Saw a rifle with Flaig's stamped on the barrel. How was the quality of their work? Do you know where they sourced their barrels? Growing up I remember seeing their ads in hunting magazines.

I really have no idea about either question, like you mostly having seen the ads. I've run into a few Flaig rifles in stores and at gun shows, but never owned or shot one, or known anybody who did.

Thanks. Just googled this old guns magazine with a Flaigs ad. Some fun reading here and it brings back memories.

http://www.gunsmagazine.com/1960issues/G0260.pdf

I owned a nice Classic styled 7x57 by Flaigs. It was nicely done and shot well.

From what I've learned they were a small family gunsmithing company in Pennsylvania. The owner was a German who had a collection of Nazi stuff and was considered by some to be a little too fond of Hitler.

They tended to build customs on mauser actions and used their own barrels,some of which may have been made for them by Lothar Walther.

They stocked according to the preference of the customer,everything from American classic to California weatherby style.

My dad had his 03A3 sporterized at Flaig's in the early '60's. Had a 25/06 (when it was still a wildcat)Douglas barrel put on it with a Bishop stock. It's a great rifle and shoots like a house afire!

I had a rifle rebarreled by them.. It shot super.. From what I know, they made some quaility stuff..

And, as a bonus, this issue of Guns has the story of Elmer's 600 yard mule deer told by Elmer himself.

Have a 257 AI built by Flaigs on a Mexican Mauser action. Good work all the way around, and still a great shooter.

Sako,

Here are two old threads that might help:

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/6233384/1

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/4688297/1

There are probably more if you search back far enough.

I have heard most of this. I bought a 7x57 Flaigs a few years ago at a local gun show and ended up selling it. I then had an opportunity to buy a .243 chambered Flaigs rifle that was rebored, and stamped as a 240 PSP (Page's Super Pooper). I still have it and it shoots very well. It is a Mauser action in a really nice tiger maple stock.

donsm70

I have had about 6 of their rifles.They were from a estate sale.All had a german barrel with a matt rib on the top.They all had FN Mauser actions.375H&H,358Norma mag,300 H&H,30-06,7X57,6MM Remington.I sold the larger calibers and kept the 30-06,7X57 and 6MM Remington.They shot great but were very heavy.All had Canjar triggers.

I had one. Mauser action, good workmanship ,and it shot great. It was a 30 06

I had a 7x57 on a Mauser with DS triggers. Nicely done, but heavy with the Monte Carlo stock. One I wish I still had. Can't say how it really shot as I wasn't the amazing marksman then that I am now.🙄

Do still have the triggers as I had them replaced with a Timney.

Very cool thread. I grew up 5 miles from Flaig's.

I saw a Flaig custom Winchester 1917 30-06 not long ago and the stock was beautiful

Back in the 50's and 60's you could kill a grizzly with a 270 and a 130 pill. Now you need something at or over a 338 and a premium bullet! Bears must be getting tougher everyday!

Lived close by Flaig's at one time. "Flaigs on the hill." Up a small hill with a lot of pine trees.

Would go in and buy components sometimes. Old Mausers all over the place along with customs they made up and other European rifles and a few shotguns. They let you wonder around and handle most everything.

Gunsmith workshop off from the small main display room. Living quarters attached to the store. Got invited in once and in the hallway was a bronze bust of some German military guy. May have been Hitler, can't remember.

Friendly bunch.

You see a Flaig's at gun shows sometimes. Usually sell around 500.00

I remember getting Flaig's catalogs in the 1960's, lots of good stuff. Many of their rifles were made on FN actions, they had a reputation for quality workmanship. If I recall correctly I got some nice stock blanks from them as well as from Herter's back in the day. One of the very nicest blanks of Exibition Grade of American Black Walnut came from Herter's don't recall paying much more than $200.00. The blank had nice color and contrast and had fiddleback figure from end to end. I used it to stock a prewar M/70 .30-06 which I foolishly sold many years ago, have wished many time I could have that one back.

There is a Flaig's Mauser 243 for sale locally and it has a nice stock on it. I like the rifle but don't want to overspend to get it. Is there any way to assess the value in these?

One of my 280s has a Flaig barrel. It is very accurate.

Looks more like a Springfield than a Mauser, although Springfield is a Mauser clone. And, with Springfields, check the serial number to make sure it's a later one, not in the improper heat treatment range.

Does it have the military trigger? I'd want a Timeny, etc. which would add around a hundred bucks, maybe less if you shop a bit. Ebay often has good prices. Looks like it has the safety conversion for scopes. Was the original bolt handle ground like that or is it a welded on aftermarket handle? Hard to tell from the photos.

