Trying to clean out the safe and get some rifles I don't use into the hands of someone that will.

Trying to come up with a value of a Dakota Model 10 in 25-06 with a believe a Bausch & Lomb scope.

it has a 2 digit serial number and I have the bill of sale from John Wooters. John told me Gary Sitton got the rifle from Dakota. I have no proof of that part. Dakota might have a record.

Thought I had a picture loaded but can't find one. Stock is nice but not exhibition

Ball Park??

Paul, Dakota prices have been hurt recently when Cabelas started stocking lots of Dakotas with no options and rather plain wood, and selling them in the $3,000 range. This was with the Model 76 bolt rifle, but seems to have affected all Dakotas. I was watching a Model 10 on Gun Broker at $3,000 for a couple months...not sure if it still hasn't sold.

The provenance added by the John Wooters letter might help move it along....I'd try $3,750 to $4,000.

I remember Gary Sitton writing about that rifle when he had a column on the last page of petersons Hunting magazine back in the 90s.

quote:

I remember Gary Sitton writing about that rifle when he had a column on the last page of petersons Hunting magazine back in the 90s.

I bet he had good things to say. When I got it I took it out with some Silver tip factory. 87 and 100 I believe. They each grouped around .75" and about one inch apart. Never bothered to try to do better.

He most definitely loved that rifle. I remember wanting one just like it and sent to Dakota for information. They sent me a beautiful catalog and price list. Would have loved getting a Number 10 but they were just to expensive for me.....still are! Although the want is still there

Value is influenced by options. I've seen used plane jane 10's sell for as little as $1,800 and fancied up ones sell for $25,000. Sights, wood, engraving, barrel length and if someone is looking for what you have all are factors.

Agree with Tree'em and would add that caliber selection plays a more important role on the 10 than the 76. Certain caliber's just seem so appropriate on this model and others don't. I'm sure this has influenced prices. By the way, these are wonderful guns and if you've never handled one you don't know what you're missing. They're just phenomenally graceful and such a pleasure to carry...

A really neat and incredibly graceful gun.
I wanted one for years, then found Bailey !

You basically have two choices, the Dakota and the Ruger. I took a .223 Ruger and had it rebarreled to .204. I had a
Higgs device fitted as well. It shoots beautifully!

Cabelas in Ft Oglethorpe GA has a model 10 in .375 H&H, no iron sights but beautiful wood and case coloring. They'll sell in for $5000. I just think these guns are over priced, but I do like them. I think Bailey Bradshaw's falling block single shot is the nicest out there, but also soooo expensive. It's hard to beat a Ruger #1 if one can find a decent piece of wood and get the right caliber.

quote:

It's hard to beat a Ruger #1 if one can find a decent piece of wood

Mike, good luck with that! Luxus Walnut used to make high-grade replacement stocks for the Ruger No 1. They stopped doing so, but i thought that was a great idea. I love the style of the No 1 and the calibers available, but could never live with the Mossberg-type wood.

I've had a few Ruger #1's over the years and have a Luxus stocked #1 .375 H&H still. One of the early ones had incredible factory wood. It was a special order by my gunsmith friend and the wood was hand picked by Bill Ruger. My cousin has the rifle now, I'll see if he can send me a pic.
It's a shame Ruger never made a scaled down small caliber version.

After I had my Dakota 10's a very short time I got rid of them. They were rather unimpressive for their price point. Vintage British singles are a far better value.

I'm thoroughly intrigued by Bailey Bradshaw's rifles although I have yet to get one in my hands. I'm thinking about ordering one soon in 6.5X53R.

Anyone with experience with Bailey's rifles please PM me.

Seems a lot were made in .375H&H and '06. I was lucky to find the one in .223. The #1 in .204 is valuable in varmint shooting. I did the same thing with a 700BDL. You really need more than one so you can get some cooling time when varmint shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:

quote:

It's hard to beat a Ruger #1 if one can find a decent piece of wood

Mike, good luck with that! Luxus Walnut used to make high-grade replacement stocks for the Ruger No 1. They stopped doing so, but i thought that was a great idea. I love the style of the No 1 and the calibers available, but could never live with the Mossberg-type wood.

Adam Freeman told me the other day that they might have a few sets left in the back. Just sayin...

NPD bought a gorgeous set of blanks from Chris at Walnut Grove Gunstocks. 45 minute drive up, great mexican restaurant about halfway, and the chance to pore over dozens of sets of two piece blanks.

Chris is set up to do about a 95% pantagraph, and leaves them a bit under size for your gunsmith to finish.

