New Arrivals

Jack O’Connor’s personal .222 Remington. Based on a Sako L46 barreled action, serial number 51330 was stocked by Lenard Brownell in 1963.

In his Getting The Range column from the January, 1965 issue of Outdoor Life (page 79), O’Connor writes of this rifle: “The most accurate light, really featherweight, varmint rifle I have ever owned is one I had put together some time ago. It is a Sako-barreled action made in Finland. The barrel is the light, not the heavy, one. Stocked by Lenard Brownell of Sheridan, Wyoming, and fitted with a Weaver K-6 scope on Sako mount, the little musket weighs a shade less than 7 1/4 lb. and is a joy to carry back into the canyons where road hunters don’t have the rock chucks spooked. Factory load that agrees with it best is the .222 cartridge turned out by Federal. With that rifle and ammunition, groups run from 1/2 to 1 in., and I think the difference between the 1/2 and 1 in. groups is me. In all, it is an astounding little rifle and top-quality ammunition.” (Photocopy included.)

In The Rifle Book (3rd edition, 1978, page 190), O’Connor penned: “One of the most accurate rifles I have ever owned was an 8 1/4-pound .25/06. Two other very accurate light jobs are my .222, a Sako barreled action stocked by Lenard Brownell, and a .244 custom made for me by Al Biesen on a 7mm Mauser action. Either will put the first three shots out of a cold barrel into about 3//4 inch.” (Photocopy included.)

O’Connor’s Shooting column from the April, 1966 issue of Outdoor Life (page 140) revisits his satisfaction: “I have a handsome little .222 that I carry on long hikes back into the canyons of Idaho and Washington for rock chucks. It is based on a light Finnish Sako barreled action. It was stocked in a fine piece of handsomely figured French walnut by Lenard Brownell and is fitted with a Weaver K-6 scope with Sako rings on the Sako receiver with the the logical male dovetail. The outfit weights a bit less than 7 1/2 lb. It is partial to the Federal factory .222 cartridges and will group them into 3/4 in. or less. With handholds, it does extremely well with Speer 50, 52 and 55-gr. bullets and with the Sierra 50 and 55-gr. bullets. (Photocopy included.)

In the O’Connor biography (Jack O’Connor, The Legendary Life of America’s Greatest Gunwriter, second edition, 2002, Safari Press, page 196) contributing author Eldon “Buck” Buckner references this rifle by serial number. Note that the book indicates 1964 as the year Brownell stocked the rifle, the year later amended by Buckner to 1963. (Photocopy included.)

Finally, O’Connor’s handwritten firearms log indicates this rifle was sold to Fred Huntington in March, 1973. (Photocopy included.) Huntington was the founder of RCBS and owned the rifle until his passing in 1998.

The rifle features a 23-inch factory barrel with the original ramped front sight and remains untapped for a rear sight. The bolt body and extractor have been most properly jeweled. The Weaver K-6 scope was replaced sometime after the sale to Huntington with a Leupold M8 6x scope (Duplex reticle) that has turned full plumb. Brownell’s stock is a work of art. Shaped from a broad-grained English (French) walnut, it wears a borderless multi-point wrap checkering pattern with crossing accents, a scalloped Monte Carlo cheek rest with shadow line, steel grip cap and a color case steel butt with widow’s peak. The stock is fitted with sling swivel studs. A single detachable magazine is included. DIMENSIONS: Weight, including scope, is 8.0 pounds. Length-of-pull is 13.5 inches. CONDITION: The bore is strong and bright. The polished blue finish stands at approximately 97 percent, the color case of the butt plate approximately 90 percent and the magazine approximately 80 percent. Wood finish is approximately 97 percent, with slight indications of thinning. Wood integrity is approximately 95 percent, with a modest distribution of minor field impressions and scratches. Mechanics appear to be in order and the optic is clear. The price is firm and layaway is available. $15,000 plus shipping.

D-Max .45 ACP semi-automatic Sten clone from the collection of Robert K. Brown. Serial number 450C-007 (incorporates RKB’s unique 007 serial number) features a 16-inch barrel with ventilated shroud and blade front sight, Williams adjustable aperture rear sight, optic rail (drilled and tapped for conventional base attachment), three-piece premium walnut stock with oil finish and a single stick magazine. CONDITION: New and unfired. No box, papers or additional accessories. LT. COL. ROBERT K. BROWN, USAR (Ret.) has lived a life of incredible adventure. He served as a Green Beret in Vietnam, trained troops from other countries and fought communists alongside them in hotspots around the globe, and has diligently defended the Second Amendment via his long-held seat on the NRA Board of Directors. Brown’s publishing career began when he founded Panther Publications, which later merged into Paladin Press. In 1974, RKB sold his portion of Paladin Press and shortly thereafter founded Soldier of Fortune Magazine. Always willing to use the platforms he created in support of what he believes without the slightest regard for the fallout sure to follow, Brown has been praised and damned in equal parts by those dumbstruck that such a person or personality actually exists. Now 87, RKB has elected to part with a number of his special firearms and memorabilia accumulated over the years. The purchaser of each item will receive a personalized letter from RKB discussing its known history, along with a vintage “Communism Stops Here” poster of Brown cradling his sniper rifle during his time in El Salvador from the archives of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. The price is firm and layaway is available. $3,500 plus shipping.

