Other than the pre-64 Model 70 and the Savage 99, what other non-military rifles have achieved true cult status, i.e., relatively modern rifles for which many otherwise rational people pay seemingly irrational prices for guns that they actually take shooting and hunting.

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At this point almost any lever action Winchester.
Jim

Weatherby!!!!!!!

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Go big or stay home

Marlins for the working man...

Kimber of Oregon rifles are pretty much of a cult item, and I know I shoot mine, even though I have a couple of "One of A Kind" Kimbers.

Best,
Gary

Especially '86's....

Holland and Holland.

The German Blaser rifles certainly sell for cult prices.

M-1A's and their SOCOM cousins have quite a following....

I think only the ATF call those "sporting".

I like straight pulls, but haven't been able to get high enough off my wallet to have a Blaser.

Winchester/Italian clones of the lever 66 & 73....and 1897 shotgun...and even the 1886 shotgun...

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Point taken, but I enjoy sporting mine!

Sharps.....

Barret .50 BMGs, in various configurations...

Sir, aside from those already mentioned, certain versions of the Winchester Model 52 have gotten frighteningly expensive. The Steyr version of the Cooper scout rifle is another, though that one's been expensive from the word "go." Savage centerfire bolt actions also have a cult following, though not a cult price tag.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

I'd like to add the Remington 700

Mannlicher-Schoenauer. I lusted afer one when I saw, "Ramar of the Jungle" on TV as a kid.

Finallly bought an M-1908 carbne in 8X56mm. Speer was bringing in DWM ammo for it then.

I knew that it was much favored by the early white settlers in East Africa and was used on tigers, panthers, and sambar in India. This fueled my youthful enthusiasm. And safari/shikar fantasies...

I'm still bitter about having to sell it for tuition when a VA GI Bill check was late. Someday, I'll sell some novels and make enough money to get a later one, probably in .30/06, so I can find ammo!

I also like the Sako line, especially their Safari Grade that looked like a classic London "Best" rifle. But those with blond stocks and the forearm tip canted the reverse of the Weatherby annoy me. My .270 Finnbear was very accurate. I was quite angry when the receiver turned a plum color. That shouldn't happen on guns that expensive. It was like learning that Santa Claus wasn't real!

Colt-Sauer

Dakota, Cooper, Forbes Ultra Light Arms, Christensen Arms and Sako also have quite a cult following.

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"I also cook."

I don't know about "cult status" but do know that five people (friends & wife's relatives) who know that I have two Winchester Model 71's (.348 Win.) never let me forget that if I ever want to sell one, they want it.

It's kind of a running joke now when they say "Don't forget" and I finish up by saying, "yeah, yeah, I know, you want first dibs on a 71."

Shotguns included?

I would say, any Belguim Browning; A-bolt, BLR, BAR, etc. Valmet, expensive rifles like Winslow, esoteric guns like the Garcia Bronco.

Most any SxS double rifle,,but particularly those in the larger calibers.

+1 on the Mannlicher Schoenaurs. I'd add to it the pre-War Mauser sporting rifles.

Winchester 351 SelfLoaders seem to have a quiet cult crowd following them. Any decent one doesn't last too long when it's up for sale.

Guess I will have to mention the Ruger No.1. Many shooters have a cult-like devotion to the single shot rifle. The Ruger is the best, and you don't even have to pay an irrational price for one. I am also high on the Winchester Model 1885 single shot, of which superb copies in modern calibers are made by Miroku and marketed by Browning.

I agree. The Single-Shots have gone up dramatically. My Dad collected them, mostly Winchester Highwalls and Ballards. I know what he paid for some of them and they have risen dramatically.
I'm a life member of the American Single-Shot Rifle Association, and there are some really nice reproductions, but the originals are unbelievably expensive.
Jim

Will you accept actions? How about something built on a Mauser 98?

Seems like the early Sako rifles have a following.

ditto on the single shot Brownings.

Early 78s are going higher and even the more recent 1885s are getting that way. Any of the models that can be used for long range single shot competition are very cult-y, especially the 1885 BPCR versions. Moreover, there aren't nearly as many of them out there as other modern sporting rifles, all adding to the mystique.

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" I said, good DAY! "

These have, but I might be the only member of the cult...


These have a following and prices have gotten up there...

Non Military Rifles with cult followings
Browning Safari
FN Commercial Mausers
Sharps and clones
Marbles Game Getter
Ruger 77s with the tang safety
Marlin Camp Carbines
Ruger .44 Carbine
Lyman GPR
Almost any pre 64 Winchester
Stevens 44
Ballards
Drillings
CZ 452
Remington 513, 541, 40X
Mossburg 44

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Guy-Harold Smith II

Any of the .22 rimfire Anschutz sporter rifles (1416, 1710 etc...).

Don

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Winchester 1890, 1906, 62 and 61 pumps. Prices are going up pretty fast for good original examples. It's the old shooting gallery nostalgia thing.

I was going to mention CZ. I don't know if they have a cult following, but they are well known for their accuracy.

All three of my boys have CZ452 trainers. I bought them a couple of years ago before the prices went up. Paid about $250 each.

I have a NIB CZ550 in .270. Pretty gun. The wood has a reddish tint to it.

Texas Star, right on! Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbines are the cat's meow! A big cat's low-pitched meow.

