I've got this 458 WM built by Jack Lott and would appreciate some help in putting a ballpark value on it. Built on a 1917 Oberndorf action with military bottom metal. A little bluing loss but otherwise very good condition. The bolt handle was modified to clear a low mounted scope but I think that could be corrected easily. Custom bases that take Sako bases and pretty much all the other custom touches. This rifle built by Jack Lott for a gun writer from the 50 and 60's named French, Howard French I think. There were a bunch of photos of the gun and dead animals from africa from way back, but they are missing now from the estate it came from. So without the documentation, I guess it is just a good story and probably can't add value. So what is a nice custom 458WM Mauser worth?

alright, alright i hear the call, it is worth alott geez the things i do for this site

Howard French was the Editor of Gun & Ammo magazine for several years, back when it was a decent magazine. If memory serves me correctly,Howard bought my first nationally published article in 1972. Lott wrote often for G&A and lived in the LA area. I have no idea as to value of the rifle.

There was a gun either owned by Jack Lott or built by Jack Lott in .458 Lott on the Heym site a year or so ago. I believe it was a Mauser actioned rifle in a birds eye maple stock. It had documentation in t he form of a letter regarding said rifle. I think the price was between $8K - $9k. Don't know what it actually
sold for.

It looks to be worth every penny of 500 bucks! .....I"LL TAKE IT! LOL

She's a beauty but I'm totally unqualified to give advice.

Zeke

I would try to obtain copies of that article and anything about Lott pertaining to this rifle. That will establish the rifle's "provenance" and increase the value.

That's a great looking gun, and I like that it was built by Lott. I just wish it was a Lott and not a WM.

With that, I don't think it'll bring a huge premium over it's utility, but a small one for sure. If it was a Lott made by Lott, I think it would. As such, I'd guess it would bring somewhere between $2500 and $4000 at auction. Just guessing here, and I'm sure others will disagree, but maybe it wills spur others to help put a dollar value on it.

quote:

Originally posted by Tsquare2:
Lott wrote often for G&A and lived in the LA area. I have no idea as to value of the rifle.

To add a bit to what Tsquare2 said.....I found this article written by Jack & although there is no value support for this rifle, should be a good read. An interesting note is that there is no mention of the .458 Lott. Was it only popular after his death?
What is that rifle in Louis's hand?
http://ezine.nitroexpress.info...ca-PDF/Africa313.pdf

If the rifle is as clean as it looks, I would suggest two-grand to as much as thirty-five hundred, perhaps even a bit more.

Find the previous owner, and go back to each previous owner in turn, until you find the connection.

It works, I owned a Talladega Torino for about four years in the early to mid-seventies. Forty years after I sold it to finance a 1969 Hemi Charger 500 (yes, NASCAR special) I got a call from a gentleman in the Chicago area. He bought the car, and was doing a rotissierie restoration. He went thru eight owners and found that I had owned it. We talked, and he sent me pictures. When I went back to visit family last summer, I rummaged around in my folks old barn. I found the original dog-dish hubcaps, and a full set of the body emblems, as well as a complete nosecone assembly. He offered me over $4000 for the parts, and drove nearly 300 miles (one way)to pick them up.

Who can say what a bit of detective work might uncover? It might be the 458WM he was carrying in Mozambique in 1958 (yr?) when that buff tossed him and caused the Lott cartridge to be born.

I agree with the other guys... $2500.00 would be a sure thing. The more history you dig up, the more valueabe it will be when you find the right buyer.

The gun's a well used hunter with a good background.

Thanks all for the insight. The rifle will be up for sale in the near future since I have not been able to move it locally. I'd love to keep it but don't see myself getting to Africa in this lifetime and the whitetails around here have not yet developed armor plating. The provenance documentation is long gone and the ownership trail has gone cold it seems. It is what it is, a really nice rifle built by Jack Lott and possibly owned by a semi-famous editor.

Call me crazy, but given Jack Lott's fame, I see this rifle going for much more than folks here have stated. Put it in a Julia auction, or another such auction. Heck, put it on Gunbroker for a few weeks with a sky high reserve. If no one matches the reserve, but the high bid works for you, you can offer it to the high bidder at his bid price.

Give Rock Island Auctions a call. While they will take a single rifle, it helps to have more to sell when it comes to the fees.

While I can't guess a price on this Lott, and prices are all over the place, I can say that a couple of my Winchesters went for very good prices with RIA.

I feel your pain. I had some thoughts about selling my Shiloh Sharps they made for Elmer Keith. 45-90 LRE with EK100 for a serial number and a copy of Keith's will where he bequeaths it, by brand and serial number to his only grandson.
$4000 was about all I was offered, and a new one with wood as nice was about $3400.

I had figured about $4500-$5000 with that level of provenance, especially knowing that it was the only custom serial numbered rifle they ever built.

Go figure...

Rich

Great rifle and good provenance.
Must dig back through the little of Jack's stuff I have to try and see it.

Cheers, Chris

Found it. Page 80 of G&A Action Series 1983 "Big Bore Rifles by Jack Lott".

In the chapter "That Special Touch" I always liked that rifle.

Different scope though.

I liked that magazine so much my old copy is falling to pieces but I have a good copy I purchased of Amazon a few years ago.

Cheers, Chris

The rifle Lott was carrying when he was tossed by a Buffalo in Mozambique in 1959 was an early Winchester mod 70 458, which split the tang after a few firings.

