Wonder what it would cost to duplicate this one today? Seems like a deal relative to the price of his work these days... As I have read many times, the cost of a quality used custom often makes them an incredible value.

http://www.hallowellco.com/Echols%20270.htm

Sweet, but it needs inletted sling swivel studs.

[ 03-01-2003, 08:58: Message edited by: ksduckhunter ]

Ed,
To answer your question, the blank would cost about $400 to $500, The metalwork would run $450 for barrel and fitting, $75 for surface grinding, $150 for custom bases, $25 for rings, $175 for 3 position safety, $350 for custom bottom metal, $175 for action, $85 for trigger and $200 for rust bluing (looks like it, may be outsourced). Engraving would run about $450. The sling swivel studs will accept a normal swivel. Inletted studs would be nice touch but far from necessary.

Stockwork in the $4000 range, $125 more for the heel and toe plate, $80 for the ebony forend tip.

Scope looks like a 2.5 to 8 VariXII at $400. total is $7,190. Not that hot a deal but then Morris Hallowell is not known for his bargains.

Chic,

Would the egraving on this rifle really be able to be duplicated for +-$450? Checkered bolt handle and all the scroll work on the receiver, bottom metal, grip cap etc?

Stu, I missed the checkered bolt knob. The engraving is a shot in the dark and depends on who does it. English scroll is expensive but the coverage is not heavy. It may be more on the + side of 450 but you are right about the bolt knob, probably $150 more there.

I also don't know what D'Arcy charges for a wood stock. It may be $6,000.

[ 03-02-2003, 22:22: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Boy, is that fabulous, or what??

It's the non name customs that are low in price.

There is a Huskvarna in a local shop here and the price is $495 on it. The stock has excellent wood, Claro it seems, and the work is superb. It has the skeleton butt, steel grip and a very fine finish. The stock has a left hand cheekpiece on a right hand bolt! The shop owner is left handed and he has tried fitting the stock on some of his rifles. The HVA action is real clunky, small ring and the barrel is kind of thick.

Not a good investment for someone. I hope they enjoyed it for a while.

I don't understand the mentality behind such an expensive rifle. I know he or she is the best and such and such but there is only so much work you can do with a rifle. I just cannot see the justification for a rifle that costs more than $5000. Please don’t get me wrong, as I can drop $10k to $20k on a piece of toy. Unless it is a piece of museum art, it is just ridiculous to pay that much for a rifle that will be used in the field. Please enlighten me guys! Thanks!

If there wasn't enough individuals out there that felt that these rifles were worth what they pay for them, they wouldn't be priced where they are at.

chuck

Chic,

I bet D'Arcy would charge more than $7,500 to duplicate it, maybe I am wrong??? Doesn't he get that for his synthetic stocked rifles? Seems like a fair price for someone desirng an Echols rifle in that caliber. I do agree that Morris doesn't give 'em away but it is always a great site to visit and see nicely executed rifles.

Ed, you are probably right. I believe his legend goes for something around $6000. You could duplicate it for less than I quoted but most likely not by him. He is a fine craftsman and has a good client list.

Ed, it is an awesome site and sight, lol. There are a lot of rifles on there now that are owned by one person. Those you see that were done by Ottmar, Heilman and Darwin Hensley were all commissioned by one person. I spoke to him at the Guild show and told him I was concerened about his health when I saw all of them show up. He just laughed and said he is just like us. He wanted some more rifles and his wife told him to sell some of the ones he had first.

[ 03-03-2003, 03:32: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Ed,
I finished that rifle in 1987. To reproduce it today with Mitch Moschetti engraving it in a similar manner would cost $19000.00. The Rust bluing was done in house.

Looks that rifle is still new in the box. Considering all of the time, effort and care that went into building it, I think it would be nice for the rifle to have 10 or 20 head of game under its belt.

Chic-

I'll take a box full of those $175 G.33/40's as well as several pair of those $150 custom bases. Do you have them in inventory?

There are a few guys I would trust to duplicate it for about about $12,000; others like D'Arcy would charge a lot more.