If the barrel is slick and everything seems Kosher, I'd think it may be worth $500 or so. Of course, I'd try to get it for less. Is that barrel SS or just polished bright and is the Flaig name stamped on it?

DF

Nice looking rifle

That is a Springfield. A decent early 1960's utility rifle. I would spend 500 dollars for it if my money came easily but, in reality, it looks like 300 to me. GD

To me, it would depend on the barrel. If it's SS that would be a plus. I'd run a Hawkeye down the bore and if it's pristine, it would be worth $500. From there, I'd grade it downward accordingly. The Hawkeye is a great tool for situations just like this.

And, if it turns out to be a MOA shooter, someone got a great deal. That does look like the OEM military trigger. If so, that's a minus.

The lock time, striker fall is pretty long on those guns, another minus, IMO.

I have two Springfields, one with a McGowen SS barrel chambered for an unmentionable (gay) round. (I was young back then!) The other has Lyman receiver sight with OEM barrel, Fajan stock, Timney trigger, bead front sight using original barrel band.

The McGowen rifle has a French Walnut, Herter stock that I reshaped (it had a roll over comb) and checkered, inlayed with rosewood, has Timney trigger, Jaeger safety. It's a good shooter, MOA or better. Skip a line checkering...??? Those were the days; that was cool in the '60's... I even jewelled the bolt.

I don't use either one, have better rifles, kept them for their nostalgic value.

DF







Camera caught some dust...

I've owned a couple over the years. I still have one left.

It is the center rifle shown in this picture;





It was a 243 and has been rechambered to a 240 PSP.

donsm70

Nice wood on that one.

IMO, I'd value an FN Mauser over a Springfield, although I have nothing against the Springfield. I just think the Mauser is a classier action. Just me...

Is the .240 PSP close to the .240 Wby.?

DF

Nice rifles DF!

Thanks.

You know you're dating yourself, thinking those old clunkers are Kosher...

'60's cool..., Possibly...

2017 cool..., Nah...

DF

Ha. I hear you, I grew up in the plastic/synthetic/SS generation but man those old battle rifles made into solid hunting rifles is still danged cool and there isn't no plastic on them honkers!

For sure, that...

But, as solid as they are, they tend to run a tad heavy for todays thinking. You can build a fairly light FN or such, just not as easy as with more modern actions...

For tough, rugged actions, these old guns take no backseat to anything out there...

DF

Thanks DF;

I like it too.

donsm70

That's a fact, but utter reliability counts for something as well.

I had a 257 roberts built on a 600 rem action that had a Flaig's installed barrel. I t was accurate but fussy.....

I was wondering if Flaigs made their own barrels. Copied this from the ad link. It copied sorta funky, upper case/lower case craziness. I like the $40 fitted in the white...

DF

Made by internationally known borrel maker: whose barrels have made. records In matches ot home and
abroad. EXclusiYely potented "button rifled smooth, hord swedged, SIX groove chrome, moly barrel. of
absolutely top quolity, completely threaded preCISIon chombered. and crowned at a moneY-SOYlng price. Your foYorite caliber in your chOIce of weIght ot a moderot.e price. . .. • Ayailable for the FN Mauser, 98 Mauser, HVA, SpringfIeld, EnfIeld ond 722 Remington ActIon. • Choice of Calibers: 220 SWIft, 22-250, 243 WIn., 244 Rem., 250 SOY., 257-R, 270, 7mm, 300 SaY.,
280 Rem., 308 Win., .30-06 and .25-06. .338 WIN coliber 24"-26" for 98 M.FN.70 Win. Enfield 17 SPR 1903 hi-numbers only. $40.00 fitted white.

Nope.

Page had two 240s, the Pooper and the Souper Pooper. The Souper Pooper was an improved 244/6mm/257/7X57 case necked to 243 and blown out. I think he used the 244/6mm Rem case for this.

The Pooper was an improved 243...I think...originally based on a necked down 308/7.62 Nato.

Also...

Flaig's imported FN Sakos in 300 H&H and 375 H&H and re-chambered them to the Weatherby versions. I have one in 375 Wby and will never part with it.

I remember the Flaig's advertisements in the American Rifleman in the 1950's. Finally, I visited the shop in the mid 1980's and found a really nice old-time gunsmith shop. Several actions were just lying on window-sills and the gunsmith was really friendly. IIRC, he said the at the original owners had sold the shop. He had two 1950's era rifles for sale and the workmanship was good; no idea how they shot.

Flaig's was located on the North side of the river across from Pittsburgh, up a hill off Evergreen Avenue. It was an old log cabin-type building.

