For those who appreciate fine custom rifles, here's a great looking rifle built by Jim Wisner, going cheap on GunBroker. The seller thinks it started life as an Argentine, but the action has been completely trued and there are no markings. Not mine, just passing it along, maybe Jim can elaborate:
CustomMauser

I don't know Jim Wisner, but I doubt he installed that white line recoil pad on that rifle.

maple stocks are such a hard sell esp.uncheckered.ihave a Biesen 52C sporter in maple,nice little gun in maple but doubt id want a full sized one

I wonder what the reserve is?

KimR,

Have never hefted anything but a muzzle loader with a maple stock. Why not a full stocked rifle in maple?

Thanks for educating me.

I wouldn't want all my rifles stocked in maple but I sorta like the wood on Jim's rifle. Hell, if nobody's gonna bid, I just may, can always replace the pad. Got no problem with the maple stock on my Ruger #1 458 Lott:

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:
I wonder what the reserve is?

More than $500

So it surfaced.

This was one of my spare rifle projects I started in about 1986??

It started life as a 1909 Arg action, ground the front ring down to small ring on the sides only. Welded new bolt handle on in a classic stlye, my M70 three position safety of course.
A OLD timney STEEL trigger unit in it. Redid the 09 bottom metal with a new floorplate and latch. Redid the box and rails to work with the 30-06. I put the Shilen barrel on in 1990 at Pine Tech while teaching a NRA week long course there.
The stock was one of the last ones that Fajen machined for us in 1976, just prior to my father buying a pantagraph. I did the inletting and then it sat in my gun vault until about 4 years ago when I finally got around to finishing the stock. At that time the old english (752B) Pachmayr pads were hard to get for a while, so I used the 325 Field pad. (yes a white line)
I had a friend who wanted the rifle and we did a trade for some guns for this Mauser.

I got a Win M69A Target, a Win M12 field in 20 ga. a Win M25 in 12 ga Modified choke, and a Remington 121 in trade for it.

He used it for a season and then took it to one of the Reno shows this spring and traded it off.

The other spare rifle I sold was a Swede M38 in 7x57, quarter rib and a black walnut mannlicher stock that was checkered. this one is somewere in Oregon the last time I heard about 5 years ago.

Jim Wisner
Custom Metalsmith

FWIW the lack of a pretty checkering pattern hurts the final product dramatically. That gun with a $150 checkering job would fetch $500 more.....however the lack thereof will cause the very fine rifle to not bring it's worth. I've always believed that checkering paid excellent financial dividends....it's cost was not to be concerned.

Forrest, you should buy it, you can't do the bld action for what you can probably get it for.

Mike, Hal Hartley used a lot of maple on his custom stocks in 60s&70s also did muzzleloaders.muzzleloader stocks are usually small butt&foreend & was a classic wood for them.to my eye a light colored wood makes the gun look largeror maybe ive been hanging around british gunmakers too long.darker stocks make a gun look smaller than it really is??the stock doesnt define its lines screaming so.who knows.

I like the look of maple. Its easier (for me) to work and especially finish. I don't know why its not more popular.

I have a Hartley flintlock rifle in maple, purchased a few years back at one of the New Hampshire gun auctions for $1100, a steal. Also a Winchester 63 in maple, 3 digit serial number, stocked for me by HH in 1967 for, as I recall, all of $75. A very artistic workman who went out and cut his own wood. Also a Winchester 61 stocked at about the same time using Iver Johnson Skeeter fancy American walnut blanks which were sold off through Shotgun News for about $4 the set. I also owned a maple Remington 81 for a while. HH two piece stocks and muzzle loaders are at the top of the class, the Gun Digests in the 60s and 70s show many of them. IMO in comparison his bolt actions are less exceptional.

Now Doggone it..That's an ugly rifle so stop bidding on it so I can have it...

I like it

reached 1100, did not make reserve.

There were several other rifles from the same seller all got to about $1k and did not make reserve

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=40497780

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=40498851
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=38051381

FWIW, I like maple. It adds variety to the collection. I like the stock's lines and inlaid swivels, however, I agree that it could use a nice checkering job.

This same Mauser is now on GunsAmerica for $2250


It's a nice rifle, but at that price I can have my own custom one made, with the features I want.

Garrett