Hoffman Arms .375 H&H Magnum, Cleveland, circa 1923, magnum Mauser, engraved, quarter rib, integral pop-up aperture, horn, 4+1, Hoffman sling, 75 percent

Hoffman Arms .375 H&H Magnum. Made in Cleveland circa 1923 and based on a Mauser Model 98 magnum-length action, rifle number 220 wears a 26-inch tapering sporter barrel (.635-inch muzzle diameter). Features include a banded front sight (button-release hood, stippled approach), banded sling swivel stud, quarter rib (three folding leafs engraved “100/200/300”, stippled flat), damascened bolt body and extractor, integral pop-up aperture sight (rear bridge, engraved “100”), shaped bolt handle, three-position safety, side mount base and a drop-box magazine. STOCK: Shaped from straight-grained walnut, accents include a horn forend tip, wrap checkering with partial Mullered borders, scalloped cheek rest with shadow line and a steel grip cap. The action beds against a metal bracket inletted at the lug and rides on a steel insert surrounding the rear attachment screw. ENGRAVING: Not suprisingly, engraving is unattributed but of the highest quality. Anchored by intricate scroll over the bottom metal and grip, the pattern reappears on the front ring with accents on the band as well as the front sight base. The trigger face is checkered. CAPACITY: Four plus one. Extractor “snaps over” rounds dropped in the chamber. SERIAL: Properly serialed on the underside of the action at the lug as 93644, the number appears 9x in total (action, bolt release, shroud, cocking piece, extractor, 2x trigger, magazine box, floorplate). MARKINGS: “HARMS” appears as a double strike on the lug. Stock is stamped “220”. Sling is stamped “Hoffman Arms Co., Cleveland O”. DIMENSIONS: Weight is 9.2 pounds. Length-of-pull is 14.0 inches. CONDITION: The bore is very good with strong rifling and mild frosting. The front sight bead is absent. The aperture sight spring requires adjustment to hold the sight solidly in position when presenting. Trigger pull is crisp. Feeding/extraction/ejection is positive. Metal finish has thinned and browned to approximately 75 percent. Wood is approximately 65 percent overall, with general impressions, thinning and blotching. The Pachmayr Old English recoil pad is a later addition. The price is firm and layaway is available. $9,500 plus shipping.