What's he going to have made with them?

does this one fit your tastes Biebs?
It is a 30-378 with a 27 1/2" barrel

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:

quote:

It's hard to beat a Ruger #1 if one can find a decent piece of wood

Mike, good luck with that! Luxus Walnut used to make high-grade replacement stocks for the Ruger No 1. They stopped doing so, but i thought that was a great idea. I love the style of the No 1 and the calibers available, but could never live with the Mossberg-type wood.

Not Ruger wood, I'll guarantee! Nice piece.

quote:

He most definitely loved that rifle. I remember wanting one just like it and sent to Dakota for information. They sent me a beautiful catalog and price list. Would have loved getting a Number 10 but they were just to expensive for me.....still are! Although the want is still there

Thank you so much for the lead. With some luck I found that the article was in the March 1994 RIFLE. Wolf still has a copy and I was able to order it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exactly my rifle!!!

Dakota
1 Model 10
The Dakota test
rifle is chambered
for the .25-06
Remington and r fitted with a Bausch
& Lomb 3-9x Elite
,
G. Sitton
It was love at first sight. As romantic moments go, it lacked only candlelight and violin music.
The Really Famous Gun Writer (RFGW) and I were walking
the aisles of the Safari Club International Convention
back in January of 1992. The exhibit hall of a plush Reno
gambling den is sure enough a strange place to be smitten,
but that’s where it happened.
We were ambling along, marveling at the rich boys’ toys,
when I saw it. At first, seen in the corner of my eye, it
seemed to be a customized, highly refined Ruger No. 1.
When my head snapped around, it became something
else, a lighter, cleaner, more graceful action. The proportions
of the two-piece stock were both elegant and
severe; the wood was swirling pipe smoke and old
cognac. The sign over the booth said Dakota Arms.
Don Allen, the proprietor of that company, said
the stunning little rifle was a Dakota Model 10.
My heart said, “Forget the mortgage.”
anyone, gave me a wolfish grin. Watching me get stupid
and run off in pursuit of financial ruin amuses him.
order on the spot, so great was my passion for the
Model 10. Age and experience teach restraint and
discipline. Most of a year passed before I finally
succumbed to the rifle’s charms and called Don
Allen.
The RFGW, who knows my frailties about as well as
There was a time when I would have placed an
The rifle is chambered for the .25-06
Remington. According to the literature, the
Model lo’s clean weight with the standard
23-inch barrel is approximately 5 pounds,
8 ounces. Since I specified a somewhat
heavier than usual 24-inch barrel
(diameter at the muzzle is .580 inch)
my sample comes in a bit heavier.
Including scope and mounting hardware,
it scales 7 pounds, 3 ounces. By my
reckoning, this is close. to p.erfec tion for a light .. ..
3000 scope.
r only dissatisfaction with the
Model 10. Metallic sights are not
1 furnished as standard equipment, though I expect they can be had as
an option. This doesn’t bother me,
since I subscribe to the notion that
stock architecture dictates one type
of sighting equipment or the other as
optimum. That is, depending on drop at
comb and heel, a given buttstock ought
to make either irons or glass naturally
preferred. I pray regularly for salvation
from stocks meant to compromise this
issue by making both metallic and optical
sights theoretically available; they inevitably
fail. A buttstock that works with iron sights
makes impossible the solid weld of cheek and
comb that we want when shooting with a scope.
Conversely, if the comb is high and straight
enough to support the shooter’s face when sighting
through a scope, metallic sights can’t be
acquired without considerable contortion.
r
1
‘
Here is the rub. The Model lo’s stock is obviously
designed for scope use. If the rifle had iron sights,
which it doesn’t, they would be a trial to employ. Yet
my rifle came with the Warne Quick Detachable
scope-mounting system, the version with double
levers. Why? Beats me. They are stylish and quite
nicely made, but their utility eludes me. In order for the
lever on the rear mount to clear the top of the action, they
are necessarily so high that the axis scope is slightly above
my line of sight when the rifle is mounted naturally. This
arrangement provides generous clearance for loading and
1
unloading, but fmed mounts could be dimensioned to lower
the scope somewhat without excessive interference with
these functions. Dakota has reportedly gone to the Talley
QD mounts since my rifle was built; however, I can’t say
whether or not this change results in any lowering of the ,
Speaking of glass, a rifle of the Dakota’s distinctive quality
demands an excellent scope. Bausch & Lomb’s new 3-9x
Elite 3000, with its matte finish and 50mm objective answers
the call, The Elite 400/3000 Series replaces the highly