I have two, a 1903 and a 1908 (6.5 mm and 8mm respectively). The 1903 has original 2.5x Kahles glass on it with a two-piece scope mount numbered to the gun. It looks like the factory built it for somebody who then never shot it. This is the one where the "irrational price" part of the original post definitely kicks in. The 1908 is an OK gun, but nowhere near as nice as the 1903. The 1908 has been milled for scope mounts, but also has a flip-up striker-mounted peep sight.





I'm still looking for a decent 1905 (9mm) and some long-bolt 1924s (.30-06, 9.3 mm, 10.75mm, etc.) I obsess about these as much as I do Prewar Kit Guns and Regulation Police Target Revolvers.

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David Wilson

It's a small cult but the .22 shooters just love them. The 452s have had trigger kits available for a while now. just start a thread asking which .22 you should buy and 80% of the replies will be "Get a CZ".

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I would have to say some of the single shot Stevens target rifles. Ever hear of the "Walnut Hill", not sure but I believe the different series numbered something like 417 or 418 and perhaps a model 49 .

David-

My 1908 was in really nice shape, and didn't have that tang sight. Ammo was a big problem once Speer quit importing it. I got one box of 1930's Western factory ammo with the carbine.

I've read that these can be converted to 8X57mm, one of the few conversions possible with the rotary magazine. But also read that it's best to stick to US ammo, which is loaded on the modest side for that caliber.

Does anyone here know if that conversion is possible, and the pressure limits?

Cool... i have a Winchester model 1910 on the way.
Hope i get the license for it soon

If it's not too much to ask, I have a 16yr old son, who would get in that line... Borrowed Grand Dad's 71 for deer season this year (he decided it was to "easy" to shoot em 200yd out with his 25-06) and it was love at first sight... jumped on gun broker to look for his own, and quickly returned it when he saw the prices.... thought I think it has his name on it now.

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Seems like most any with 45-70, 90, or 110 attached to it...

Giz

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For me the Savage 99's for sure and on the Sako side, left hand AV's.

The last part is pretty common. Grand dad's are easy like that. We put on an act of resistance, but its pretty transparent. We also know we're not going to last forever, and we prefer to pass things along. We just want the illusion that its our decison, when we know good and well we lack control over such things. Maybe we fear someone helping things along or moving the time table up!

I had such a gun in the past. It was my grandfathers Springfield (1873). I kind of adopted it when I was about 16. I loved that gun. There was no question who wanted it most. So I took it when we got married. I kept it for a fair period of time. But a few years back I was disposing of a bunch of guns. Its going to my grandson, in the temporary care of my youngest. The gun wasn't my dad's, it wasn't mine, and its not my son's. Its his son's, until it can be passed along properly.

Unless severe financial stress gets in the way, guns seem to pass down like that. Its an ancient American tradition. Few Grandsons ever do anything bad with Grandpa's gun. Its not allowed to rust, sit dirty, or get some foolish refinish. I guarantee it'll never be loaned out, grandson's just don't do that.

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Dick Burg

I think it depends on what era you are talking about and also what part of the country or even what country you are in. I guess you could do a time line starting with the Kentucky rifle and ending with the Remington 700, hitting all the high points along the way.

My favorite sporting rifle is the ones that Griffin & Howe built.
Here is a .22 Hornet made from a 1922 Springfield.
Ken

I have a CZ bolt gun in .17 rimfire that i would'nt trade for nothing. A flat-out tack driver..

Eltioloco, that G&H 22 Hornet is a VERY nice rifle. Just superb in every way! I've never seen one of those and almost wish I hadn't! Outstanding!

You stole my thunder a little bit--I was gonna say a Griffin and Howe Springfield, let's say in 30-06. That and the Mannlicher Shonauer were Hemingway's two main African Rifles. I've got a tearjerker of a story of a great deal I missed on a high condition G&H Springfield because I hesitated for a couple of hours.

I'll add the Marlin 39A, particularly the older ones, and particularly right now the Mountie variation.

Nice stuff here, fellers.

The Winchester 71 is my choice too. I once had 3 of them. I have 1 left for myself and gave 1 to my son - who appreciates it as much as I do.

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6/23/2022

Judging from what I'm seeing at gun shows over the last few years, high quality classic sporting bolt action .22s from the 30s through the 50s are becoming a bit cult-y.

Try finding a good quality Win 69a for a reasonable price!

This is completely understandable, of course...who doesn't like a good 22!

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" I said, good DAY! "

Yes. Yesterday I put my beloved 1985 Remington 700 Left-Hand .30-06 on consignment at the LGS. I asked him what price to set. He said, given the condition and quality of the rifle/wood, etc., $500. Only God knows how many rounds have gone down that barrel. When first bought, it would shoot several loads into 1 inch at 100 yds. Last time I checked the zero, it produced less than 1 inch groups with plain Jane Remington factory ammunition. The shop owner said he knew of a number of folks who would be interested in my rifle... and that it would not sit long on the shelf. For my part... I'll hunt next year w/ a Smith Corona 1903-A3... or a M-1 Garand w/ a scout scope.

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88 Winchester
100 Winchester
1920 Savage
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1894 Marlin
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+++111 on the Kimber of Oregon (pre 1990 Kimbers)

I have one of the 535 S-Series Supergrade 22 rimfires they made.

I don't have one (yet) But I would place the Win 52 sporter and the 63 in cult status also.

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