This rifle is now available in the Classified section.
http://forums.accuratereloadin...631065422#1631065422

quote:

Originally posted by gzig5:
This rifle is now available in the Classified section.
http://forums.accuratereloadin...631065422#1631065422

I am looking at those photos on page 80 as I type this. That rifle in the photos is the exact same as the
one on page 80. Down to the small details.

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:

quote:

Originally posted by gzig5:
This rifle is now available in the Classified section.
http://forums.accuratereloadin...631065422#1631065422

I am looking at those photos on page 80 as I type this. That rifle in the photos is the exact same as the
one on page 80. Down to the small details.

Same rifle and just compare the wood grain in front of the bolt.

Yes, I believe that is the same rifle, no doubt. It pains me to let it go, but you can't have everything you want.

Eight to Ten Grand...

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Eight to Ten Grand...

Are you bidding ? or speculating ?

speculating...

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Eight to Ten Grand...

Where was this last November when you suggested 3500?

It went quick at $3500. That was probably a decent buy, yet a good sale. I hope it's new owner loves it.

quote:

Originally posted by Stokes:
It went quick at $3500. That was probably a decent buy, yet a good sale. I hope it's new owner loves it.

Hello Stokes,

Yes, I'm the new owner, and the new owner loves it. If you search for my posts (buckstix) you will soon discover that I love rifles with stories. (History)

Its very unfortunate that one of the prior owner's family members unwittingly discarded all the photos and papers that provided the provenance of this rifle being built by Jack Lott "for" G&A editor Howard French.

I will spend untold hours searching through my collection of Guns & Ammo Annuals to see if I can find any photos of this rifle in French's hands. I also plan on contacting G&A to see if they might have photos in their archives.

Meanwhile .... I already have a vintage Weaver K2.5 scope coming tomorrow to restore the rifle's (Jack Lott's) original scope sighting, to match the photo from the 1983 G&A "Big Bore Rifles" book by Lott. This book, by the way, which has also been purchased, is also on its way to Wisconsin.

But I must say however, without the scope, this rifle really looks like a "classic" Big Bore.

Lucky for me gzig5 is also from Wisconsin. I arranged to meet him and the minute I saw this rifle in person, I knew it needed to stay in Wisconsin. It has a lot of lines reminiscent of the English Safari rifles of the early days. His original pictures, and my pictures below, really don't do it justice. Its far more impressive in person. As far as the bolt handle goes ... I think you can see some of those file lines in Lott's photo from the G&A book pictures. I hope to see and compare better once I get my book in hand. If those lines show up in the book pictures, I'll dress them up "just a tad", but not enough change them from the picture. I believe in preserving originality. Tomorrow I plan on getting my new family member out to the range.

Howard French wrote an article in the 1986 Gun Digest Hunting Annual about the .458 Winchester Magnum. IIRC he describes and pictures this rifle.

Kurt

quote:

Originally posted by moleman:
Howard French wrote an article in the 1986 Gun Digest Hunting Annual about the .458 Winchester Magnum. IIRC he describes and pictures this rifle.

Kurt

Hello moleman,

Thanks for the reply.

Would you by chance have a picture of the article that you could post here, or send me via email?

I'm at work but I have the book at home. I'll take a picture and email it to you.
Kurt

buckstix, I you suspect you can find more information on the guH by contacting Lon Paul and Tanglewood guns. he and his family were quite close with Jack and have a lot of his personal items.

quote:

Heck, put it on Gunbroker for a few weeks with a sky high reserve. If no one matches the reserve, but the high bid works for you, you can offer it to the high bidder at his bid price.

Or you could just set the reserve at a price you are willing to sell it for...

Pics sent.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
buckstix, I you suspect you can find more information on the guH by contacting Lon Paul and Tanglewood guns. he and his family were quite close with Jack and have a lot of his personal items.

Hello 458Win,

Thanks for the reply.

And thank you so much for the contact. I just spent the last 2 hours talking with Lon. A new friend in the Custom Gun World, and a wealth of knowledge about Jack

Again, thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by moleman:
Pics sent.

Hello moleman,

Thanks for the reply.

And thank you for the pictures of that article by Howard French. In lew of the lost provenance photos and letters, this serves as definative proof that my rifle belonged to him. Perhaps other members will find additional articles that show my rifle.

Although the pictures are pretty dark with low resolution, all the features match and there is no doubt this is is the same rifle.








And now, less than 24 hours after purching this rifle, the Bushnell scope is gone, and it has been topped with the same Weaver scope that French had on this rifle when he owned it.

Buck,
That looks a lot better with the Weaver. Enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by gzig5:
Buck,
That looks a lot better with the Weaver. Enjoy.

Hello gzig5,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, and it matches perfectly with the pictures above, from the 1986 Gun Digest Hunting Annual.

Tomorrow I take it to the range to test fire it.

You've got all the cool toys!

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Little:
You've got all the cool toys!

Hello Aaron,

Thanks for the reply.

Not "yet", but I'm trying.

I just can't resist those with History and a story I can tell.

Hello All,

Well, I made it out to the range today.

I took about 15 shots with the rifle to play around and get it sighted-in.

Then I settled down to record the rifle's ability. I let it cool to ambient, and then ... I took 3 careful shots with the scope (then removed it) - and one shot with the irons.

I'm very pleased, and its ready to kill something.