food because the cabinets were coated with grease and grime......looked a lot like an engine block with leaky valve covers. I washed the cabinets off with ammonia and water (multiple times) and the finish under the grime looked almost as good as new. I scuffed them with some fine sandpaper and put a coat of Minwax poly on them with a foam brush.....they look great.

I say all that because I can't see how they would not make a good finish for a rifle stock if you liked the look. Should hold up very well and be easy to re-do down the road if needed.

Whatever the factories used back in the 70's on Browning, Remington etc is tough too. Its easy to knick up but you have to whack it pretty hard to get to the wood.....and no water is going to get past it anytime soon.

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

The salt years were 1967 to 1971 For the Browning's, I believe. But just because you have a gun in those years doesn't mean it is a salt-wood gun. I have a 1967 375 H&H long extractor gun and it does not have Salt-wood. In my opinion the Browning safari grade guns were as good or better than the pre-64 Winchester mod 70. The 300 H&H in a safari grade is one of my favorites. Shoot your 30/06 and enjoy.

I had a nice one in 30/06 until was stolen in 2004. ( serial number 7L41026 in case anybody wants to check to see if they have it. I'd really like to get it back!)

I shot mine and it shot great. It would easily do between 1 to 1.5 inches at 100 yards. Probably do better if someone else was shooting it. It is a little heavy by todays standards but the weight helps tame what recoil the 30/06 had and it was very easy to shoot. I had Macmillan fit it with a camouflage fiberglass stock that I used for hunting and saved the wood stock from getting all scratched up.

I'd buy another one for hunting, if I ran across one without the salt stock in good shape.

I agree that the Browning Safari Grade guns were better than pre-64 Model 70s. In fact, I was just thinking about selling my Browning Safari .270 in order to help pay for a pre-64 Super Grade. I pulled the Browning out of the safe last night, took a good look at it, and decided I would be crazy to add money to that in order to get a Super Grade.

South Ridge . . . . I agree 100%

I own five of them, one even has a SAKO action. Great rifles and yes I prefer them to my 70s (if they have the Mauser action).

I have a 243 built on a Sako action. Very accurate and you are correct, mine is heavy.

There is some nice ones on GunBroker