Anyone know much about FN Mauser pricing?

[DWalt]

I think the .220 Swift has a reputation for being a barrel burner. Pics would help but since it is original in that caliber $700 seems reasonable. Most of the 50s era commercial FN sporters were in .270 and 30/06. I have one from around 54 or 55 and the barrels on these are 24" with a step and rather heavy contour making for a fairly heavy rifle with the all steel TG and magazine box. Very well made high quality rifles.

That is a commonly told tale but not necessarily as extreme as supposed. From everything I have read, a very thorough cleaning and de-coppering of the bore usually cures any grouping problems. As I said earlier, I believe mine has fired only a relatively small number of rounds, and for sure I have fired somewhat less than 500 through mine, nearly all being reloads. And I download mine to MVs around 3300-3500, basically in the .223 MV range. My 100 yard groups with the FN are around 1"-1.5". I have not seriously attempted to work up a super tight grouping load nor have I done anything to the rifle like glass bedding the stock. As I am not varmint hunting at 500 yards nor bench rest shooting, 1.5" groups are fine with me. And not having access to a borescope, all I can see is a bright shiny bore with sharp lands in mine.

Having seen a great many M16 barrels having essentially no rifling for two inches ahead of the chamber and through a borescope look like a dried and cracked mud riverbed, that still can shoot pretty good groups, not MOA but plenty adequate for combat use. I really wonder about the "barrel burning" story. It might be far more significant to a bench rest shooter who demands one hole groups than anyone else.

My FN is certainly not a featherweight and it does have a stepped barrel. Its weight is right at 11 pounds including scope.

 

[alwslate]

It probably has the same barrel contour as my 30/06 but with a .22 caliber bore . You might be able to get a good price for your rifle on GB.

 

[Ruger 13]

Some pics would really help a lot!

 

[H Richard]

The 22 Swift can be a plus or a minus. The following for the 220 is relatively small, and many consider the 220 a barrel burner (and rightly so by many handloaders). So while a large percent will steer away from the 220, there is the smaller group that will perk up their ears toward it. I would price it to suit the smaller following, around $1000, you can always come down if it doesn't sell at that price. If you know of anyone that has a bore-scope, a few pictures of the bore just past the throat showing a nice clean bore will be a big help selling it.

 

[rockquarry]

The 22 Swift can be a plus or a minus. The following for the 220 is relatively small, and many consider the 220 a barrel burner (and rightly so by many handloaders). So while a large percent will steer away from the 220, there is the smaller group that will perk up their ears toward it. I would price it to suit the smaller following, around $1000, you can always come down if it doesn't sell at that price. If you know of anyone that has a bore-scope, a few pictures of the bore just past the throat showing a nice clean bore will be a big help selling it.

I'm pretty sure this is bad information that is often repeated. If you have personal experience with short barrel life on your .220 Swift, that would be worth listening to. There is no reason why a Swift barrel wouldn't last as one on a .22-250, a cartridge with very similar ballistics and powder capacity. If you overheat the barrel on a rifle using any relatively high-velocity cartridge or load to maximum velocity figures with maximum powder charges regularly, the bore won't last long. The cartridge doesn't matter unless it's a cast bullet cartridge and max velocities are very low.

I've had many rifles rebarreled including a Swift, a .22-250, .250 Savage, .30-40 Krag, .308, .30-06 (a few), 7x61 Sharpe & Hart (twice), and a number of others, but I shoot a lot and really enjoy load development.

Standard -type 7mm Magnums (7x61 Sharpe & Hart as one example) are harder on barrels than anything I've come across, with about 900-1000 rounds being maximum for very best accuracy. Beyond that , they'll still work well for hunting.

 

[DWalt]

Some pics would really help a lot!

 

[mtgianni]

I believe for that rifle, the Tasco scope is a deterrent rather than an asset. I would sell it with wings and give them the scope if they want it.

 

[alwslate]

The rifle is absolutely worth more with the scope than without. Many rifle owners put relatively cheap scopes on expensive rifles. If for no other reason the scope lets them start shooting immediately while they decide what they want to do with the gun.

 

[rockquarry]

After doing many gun shows, I've found cheap scopes have little or no dollar value even if they work or appear to work. Tasco comes to mind but there are others. I've had Tascos that worked well, but they still don't bring anything. If buying a rifle with a cheap scope, I'd add nothing for the scope. Spend a little more and get good scopes, something with value. You'll be way ahead at sale or trade time.

 

[Bald1]

The rifle is absolutely worth more with the scope than without. Many rifle owners put relatively cheap scopes on expensive rifles. If for no other reason the scope lets them start shooting immediately while they decide what they want to do with the gun.

I agree 100%…….. I’d shoot it while deciding which Vortex or Leupold I want to put on it. Or maybe I’d take some time looking for a quality period correct scope. Then I’d throw that old Tasco on an inexpensive rifle.

 

[DWalt]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I had that Tasco on several earlier rifles, including a Model 70 and it was pretty decent from a performance standpoint. For rough use, maybe not so good in the durability department, but I have never had any scope go south on me as a result of it getting banged around some. If one wanted to be period correct on the FN, it should probably mount one of the Weaver K-series scopes. Most of my rifles have Weavers that I picked up cheaply. I own exactly none mounting any of the high-priced scope names - Leupold, etc. My all-time favorite is a Bushnell 4-12x varmint scope on my .223 Savage 112V. It is an ideal companion. Not a bench rest accuracy combination, but a lot better than I'll ever need.

 

[alwslate]

If you want to sell the rifle sell it as is. How could you possible guess what kind of scope a prospective buyer might choose for the rifle. In a face to face sale you could price it with or without the Tasco if you want to keep it but if it were mine I don't think I would cry over letting it go