The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Custom Built Rifles Jim Lewis .375 H&HGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| One of Us |
Gents, I have been the high bidder on a Jim Lewis .375 H&H numerous times on gunbroker at around $3500. I'm sure many of you have seen the auction. I just sent the seller an inquiry as to what he valued the rifle and received a smart a$$ response that I couldn't afford the same. Rest assured, whatever the actual value of the rifle, the same can be afforded by many of us. What does the consortium think is the value for a Jim Lewis custom with the original client's initials on the bolt knob etc.? If it has been through ten auction cycles on gun broker, with no bids over $3500, doesn't that speak actual as compared to perceived value? | ||
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Value is whatever the buyer is willing to spend for a given object. Regards, Robert ****************************** H4350! It stays crunchy in milk longer! | |||
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Robert, I concur, grasshopper. Seems like the consumer/market is willing to spend about $3500. :-) | |||
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it seems I read somewhere that value is the number that a willing buyer and a willing seller agree on in an unforced purchase and sale on any given day. I don't know if that is true or not, but it sounds reasonable because things could have more value than what a buyer might be willing to pay. | |||
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the cure for this jerk is to have GB assess $100 for each relist... I guess I live a sheltered life, this is another famous rifle builder I have never heard of. Is he still alive and building rifles? | |||
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Jim died a couple of years ago. He was a very talented Rifle smith.His shop was in Butte. Built them "lock, Stock, and Barrel". Hang on TITE !! | |||
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Looked up the rifle in question as I had never heard of the builder. It appeared to be a nicely built custom 375 that the market is full of. Nothing particularly special about it and the major drawbacks to me were the rather gaudy (to me) initials inlaid in the bottom of the bolt knob and PG cap. To me that would completely put it out of the running. I would think $3500 to be generous to me. I would much prefer an AHR CZ upgrade. SCI Life Member NRA Patron Life Member DRSS | |||
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Unless it has a collector value my take would be the sum of the parts. In other words what would it take to have the same action, barrel, and stock put together. Let's say $800 for action. About $1500 for a gunsmith to put a PacNor, Douglas or Shilen match barrel on it. So, you are at $2300. The rest depends on the wood which can be cheap or very expensive. Then, again if I were to pay the custom pricing, I'd want to have it built from scratch for me. | |||
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The same seller has re-listed a Pre-War Model 70 Super Grade for months and months. It has a very high reserve--crazy high. I guess the game plan is to hope that sooner or later a fool will pay the price. And yes, he replies to inquiries with rudeness. | |||
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Thanks for the confirmation/assistance. Whatever the "value" is I can assure you I will not revisit the listing. Alas, I have been informed by the seller that I can't afford the same. That is good enough for me. :-). | |||
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If he is looking for a fool he might leave it on GB for 2 years. There are minor items on there that I see when looking for parts or dies that have been there several years. Don't confuse a gun peddler with a gun enthusiast. I remember being one of the first in the door when a gun show opened one Saturday. One of the table exhibitors said "Well it looks like it's time to screw the public". | |||
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I'm pretty sure my response to his comments would have started with an F :-) | |||
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I got courious and looked that rifle up. It was built for a good friend of mine. I've held it several times over the years. He just sold it early this spring. Its a very nice rifle!!! Hang on TITE !! | |||
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Nice looking rifle and probably worth just a bit more than $3500 all said and done. That said, it needs to 'fit' the buyer and then the buyer (unless his/her initials match those of the previous owner) will need to pay to have those removed, the parts reblued and reinstalled. Given all that, I don't think a penny more than $4000 is going to happen in this sellers lifetime. Even then, only under perfect conditions. | |||
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He wants $12,500. for it. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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That seems to be in the ballpark of a lot of entry/mid level custom guns that are being built. My view on it is that for that kind of money, I'd start from scratch and have my own gun built rather than buy someone else's old dream. | |||
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Used custom rifles generally go for between 50%-60% of original cost. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Beautiful wood. But it has an odd mix of a matte parkerizing or cerakote job on the barrel and receiver, and then a high gloss bolt and bottom metal. Perhaps the original customer's desires, but for 12 grand? IMHO, a beautiful rust blue should go with that stock, not the matte finish. Dave | |||
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Good luck to him at $12.5K. Someone may pay that but there are some great rifles out there in the $3K to $6K range. I have had my share of rifles built, and bought many others, and although this rifle is very nice I can't get the value anywhere near his asking price. Of course it doesn't matter how we assess value if someone will pay that. Curious as to what he has in it. :-). | |||
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Thats about $5000 more than it cost to have made. Hang on TITE !! | |||
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Nice feather in the stock. A nice rifle all in all. Personally, if I bought it, I wouldn't remove the initials. To me, they are part of the rifle's history. I think $3500 to $4000 is about all the money. Above that amount, Champlin, among others, has nicer rifles IMO. $12,500 is ridiculous. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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