Holloway Arms Model 7 (HAC-7) .308 Winchester from the collection of Robert K. Brown. Serial number RB007 (RKB’s unique 007 serial number) was made in 1984 and features a 20-inch barrel (21.5 inches with flash hider), elevation-adjustable front sight, barrel-mounted sling attachment fixture, factory drilled/tapped receiver, day/night rocking aperture rear sight and side-folding stock. DIMENSIONS: Weight is 9.2 pounds. CONDITION: New and unfired. Finish condition is approximately 99 percent with but traces of handling and storage wear. MAGAZINE: The included magazine (a later DPMS) does not properly lock in position. See below for explanation. If correct magazines are located, they will be forwarded to the purchaser immediately. INCLUSIONS: The original box with correct serial on the end flap is present, but much taping and storage wear has rendered it to but fair condition. The original invoice dated July 31, 1984, shows the rifle shipping to RKB’s FFL dealer. An included letter from Holloway Arms Company apologizes for not having the correct magazines available for inclusion and promises to send them at a later date. The referenced “converted AR-10 magazine that permits firing of the rifle” is also absent. This same letter states that a proper instruction manual is yet to be printed (a stapled copy of the text to be presented in the manual is included). Finally, a letter from Holloway EVP Thomas E. Cook to RKB dated October 11, 1983 addresses their meeting at the recent SOF Convention and discusses Holloway’s interest in supporting recon teams in El Salvador. MEDIA: Gary Paul Johnston, co-author of the soon-to-be-published The World’s Assault Rifles, Volume II, provided this draft caption for a photo showing RKB with his Holloway “007” – Bob Holloway’s idea of combining features from Armalite, the FN, FAL and the AK along with his own “improvements” resulted in a .308 (7.62MM NATO) caliber rifle he called the HAC-7 in the early 1980’s. Some 350 HAC-7 serial numbers are known (with 350 being the highest) and HAC-7 rifles were made from about 1984 to 1985 from 1984 to 1985. However, serial numbers were not sequential with custom numbering done on request with spaces in between, so the true number of HAC-7’s made is not known, but is substantially less than 350. I saw Col. Brown’s rifle in the early 1990’s. The HAC-7 has quite desirable with a large following continually seeking any that come up for sale. Col. Brown offered to provide this and a few other photos of his rifle for inclusion in Volume II of “The World’s Assault Rifles.” Because of Col. Brown’s reputation, his early number “007” is undoubtedly one of, if not THE most desirable of all HAC-7’s made! This rifle is also as new and remained unfired while he owned it. LT. COL. ROBERT K. BROWN, USAR (Ret.) has lived a life of incredible adventure. He served as a Green Beret in Vietnam, trained troops from other countries and fought communists alongside them in hotspots around the globe, and has diligently defended the Second Amendment via his long-held seat on the NRA Board of Directors. Brown’s publishing career began when he founded Panther Publications, which later merged into Paladin Press. In 1974, RKB sold his portion of Paladin Press and shortly thereafter founded Soldier of Fortune Magazine. Always willing to use the platforms he created in support of what he believes without the slightest regard for the fallout sure to follow, Brown has been praised and damned in equal parts by those dumbstruck that such a person or personality actually exists. Now 87, RKB has elected to part with a number of his special firearms and memorabilia accumulated over the years. The purchaser of each item will receive a personalized letter from RKB discussing its known history, along with a vintage “Communism Stops Here” poster of Brown cradling his sniper rifle during his time in El Salvador from the archives of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. The price is firm and layaway is available. $5,000 plus shipping.