;egarded BalVar line at the top end of the Bausch Lamb
product list. While I regret the passing of the BalVars, as
they have long been favorites of mine, the new models leave
sporter - heavy enough to be reasonably stable on
target and light enough for comfortable carving. Overall
length is 41 inches. Length of pull over the .25-inch, black
recoil pad is, as requested, 14 inches.
Having mentioned sights, we might as well dispose of my
18 Rifle 152
,wove, me pin mat is vimie ai me rorwara ena or me lever ancnors me
extractor on the Model 10 action. Above right, the forend hanger is a lug
that is glass bedded into a recess and secured by the front sling-swivel stud.
nothing to be desired. This glass is bright, strikingly clear,
stoutly constructed and fairly priced.
The Model 10’s falling block action is remarkably trim.
Excluding tangs and underlever, the exposed portion of the
receiver when stocked measures 2.05 inches long, 1.46
inches wide and approximately 2.20 inches deep. I haven’t
disassembled rifles to prove the point, but Don Allen tells
me the action is 12 ounces lighter than the Ruger No. 1. This
compact size accommodates most of our commercial cartridges,
rimmed and rimless, though Dakota is vnderstandably
reluctant to build the rifle for the big belted magnums.
The predictable result of combining a lightweight platform
with big-kicking rounds is prone to be a dissatisfied customer.
Common sense suggests the Model 10 is best suited
to standard cartridges in the .30-06 family, as well as the less
capacious numbers.
Machined from prehardened 4140 bar stock, the receiver
has no exposed screws or pins. None. This should please
those who fancy uncluttered fields for engraving. In the
absence of transverse pins and screws, the simple and very
stout lockwork is affixed to the trigger plate. The rear of the
receiver is solid, as is the rear of the breechblock. In consequence,
there are no openings for gas and brass fragments to
pass through on the way to the shooter’s face. This is comforting.
Details on the Model 10 action’s mechanical operation are
covered separately. Some features, however, deserve
expanded comment here.
Ejection is manual, not automatic. Incorporating a springloaded
ejector would have added bulk and weight, of course.
Furthermore, had the action been designed with an ejector
mechanism extending forward from the receiver, hanging
and bedding the forend might have been undesirably complicated.
As a rule, manual ejection is regarded by modern hunters
as less than ideal in a sporting single shot. Those who
March-April 1994
admire the aesthetics of single shots
enough to choose them as hunting
companions must accept their substantially
reduced potential for rapid repeat
fire, as compared to even the slowest
of repeaters. Still, human nature being
what it is, we tend to fall into the havecake-
and-eat-it syndrome. The mere
thought of fumbling and fussing with
empty cases in moments of urgency is
cause for uneasiness. Never mind the
fact that, if the first shot tells as it
always should, such anxieties are
unfounded in actuality. Inclusion of
spring-loaded ejectors in the Ruger and
the Browning make-over of the High
Wall was heralded as a quantum leap in
single-shot design anyway.
In the Dakota action, the point is
largely moot. The extractor claw,
which engages the case rim at 6
o’clock, is almost Mauser-like in width;
it isn’t likely to pull through. In addition,
the extractor is spring loaded and
is pinned to the very front of the operating
lever, producing tremendous
leverage. With this system, if you stick a case, you can
believe the load was a long way out in the red zone. Thanks
to the power of the extractor, on my rifle at least, brisk operation
of the lever will frequently eject the case. At worst, the
case is propelled completely from the chamber. Then, unless
the rifle is held dead level, gravity takes care of clearing the
loading table.
By slipping one of the elastic cuffs from Michael’s of
Oregon over the buttstock, nine rounds are readily available
to the strong hand. The cartridges should be positioned with
Warne QD bases and rings result in plenty of
clearance for loading and unloading, but since the
rifle carries no metallic sights, Gary believes conventional
scope mounts would make more sense.
19
lever forward, tilt the rifle with my weak hand (to ensure
clearance of the empty) while pulling a fresh round from the
cuff, thumb it into the chamber, close the action and fire
again without dropping the rifle from my shoulder.
Practically speaking, this is about as fast as an ejectorequipped
rifle would permit and not a great deal more deliberate
than would be possible with a bolt gun.
Dakota offers a single set trigger as an option, but the trigger
on the .25-06 is of the conventional, single-stage type. It
is adjustable, reportedly down to 2 pounds. Mine is set to
break at 3 pounds; it does so crisply and with complete consistency.
Nice trigger. Lock time seems to be unusually brief.
The safety is located in shotgun fashion atop the tang.
