ANyone have one of these or know about them? I was offered one and all I can find out about them is via the advertisement in Hatari Times. Please enlighten me.

DogCat,

Reimer Johannsen makes highend Mausers built on Prechtls actions (both Magnum Mausers and regular lengths).

Click on: R. Johannsen

His websight is is in German, but it'll give you a taste at least. His guns start at around Euro 9000,-

How do they compare with Dakota or the upper end US made rifles?

I would prefer one to any Dakota..Joyhannson rifles are among the very finest but they are considerably more expensive..they start at about $9500 last time I checked...You have to love them.

They are arguably the finest bolt rifles in the world today, very similar to the RSA Vektor and USA Granite Mt:

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Originally posted by dogcat:
How do they compare with Dakota or the upper end US made rifles?

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Johannsen kick's Dakota's butt!

Johannsen's rifles are top quality and function flawlessly. Dakotas are a dressed up production rifle with far less attention to quality materials or quality workmanship. I am not trying to hammer on Dakota, but it is the fact. Comparing Johannsen to Dakota is like comparing Rolls Royce to a Buick.

Yep,
Reimer Johannsen rifles are as good as it gets. And they stock them in Cabelas gun library show rooms. A few in .375 H&H and .416 Rigby have I fondled there. Around 10K USD, plus or minus, depending on whether with the machining for the square bridge Prechtl scope mounts.

The SigArms Magnum Mauser is the same action, but Johannsen sure gives his rifle better stock lines and fit and finish in all the other details and special touches, IMHO.

I hate to be negative about a high end product but I had the opportunity to handle and shoot a Johanssen in .505 Gibb at our club. It was lent to gun writer friend of mine who did an article on the rifle and the caliber. While he didn't say it in his article (published in France last year) we were not overly impressed with it. The action was actually a little rough and while the stock had nice wood I have seen lesser priced rifles with better fit from small shop rifle makers who are not more expensive. .505 Gibb is not a caliber for me (I found out) as I would not be able to shoot well with it but that is not the point. I wouldn't pay for a rifle until I had handled and, if possible, shot one from the same maker. Conclusion, the action is certainly what we all looking for and the wood was nice but I wasn't impressed with making of this particular rifle for the asking price.

Reimer or his associates must have had a bad day on that one.
There is a lemon in their basket too.
The ones I have seen at Cabelas and Roosevelt&Drake have been flawless in appearance. Just about anybody can make a .375 H&H or .416 Rigby function well. But .505 Gibbs? Was Reimer asleep at the wheel on that one?

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Originally posted by Wink: not overly impressed with it. The action was actually a little rough and while the stock had nice wood I have seen lesser priced rifles with better fit from small shop rifle makers who are not more expensive.

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Wink makes a good point. It is certainly possible to get work from a lot of custom gunsmiths superior to what comes from many of the larger and more famous houses, and usually at lower cost.

It is possible to get a comparable or even better rifle made by a custom gun maker. But if the question is Dakota vs. Johannsen, Johannsen wins hands down.

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Originally posted by 500grains:
It is possible to get a comparable or even better rifle made by a custom gun maker.

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No doubt! To me the problem is that few (if any?) US custom makers offer take-down rifles (I'll exclude the HS Precision system as I happen to dislike the way that works, sorry HS lovers). There are a whole bunch of the higher grade Eurpean custom houses that offer this - Johannsen, Ritterbusch etc. Even to the point where these features make their way into production grade rifles - Sauer etc.

But I suppose a take-down option is not as popular a feature in the US as it is in Europe??

- mike

For $10K shouldn't the the ultimate "take-down" dangerous game rifle have 2 barrels?

The Johanssen I handled was not a take down rifle. The Sauer 202 take-down I handled in a Paris gun shop was very nice indeed. It was .300 WinMag if my memory is correct and I think these are a best buy category rifle in a non-DGR if you are looking for a take-down. I'd get one with two barrels of course. For my quirky requirements I would want a .264 WinMag and a .338 WInMag and I don't think it is chambered in either.

Riflemaker Duane Wiebe in California offers top notch takedown rifles. There was a .500 Jeff takedown rifle of his raffled on this forum some time ago.

Sorry that I threw this "take-down" business into the discussion - it really is a very personal pet of mine, and I'm aware the orginal discussion was not about take-downs. I think I was just trying to verbalize the advantages I see in an (expensive) Johannsen vs. an (also expensive, but perhaps more refined) custom offering. Like I said, personal pet...

500, I was unaware Duane Wiebe offers take-downs. I have seen a few of his stocks (here) and really liked the lines of them. He does not have a website by any chance?? (Not that I could afford any of his rifles, but then again, I could probably not afford a Johannsen either ).

- mike

Reimer makes one of the finest big game rifles I know. Here in Europe we have couple of gunsmiths that are specialized for fine big game rifles. Johannsen is the top of the heap so does the Ritterbusch (www.jagdgewehre-ritterbusch.de), Hartmann&Weiss or Hambrusch (www.ferlachguns.com)
The last one mentioned is a real extravaganza, he builds bolt action rifles up to 700Nitro Express!

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Originally posted by new_guy:
For $10K shouldn't the the ultimate "take-down" dangerous game rifle have 2 barrels?

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Sorry, I was even further off topic... I meant "two barrels" as in soldered together, two triggers, etc... for $10K you're in Double Rifle territory.

And yes, those Ferlachers sure know what in the Ferlach they're doing. (couldn't resist )

I have a left-handed 375 H&H being built on a Johannsen action. Sweet.