Kimber of Oregon Model 82 Classic .22 LR pair. Serialed 7013 and 7014, each features a 22-inch barrel, dovetailed receiver, steel grip cap and a steel butt plate. One rifle, 7013, wears open sights with a brass beaded front blade and folding rear blade. DIMENSIONS: Each weighs 7.0 pounds and lengths-of-pull are 13.5 inches. CONDITIONS: (7013) – The bore is flawless. Metal finish is 99 percent, with a few micro-scratches on the right side of the receiver just ahead of the bolt cut. Wood is also 99 percent, with a few tiny impressions and one small scratch on the belly of the pistol grip. (7014) – The bore is flawless. Metal finish is 99 percent with a tiny spot of thinning on the barrel. Wood is at least 99 percent, with one small impression. No boxes or papers. The price is firm, layaway is available and the pair will not be separated. $2,500 plus shipping, the pair.

Knight’s Manufacturing Stoner SR-25 .308 Winchester from the collection of Robert K. Brown. Serial number 007 (RKB’s unique 007 serial number is marked on both the upper and lower receivers) features a 24-inch barrel (.830 muzzle diameter) with recessed crown and integral optic rail. An ArmaLite magazine is included. MARKINGS: “Knight’s Mfg. Co, Vero Beach, FL. USA” appears on receiver right. In addition to the serial number (2x) and caliber, “Stoner Rifle SR-25” and the Knight’s Manufacturing Company logo appear on receiver left. DIMENSIONS: Weight is 11.2 pounds. CONDITION: Unfired since leaving the factory, the bore is bright and shiny. Overall metal finish is approximately 98 percent, with a scattering of minor storage and handling marks and rubs. No box, papers or additional accessories. LT. COL. ROBERT K. BROWN, USAR (Ret.) has lived a life of incredible adventure. He served as a Green Beret in Vietnam, trained troops from other countries and fought communists alongside them in hotspots around the globe, and has diligently defended the Second Amendment via his long-held seat on the NRA Board of Directors. Brown’s publishing career began when he founded Panther Publications, which later merged into Paladin Press. In 1974, RKB sold his portion of Paladin Press and shortly thereafter founded Soldier of Fortune Magazine. Always willing to use the platforms he created in support of what he believes without the slightest regard for the fallout sure to follow, Brown has been praised and damned in equal parts by those dumbstruck that such a person or personality actually exists. Now 87, RKB has elected to part with a number of his special firearms and memorabilia accumulated over the years. The purchaser of each item will receive a personalized letter from RKB discussing its known history, along with a vintage “Communism Stops Here” poster of Brown cradling his sniper rifle during his time in El Salvador from the archives of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. The price is firm and layaway is available. $7,500 plus shipping.

John Rigby & Company .375 H&H Magnum. Based on a Dakota Model 76 Safari magnum-length barreled action with a drop box magazine, serial 2373 is a well-appointed and lively dangerous game rifle that features a 23-inch medium sporter barrel wearing a banded front ramp with removable hood, sight blade with brass bead and a pop-up night sight, banded sling swivel stud, quarter rib with three leafs (one fixed and two folders, each with a gold sighting line and respectively engraved 75/150/250). The action is topped with EAW Quick-Loc pivot mounts (30mm rings) and has a full-length Mauser claw extractor, Model 70-type three position wing safety, jeweled bolt body, checkered bolt knob (three bordered teardrop panels) and a cloverleaf tang. Additional metal appointments include twin crossing bolts and a trapdoor grip cap. The stock is fashioned from a heavily-grained blank of English walnut and dressed with a contrasting forend tip, fine wrapping double-bordered checkering, a generous traditional scalloped cheek piece with shadow line and a Pachmayr recoil pad. ENGRAVING: Signed by Lisa Tomlin, the floorplate presents two magnificent lion busts in gold (inspired by artist Daniel Smith’s work “Allied Forces”) set in a oval border and further enhanced with elegant scroll. The pattern reappears on the guard, grip cap and crossing bolts. Additional gold highlights include “John Rigby & Co.” on the rib, “375 H&H Mag” on the barrel, “Rigby” on the receiver left, the Rigby addorsed Rs on the trapdoor cap and initials “JPB” on the guard. DIMENSIONS: Weight is 9.2 pounds and length-of-pull is 14.2 inches. CONDITION: The bore is strong and bright. All aspects of engraving are flawless. The barreled action finish is approximately 90 percent, with thinning in spots. A small impression is visible on the left side of the quarter rib base at the barrel line. Stock integrity and finish are at least 98 percent. AMMUNITION: Available separately for $1,000 are 20 boxes of Federal Cape-Shok ammunition: 10 boxes 300-grain Nosler Partition and 10 boxes 300-grain Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer solids. INCLUSION: A premium leather padded cobra sling from Murray Leather is included. The price is firm and layaway is available. $12,500 plus shipping.

