There is not much online about the Heym, bolt action, Express, and posts here I've read mostly discuss the newer Heym-Martini Express. After doing what research I could, I comitted to buy this rifle at what I hope is a good price.

Any education you might provide me is, as always, very much appreciated.

Thanks

Link?

Bill, is that the 458 at Steve Barnett's?

yes

This will be my third DG rifle from Mr Barnett in as many months, and I've been very satisfied with the first two. Of course, I am not an expert!

Go for it. I had the older style Heym in 500 NE...nice rifles. At that price, you can't go wrong.

Jon HELP!

I just looked at pix of the gun again. IS THAT a controlled feed, Mauser type action?? I can't see the long extractor...I've needed new glasses for years.

Perhaps you can contact Heym USA with the serial #,Chris should be able to answer all your questions.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill G. in Oregon:
Jon HELP!

I just looked at pix of the gun again. IS THAT a controlled feed, Mauser type action?? I can't see the long extractor...I've needed new glasses for years.

Does not appear to be CRF, and does not look like a Mauser style at all.

Guys,

The rifle as posted on Steve Barnett's website, looks to be a Heym Model SR-20, which was discontinued several years ago. It also appears to have a non-factory stock and the barrel is heavier than any I have previously seen. The SR-20 action is a push feed, and not a CRF, although it is a very good action. I didn't keep up with the Heym production for a few years in the 90s, so it is certainly possible that they could have changed the factory stock design during that period. It is also possible that they offered the big bore climbers in a heavier contour barrel during the same period, I just haven't seen another one exactly like this one. It is also possible that it was a special order gun. As already suggested, a call or email to Chris Sells, the current Heym Importer, could probably get additional information, although I believe that Heym had dropped the SR-20 model before Chris took over for the USA.

I think that looks like a Voere (SP?) action. Suggest you look at the 458 at Cabelas Dundee for about $1800 instead. Heym used to offer a huge Express model for about $5K that was everything you could want in a big bore in calibers up through 600NE. Don't see them very often anymore.

LJS,

I'm pretty certain that the action is an SR-20 as I am pretty familiar with that rifle. I have three of them in my safe, although none in .458. I did, at one time, have one chambered for the .458, but it has been gone a long time. The Heym Express that you're referring to came out it the early 90s. It featured a large magnum Mauser type action and as you noted, was available in up to .600 NE. It was pure Mauser in design and as such was a CRF action. That model was replaced by the Heym-Martini Express rifle which is built around a modified version of the same action. I have a story in the current (2015) issue of Gun Digest called "The Heym-Martini Odyssey"that gives the history of that rifle.

Ahhh, good point; Heym does have other bolt actions other than the Express. That would not be the first time a shop has misrepresented a firearm, unknowingly or not.

Biebs,

I'm not suggesting that the rifle is misrepresented. Heym was in disarray at the time this rifle was most likely made and they well could have stuck a barrel on a SR-20 action, stocked it, and called it a Heym Express Model. I wouldn't be surprised at much of anything during that period. I can't tell a lot from the photos, but to me it looks like a normal factory SR-20 action stocked in a non-standard stock design (looks better to me than the standard used at the time) and the barrel seems to be a heavier weight than those used during my time. From what little I can see of the photo showing the barrel markings, they also do not look like the standard markings in use at the time. However, the photo is not big enough or sharp enough for me to be able to determine much. The stock also appears to have a second through bolt, which was on the big Express rifle later on, but I don't recall ever seeing a second one on an SR-20. As I said earlier though, nothing coming out of the plant during that period would surprise me much.

I did call Heym USA today who told me no express models were ever made not CRF , Mauser type. I also found and read Pierre van der Walt's online article "Heym Express Rifle" which I understand to say the same as does the Gun Value Blue Book. Mr B. will return my deposit he today said. I disbelieve that ANY misrepresentation was intended by him! He certainly does not need my piddly $3200 , and I have had two very satisfactory buys from him! I should have examined the pictures more closely!

My 450 Rigby Heym Express Rifle (pre Martini) is CRF. EDIT: Sorry Bill, I misread your last post and thought it said that Heym Express Rifles were NOT CRF.

Lhook7

No problemo.

Thanks to all. I've decided on a nice custom 458WM on a 1909 Mauser instead.

Very best wishes to all here for the holidays.

I know that we all mean crf when we talk of "Mauser" actions. I think the SR20 is in fact a Mauser action being the same as the model 3000 but of couse not crf. Just some useless information I recall reading somewhere some years back but open to correction.

AFRICAN LEADWOOD The SR-20 action is a modified and improved version of the 2000, 3000, and 4000 series of "Mauser" rifles. They were marketed in the USA under the name Mauser-Bauer. How they were marketed elsewhere, I have no idea. The only thing about the 2000, 3000, and 4000 rifles that was Mauser was the name. All those rifles were produced in the Heym plant in Muennerstadt for Mauser. When the agreement between Mauser and Heym expired, Heym made a few modifications to improve the action and marketed it as the Heym SR-20 series rifles.

quote:

My 450 Rigby Heym Express Rifle (pre Martini) is CRF

Hi friends,

every Heym Express was (and is) an CRF.

The Heym Express startet in the late 1980thys and had three different stock designs.

It started very "teutonic" and is now in the "english design".

I had photos of all and some prototypes also.
If you had interessed, I can post them.

Merry X-mas.

Best wishes.

The B.

TS2

Thanks for the additional info on the SR20.

These are not common rifles here. I recently came accross a LH for sale at an auction. This was the first I had ever seen and it was quite nice, although the wood was uninspiring. They were extremely expensive selling for over R3500 in around 1986 (I recall as I was dumbfounded seeing this as a kid), when the ZAR was still below 2 to the USD.

The rifle shown on the Barnett site appears to be a Heym Classic Safari and that has the SR 20 action which is push feed ! The SR 20 has twin lug front bolting bolt with a classic Sako Type extractor. As found on the old Finbear rifles.

This is not to be confused with the Heym Safari Express which has a copy of the classic three lug mauser bolt and is CRF.

Two very different animals.

Why do I say this:

The position of the safety as shown on the Barnett website is a give away !

In the Safari Express the safety is on the bolt shroud and in the Classic Safari the safety is behind the bolt as part of the trigger assembly.

Also the picture shown on the Barnett website shows an action with no jam stopper rib nor the typical mauser type sprung extractor that we see on the Safari Express.