Here's a 1060 ad in Guns Magazine for Flaig's (scroll down) :
http://www.gunsmagazine.com/1960issues/G0260.pdf

I enjoy reading those old '60's publications and ads.

Man, if we knew then what we know now, we'd stock up on certain items, like $40 Lugers, Colts, FN action, etc.

Some things today are better, like powder selection, modern bullets, etc. But, those old classic guns are something else.

DF

Yes. I use the 244/6mm Rem brass for my PSP reloads. I got the dies with the rifle.

donsm70

Just browsed thru that magazine. Man, the things that are in there to buy. And those Hodgdon powder prices! $99.75 for 150lb drum of 4831!!
Egads! Thanks for putting that up. Great stuff.

That was a great read. Thank you for putting it up.

Yes, great for putting that up, except it makes me sad that I didn't (or wasn't' able to) take advantage of these prices at the time! I remember as a teenager going into Interarms (foot of Prince Street, Alexandria, VA) and seeing $39 M-1 Garands, $69 Johnsons, $9-19 Mausers, $19 Lee-Enfields, etc. Makes me want to cry now!

Your comment made me remember something my ol dad used to tell me. He fought as an infantryman in the Battle of The Bulge, and during his time he said Lugers were nice to collect and trade for, among the soldiers, but they weren't all that big a deal. You'd see guys walking around with ten to twenty of them at the time...a single coat hanger through the trigger guard of all of em for easier carrying.

That must have been a sight to see.

Read the ad and then scroll down to the next page...to the "Know your lawmaker" article. The first person mentioned was ol Hubert Humphrey. Seems he was a supporter of our 2nd Ammendment rights. Wow...guess that wasn't all that rare back in the day before their party of choice went down the drain. JFK was a life member of the NRA if I remember correctly.

There is a Flaig's rifle on GunBroker now. A 243

They were conservative compared to today's Libtard Dems.

Like they said in the '80's Olds ads, this is not your Father's Oldsmobile.

Well this is not your Father's Democratic party, either...

DF

Several on Guns America now, look like nice rifles.

I have a Flaig's Custom Mauser in 30-06. The barrel is full taper with slide over sight. It covers the barrel proof marks and dove tail. Do you think the barrel could be identified if I removed the sight?

I have added a Leopold scope mount, scope turn down saftey, and Timey trigger, pillar mount and action bedding. I'm I hurting the value of this gun? I only want it to shoot well. It wasn't shooting good at all. The best I could do is 4" - 5" at 100yds.

Any information or advice on this gun would be appreciated.
MM879

It's a Flaig's, not a Biesen. Can't see how modifying it would hurt the value, assuming the work is properly done.

Flaig's is old school Mauser action custom rifles. Usually using custom barrel from Douglass in WV. The shop use to be in Pittsburgh, PA in a cool log building. All of the ones I saw were high quality, accurate and a flawless workmanship. Use to be the best in the day. Hope that helps. Have a great evening
Gary U

The work being done is all by a Gunsmith. The reported accuracy was before the work was done. I haven't shot it yet. The gunsmith just finished the stock work and did a test fire before the final bluing and refinish. He reported that accuracy is back to normal. He sent a photo of the target, but my phone doesn't accept photos. I didn't see the target. The gunsmith is 225 miles away. The gun was beautiful before the work. It has a Leopold 3 x 9 scope
MM879

The gun sat in a vertical gun case so long that the but plate flattened on one end. The but plate is a "White Line. I need to get a 1" thick but plate to come out to a standard length gun. When I compared it to other similar Mauser's at the gunsmiths house my was about 1" short. I think the stock might have been designed for a youth. Can you recommend a but plate in the white line style that matches the comb cap on the rifle. The comb cap is white line also.
MM879

They also stocked Sako barreled actions, and stamped their name on them along with the factory stampings.

God! Wouldn't we just love to see those prices again!!!

I visited Flaig's store in Millvale PA in the 1980's. Really a neat place. The quality I saw in the rifles I examined was very good, but I haven't shot one.

My uncle bought a Flaig's barreled commercial Mauser action in 7mm Rem Mag and had a custom stock made for it. This was in the 1960's and was as close to a custom rifle as he could afford at the time. He kept it and hunted with it for many years but always was bothered by the fact that it would not outshoot his "cheap" Remington 700 ADL after all the money he spent on it. I bought it from my aunt after he died and I have it now. It can be finicky with lighter bullets (139-140 grain) but consistently shoots 160 Nosler parititions into about 2" at 200. It seems to be a good, hardworking gun, if not a huge commercial value. It's also a good-looking gun with nice deep bluing and a pretty myrtlewood stock. It's already lasted two generations; who knows how many more it will last?