Weatherby Mark V factory custom .300 Weatherby Magnum. Made in 1967 by special order for a satisfied safari client and presented to renowned African professional hunter Harry Selby, serial number P134412 stands tall among the most important and desirable West German Weatherby rifles ever created. Basic features include a 24-inch barrel, jeweled bolt body, two-panel checkered bolt knob, rosewood forend tip and pistol grip cap with double spacers, intricate skip-line checkering pattern, Buehler mounts and a Weatherby 2-7x scope with fine crosshair reticle. CONFIGURATION: The rifle has a right hand bolt and a left hand (right side) cheek rest, as was Selby’s preference. ENGRAVING: The floorplate presents initials “JHS” (for John Henry Selby – “Harry” was his nickname) in gold relief. The entirety of the action as well as the Buehler mounts wear full-coverage scroll intertwined with flowing grasses, the pattern continuing along the top of the barrel to the middle of the forend tip. PROVENANCE: Dated 2nd August, 2017, a letter with Mr. Selby’s original signature recounts his time with the rifle. MARKINGS: In addition to the standard Weatherby markings, a small “Griffin & Howe, Andover NJ” rides the bottom of the barrel just forward of the forend tip and “181529” shows on the bottom of the trigger guard, these both required as a condition of the recent repatriation from Africa. DIMENSIONS: Weight, with scope, is 8.8 pounds and the length-of-pull is 13.5 inches. CONDITION: The bore is strong and bright. Engraving is flawless. The barrel blue is approximately 95 percent, with some thinning on the muzzle face and a highlight line along the top between the muzzle and forend tip (no doubt from riding the rack in a safari truck). One small freckle appears on the right side of the barrel a few inches aft of the muzzle. The action finish is 100 percent, with slight thinning on the bolt knob and some thinning following the edges of the floorplate. Even the gold plate on the trigger rates near 95 percent. The stock is also approximately 95 percent overall. The varnish has some light crazing and checkering is tack sharp. One minor impression appears on the left side of the barrel channel, some faint impressions show on the grip cap and along the toe line, and one small area of missing varnish tops the Monte Carlo hump. The scope is optically clear, with lenses and coatings in fine condition. The rubber “bumper” ring on the ocular housing as cracked from pressure of the included covers. HARRY SELBY (1925-2018) is one of the most famous and respected professional hunters who ever swung a rifle onto his shoulder and took up the track. By greatest fortune, he gained the both the respect and admiration of Robert Ruark , becoming internationally famous through Ruark’s writings. Selby served as the inspiration for Ruark’s hero Peter McKenzie in Something of Value and Ruark dedicated what many believe is the finest book ever written about safari life, Horn of the Hunter, to Selby. On a personal level, Ruark was honored to become Godfather to Harry’s son, Mark Selby. The price is firm and layaway is available. $30,000 plus shipping.

Westley Richards .375 H&H Magnum. Serialed 43414, this wonderfully-balanced dangerous game rifle wears a 24.5-inch medium sporter barrel (.665-inch muzzle diameter). Heavily featured according to its intended purpose, the barrel is fitted with a scalloped island front ramp topped by a finely-beaded blade, large pop-up night sight and a classic folding hood. The forward sling mount extends from a perfectly blended band. A stout quarter rib (.650-inch wide) secures a pedestaled trio of windage-adjustable express rear sight blades, each engraved with a shadowed sighting line. Regulated for 300-grain bullets, the fixed blade is marked for 100 yards while the folders are marked 200 and 300 yards. The Mauser action has been drilled and tapped with no indication bases were ever added, the bolt body is jeweled and bearing surfaces polished for smooth operation. Feeding is flawless and the extractor “snaps over” cartridges thumbed into the chamber. A custom shroud with two-position serrated wing safety has been added while the trigger remains the original two-stage but now wears a stippled face. Additional appointments include drop box bottom metal (4+1 capacity) with an inside-the-bow release, along with a trapdoor grip cap. The stock blank was properly selected for stout figure and appropriately dimensioned to caliber. Finishing accents include an ebony forend tip, wrap point checkering with a partial double border, single crossing bolt, extended pistol grip, scalloped cheek rest with shadow line, rear sling swivel stud and a leather-wrapped recoil pad. An initial plate inletted in the toe line is blank (other than a minute and shallow “B-S 375 M”). ENGRAVING: The receiver, bolt handle, front sight base and hood, quarter rib, trapdoor, crossbolt and action screws wear an elegant vine and scroll. The pattern continues to full coverage over the bottom metal, highlighted by a tremendous greater kudu bust in gold relief. FINISHES: Metal surfaces wear polished rust blue, with the trapdoor, crossing bolt and action screws standing in contrast with their color case. The stock wears hand-rubbed oil. MARKINGS: Westley Richards & Co. England” rides barrel center. Maker’s name, caliber and serial show on receiver left and “Regulated for 300 Grn. Bullet” on receiver top. British proofs appear on both barrel and receiver. CONDITION: The bore is strong and bright, with the look of new. Bluing is approximately 97 percent, with a bit of minor thinning/freckling at the carry points (near barrel band, forward edge of rib), bolt release lever and extractor. Markings are tack sharp and engraving is flawless. Wood is approximately 98 percent with but minor impressions. DIMENSIONS: Weight is 9.8 pounds. Length-of-pull is 13.85 inches, drops are 1.4 and 2.25 inches, and cast off is approximately .375-inch. No case, papers or additional accessories. The price is firm and layaway is available. $18,500 plus shipping.