Forrest, you are right, it is a G33/40. My bad. I do have someone who can do those for that price. Shoot me an email. Did you see the one that was color case hardened with metalwork by Steve Heilman? I can'r remember whose table it was on, believe it was an engraver.

Looks like the price of poker has gone up to $19,000. Oh well.

[ 03-03-2003, 09:32: Message edited by: Customstox ]

What a fine piece of art. However it would not look very nice after a couple of Alaskan hunting trips. If i owned something this nice it would be behind glass to admire. When hunting time rolled around i would reach into the safe and pull out a synthetic stocked model 70

"Unless it is a piece of museum art, it is just ridiculous to pay that much for a rifle"

Maybe it is a piece of useable museum art?

I know folks that hunt with 5 figure firearms.

but not many.

Cheers

Guns, at any price, are meant to be used. If you take care and pick the hunt and take care of the rifle than you should use it. Also buy insurance.

I may be wrong, D'Arcy correct me if I am, but I think the fact that a lot of D'Arcy's guns ended up behind glass somewhere is one of the reasons he started building his Legend rifles. D'Arcy wanted his rifles to be used for what they were intended. Hunting. As was stated earlier, that rifle would look wonderful with some game under its belt, and maybe it has.

chuck

Mingo:

To answer your question, such firearms, and particularly hunting with them is an individual taste. If you drink only for the effect, Ripple is as good a wine as a Chateau Lafiet Rothschild. If you shoot only to kill game, a Savage 110 will kill game about as effectively as the Echols rifle. Also, if the Savage is all you can afford, it is far better than nothing.

When all I could afford was a factory Ruger 77, that was what I bought. Now that I can get a little ahead, I have sold virtually all of my factory rifles, and have two custom rifles that are $5,000 plus. Even with selling most of my other guns, the two custom rifles took me well over a year of scrimping and saving to put together. To me personally, it was worth it, and yes, I hunt with both. One of them is a .458 Lott that I hunted for 14 days straight with in Africa, and that I hunt with here for fun. The other is a 7x64, that was finished in December. It is now my regular hunting rifle, and the first time I took it out, was pig hunting in a driving rain, after which I cleaned it as common sence would dictate, and didn't worry about it. Both rifles were built first and foremost to hunt with, so no, I do not baby them. However, neither do I abuse them, or any other rifle. I do suspect that a couple of weeks of hunting in Southeast Alaska would be tough on them, but Alaska hunters used blued steel and walnut guns there for years. They just had to be more meticulous about care and cleaning.

For me, hunting is an esthetic experience, and the rifle I choose to hunt with adds to that experience. These two rifles are functional art that please me to look at, carry, and use. I enjoy beautiful things that are functional. The reality of most hunters, myself included, is that for every day we spend hunting, we spend 30 to 50 days working, while dreaming of hunts past and future. For me, using a beautiful rifle adds color, depth, and beauty to the dreams. However, a large percent of the guides, outfitters, and professional hunters I have met use custom rifles, most of which have a lot of cosmetic embellishments. For those folks, a rifle is a tool, and yet they still choose to make the tool as pretty as possible. From a practical standpoint, both of my rifles are build to fit me and my hunting style as exactly as possible. Therefore, I shoot them better and with more confidence, increasing my chance of success. Finally, since the man that built both has become a friend, for me, there is something special and rewarding about the human touch, care, and pride that went into building each of them.

I prefer to hunt with a beautiful gun for the same reason I prefer to sleep with a beautiful woman

Jeff

Well said Loud n Boomer and skibum.

Very crisp job, D'Arcy!! NICE!!!

First rate job. Kudos D'Arcy my friend.

"You pays your money and you takes your choice." I don't know where that little saying comes from, but I like it.

loud-n-boomer: Very well put. Somebody should buy that Echols rifle. How about posting a pic of your Lott? Is it as nice as the Wiebe 7x64?

[ 03-06-2003, 01:53: Message edited by: fla3006 ]