I picked up this 257 roberts for my wife. There are NO markings on the reciever except for the engraving. The barrel,stock and trigger all have the same number on them,The stock is also stamped LaBantcni. The express sight is right on at 1,2,3 hundred yards. It looks like a bone butt plate with a bone grip cap. The tip is ebony ? It came with a 4 power Lyman Alaskan scope.The only stamp on the barrel is a G with a circle around it.
Any help would be appreciated

I can't help you with who made it,but it sure looks good to me.
You will of course tell the wife that you need to test it before she gets her chance at it.It's worth a shot anyway it didn't work for me.YET

Large-ring 98 Mauser, & by the thumb slot for stripper clips on L side - it's def a converted warhorse.
Maybe pop the action out of the stock & examine for proofs. Then perhaps post-up some clear pics, etc.

Can't help ID beyond the military donor comment; that aside, it is a handsome rifle with some nice features. Congratulations.

from an old 70's G&A Annual - Jules LaBantchni was a craftsman in the MGM studio miniature dept. in 1931 when he turned out a mannlicher stock for his mauser. He had no formal training in wood or steel engraving nor custom gunsmithing, 30 yrs later his notable customers were Hemingway, Gable, Fowler, Roy Rogers and Robert Tatlor. No two rifles were alike but all designed along the classic lines. The article shows a Mauser 98 with extensive engraving, checkering and carvings. They make note that his steel carvings on rifles that were not done on annealed steel, like in Europe. There is also a photo of a custom stock very similar to yours but it has DST, bbl band swivel and a stock medallion. Could be a twin to your stock style. Hope this helps, I guess he has passed on since this article had a photo of a middle aged man back in the 70's.
Bob

Thanks for the info so far. Here are some pics of the only markings on the reciever and what was under the scope base.

Wow Ty! Just did a double-take on this beauty, and .......
Am now gonna retract that prior LR statement - she's definitely a small-ring action (the last image nails that one, & quite perfectly), but sports a LR bolt assy.

Thus: SR action + LR bolt = few possibilities here, perhaps .....
a) WW1 German K98a short rifle, commonly called the Engineer Carbine, or sometimes K98az
b) Late-20's Polish cavalry carbine (which is a close cousin to above)

Either way, a winner. Just noted in the middle pic of 2nd set (257001.jpg): a semi-obliterated proof @ L front of ring (which was possibly under the woodline). Is that a crown, or perhaps the lower half of one?

From pics, it appears no bluing on bottom third or so of receiver- if it isn't just my bad eyesight, what would be the reason for this?

Any 98 LR & SR actions I've handled the bolts will interchange, however the 94,5,6 Mausers are SR and as far as I know the bolts will not interchange with the 98. --- John303.

Ty,

Sorry to keep buggin' ya here, but am hoping that I could trouble you for 'nuther pic or 2 of the bolt: would like to see the face, & then a full image of the bottom, pls?

My friend, that is a gorgeous rifle. Not sure I've ever seen a 257 roberts with express sights, though.

The action is 6 5/16 long.The bolt is 6 7/8 long. I have sat and stared at the mark on the side but I cant figure out what it was.The bottom 1/3 has blueing on it it is not as deep as the top or polished

Xlnt, Ty. Many tnx.
That's def a Lg Ring bolt there.

That charming lil' action, however ....... might jus' remain a pleasant mystery.

Could be a 1910 Mexican small ring intermediate length m98. Look at the cocking piece where it rests against the rear of the bolt body, it is pointed. I have a few 1910/36 Mexicans that have the exact same pointed cocking piece. Standard M98 mausers have the tip of the cp squared off not pointed. Look at the left side of the action rail where the thumb cut is, a std M98 has a deep thumb cut, the 1910 Mex has a shallow cut. On the trigger guard below the wood line near the bow is there a Y in a circle(Mexican).

Action measurements from Kuhnhausen book on Mausers, Std length OAL=8.75, Rec. screws=7.835, Bolt body= 6.37.
Mex intermediate length OAL=8.50, Rec. screws=7.626, Bolt body=6.080.

But the capital letter inside a sq box on the action underside reminds me of Yugoslavian mausers. I'm just guessing like you.
Bob

Also the gas relief holes on the bottom of the bolt a smaller and elongated compared to a std M98, very similar to the SR Mexicans.

The top of the left side wall looks to slant in on a angle towards the magazine box like Mexicans. Std M98 have a flat top left side rail in front of the thumb cut.
I think thats it for now.