A most remarkable pairing – serial number 1 and serial number 2 Winchester pre-64 Model 70 rifles. Absent anything short of absolute certainty, each of these rifles stands among the world’s most important and valuable sporting arms. That they are paired presents an unequaled acquisition opportunity. Both rifles have a captivating history. According to Roger Rule’s The Rifleman’s Rifle, serial number 1 was marked on January 20, 1936. As Winchester records are unavailable so far as supporting a proper factory letter is concerned, the actual shipping date and destination are unknown. As detailed in Winchester Model 70 No. 1, a feature article appearing in the June, 1990 issue of American Rifleman (bound copy included), the current owner’s uncle purchased the rifle from a hardware store in Durango, Colorado during the 1937 hunting season. Whether new or used when that sale was wrung, the rifle was already fitted with a Lyman receiver sight. Upon returning from the hunting trip, the owner had the rifle drilled and tapped in order to install a 10x Fecker scope, then hunted with it for the next forty years. In 1977, after borrowing it over the course of several deer seasons, the current owner formally acquired the rifle still wearing the Fecker and with the Lyman sight in tow. Staggeringly, another ten years passed before a chance showing resulted in a dealer getting the vapors and blurting a surprisingly high offer. This sparked a curiosity which lead to the realization that his plain old Model 70 was the first of its kind. With significant reservation, the rifle was retired from hunting after 50 years of faithful and flawless service. Published in 1982 by Alliance Books, The Rifleman’s Rifle did much to expand and solidify collector interest in Winchester pre-64 Model 70 rifles. Quite naturally, the owner of the number 1 rifle acquired a copy as part of his research. Page 193 carried a photo of serial number 2 from the author’s collection, and page 52 showed a photo of a letter from Richard Pelton, Winchester’s Director of Marketing dated March 6, 1980. Written to Mrs. Ethel M. Lied, the letter mentions the January 20, 1936 marking date for the number 1 rifle and also states that assembly of Model 70 rifles did not begin until 1937. Pointedly, the letter references Mrs. Lied’s inquiries as to the value of her rifle – serial number 2. No doubt, ownership of the number 2 rifle passed to Roger Rule at approximately this time. At some point thereafter, the number 2 rifle was presented for sale at a major gun show attended by the owner of rifle number 1. As things tend to do, one lead to another and ownership of serial number 2 transferred. To no surprise, both rifles are of “standard” configuration and chambered in .30-06 Springfield. Serial number 1 condition: The bore remains smooth, strong and viable. Drilling/tapping for scope mounting includes 2x on the barrel just forward of the rear sight boss and 2x on the front ring. The rear sight is absent and the dovetail is protected with a “plug”. Overall metal finish is approximately 65 percent, as expected after 50 years of use in the hunting fields. Wood integrity is strong (absent cracks or chips). Wood finish condition is also approximately 65 percent overall and the checkering is smoothing. Finish is thinning or absent in places and a general distribution of field impressions and scratches are in evidence. The bolt body is faintly marked “1” in electric pencil (or similar). The Fecker scope is viable and remains optically clear, with surface finish of approximately 70 percent. Serial number 2 condition: The bore remains smooth, strong and viable. Drilling and tapping for scope mounting includes 2x on the front ring, with the rear ring untapped. Overall metal finish is approximately 80 percent. Wood integrity is strong (absent cracks or chips). Wood finish condition is also approximately 80 percent overall. Checkering is strong. A general distribution of field impressions and scratches are in evidence. The bolt body is faintly marked “2” in electric pencil (or similar). Inclusions: In addition to a complete bound set of American Rifleman magazines from 1990 with the referenced article, a personalized letter detailing the known history and transfer details of the rifles will be provided by the owner. Price is firm at $1,750,000, and an installment purchase may be arranged following a suitable deposit. The pair will not be separated. All transportation arrangements and associated costs are the responsibility of the purchaser.