Operation is smooth, quiet and very positive. The safety
mechanism serves to lock the trigger and blocks the striker.
The buttstock is joined to the action by a through bolt, an
arrangement producing maximum in strength and stiffness.
The forend hanger is a rectangular lug that is glass bedded in
a corresponding recess. The forward sling swivel stud holds
the forend in place. The studs are a nice touch in their own
right. Instead of the usual post shape, they are spherical with
flat bottoms, reminiscent of the classic British studs for sling
hooks.
In all, the fit and finish of the Model 10 are entirely consistent
with its patrician image. All of the steel (which is to say
all of the metal, including the grip cap) is a deep, even satin
blue. The wood glows naturally.
Ross Seyfried has remarked on the Dakota’s similarity in
appearance to the wonderful hammerless single shots by
Alexander Henry. The resemblance is indeed strong. Like
A buttstock shellholder from Michael’s of Oregon facilitates rapid followup
shots, if necessary.
Since the action locks by way of an over-center toggle,
there is no need for an external latch. This contributes to the
rifle’s generally uncluttered appearance.
There are four grades of wood to be had at the buyer’s discretion:
Standard (X), XXX, Exhibition and Special
Selection. A passing fit of fiscal responsibility made me settle
for the X Grade timber, and it is lovely to behold. The
grain runs fairly straight through the forend, with plenty of
contrast, which is as it should be. If you want a rifle that will
change point of impact every time a cloud appears on the
horizon, make sure the forend has lots of dramatic figure in
it. The grain in the buttstock shows lots of color and movement,
though it carries forward better on the left side than
on the right. Perhaps more important in terms of utility, the
grain flows up nicely with the curvature of the wrist, lending
strength to this inherently weak point in the stock.
Checkering, at 22 lines per inch, is laid out in a borderless
point pattern. There are no notable miscues.
20
the fabulous Scottish stalking rifles, the
Model 10 is a profound pleasure to the
eye.
For all of its visual appeal and manifest
craft of manufacture, the Model 10
would be a bitter disappointment if it
did not function properly. In rifles,
handsome is as handsome does, and the
Dakota does exceedingly well. The first
three-shot group made with the rifle,
using the Federal Classic 117-grain Hi-
Shok softpoint load, spanned .87 inch
on centers. The average for eight
groups with that ammunition - the statistical
equivalent of four strings of five
shots - was .96 inch.
Since that initial trial, handloads have
been tested with five different bullets:
the 85 and 100-grain Nosler Ballistic
Tips, the 115-grain Trophy Bonded Bear
Claws and the Nosler Partitions weighing
115 and 120 grains. The rifle doesn’t
care much what it is fed, but it does
express a preference for loads at or
near full throttle. With selected charges,
all of the aforementioned bullets will
group under 1.5 MOA. Given a stiff dose
of IMR-4350, a Federal 215 Magnum
primer and the 100-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, the Dakota will
punch three holes inside .75 inch today, tomorrow and all
next week. Such accuracy in a light rifle with a two-piece
stock is far more than satisfactory.
My infatuation with the Dakota Model 10 has become a
practical, as well as emotional, bond. In my judgment, it is
the single most elegant rifle I have ever owned, and it shoots
too.
This does not necessarily mean I will be faithful though.
Dakota has a scaled up version of the Model 10 action in the
works. It will accept cartridges based on the .404 Jeffery and
the .416 Rigby, including the Dakota line of proprietary wildcats.
The added weight ought to make possible a properly
proportioned .338 Winchester Magnum weighing 8 to 8%
.pounds. When it comes to really good rifles, I’m easy.
For further information, contact Dakota Arms Inc.,
Whitewood Road, HC 55 Box 326, Sturgis SD 57785.
Rifle 152

Great read. Thank you for posting the article

I have a blaser K95, and I'd still like to have one even if they are similar in cost, and the Dakota is half the rifle the Blaser is.

They are beautiful.

I might swap you a HandiRifle.They are getting kind of rare since they are no longer made!!

quote:

Originally posted by Billu:
I remember Gary Sitton writing about that rifle when he had a column on the last page of petersons Hunting magazine back in the 90s.

I loved that column; loved Wootters writing as well. The last time I spoke with John he told me how he and his wife were into birding.

quote:

The last time I spoke with John he told me how he and his wife were into birding

I would chat with John off and on from 1999 when I bought this rifle until just before his death in January 2013. Sometimes to discuss wildcats I was thinking about and sometimes just to chat. He always had time for the little guy.

Miss Gary Sitton, God rest his soul.