Ran across one of these at a gun show the other day, looked to be in very good condition with excellent bluing, very few marks on the stock. I did not look down the bore as I was unable to hold the gun with one arm in a sling, however the seller said it was as nice as the outside. He said he thought it was '78 vintage. He's asking 750.00 which includes bases but no rings. Good deal or no?
Rem. 700BDL Varmint in .222
- Thread starter jaytee
- Start date
very good deal
Does not matter what the seller claims, I'd walk away from it unless I could inspect the bore with my borescope.
Pay $750 for it, and discover the barrel is shot out (the reason it's up for sale?), and you will spend another $500 to re-barrel with a quality barrel.
I've looked inside barrels/ rifles that were for sale, with seller claiming "only been fired a couple box's of ammo", and sometimes the barrels are worthless. If that's true here, you would be paying $750 for a receiver and stock. Borescope it or you are buying the proverbial pig in a poke.
Pay $750 for it, and discover the barrel is shot out (the reason it's up for sale?), and you will spend another $500 to re-barrel with a quality barrel.
I've looked inside barrels/ rifles that were for sale, with seller claiming "only been fired a couple box's of ammo", and sometimes the barrels are worthless. If that's true here, you would be paying $750 for a receiver and stock. Borescope it or you are buying the proverbial pig in a poke.
civil82
Gold $$ Contributor
That price seems in the range of the going rate if it is clean as the seller says. I purchased a very clean 1968 production 22-250 with a fixed 12x Redfield for $375 about 8 years ago. Blue book showed a drastically lower value than what they sold for even then. Check out gunbroker.com
for items with bids to give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for a comparable item.
for items with bids to give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for a comparable item.
if a 222 had a shot out barrel that bolt body would look like a gravel road.
jaytee: If the bore is nice, then it's probably worth the asking price.
There are so many "things" that can happen to a rifle, over the years, the seller (in this case/ common at "gun shows), may honestly think the bore is nice, but unless they 'scoped it, they really don't know. Looking into a bore with the naked eye tells you nothing !
And bore destruction is not limited to shooting damage. I inspected a bore & found it to have a very deep, long gouge, (about 4"), a couple inches in front of the chamber. The owner finally admitted that he stuck a bullet in the bore (primer but no powder) and tried to knock it out with a steel rod, from the muzzle. Trouble was the rod slipped off the nose of the bullet and wedged itself between the bore and the bullet ogive, in the meantime, the steel rod was pounded on with a hammer.
I've also seen bores that were covered with heavy pitting. That could have been caused by mixing solvents and/or leaving some solvents in the bore for too long.
I have 2 rules for buying a used rifle: The bore must be clean and if the seller refuses to clean it, I get the impression he is trying to hide something. I will never buy a used rifle without 'scoping the bore first. If the seller refuses my request to 'scope it, I walk away.
There are so many "things" that can happen to a rifle, over the years, the seller (in this case/ common at "gun shows), may honestly think the bore is nice, but unless they 'scoped it, they really don't know. Looking into a bore with the naked eye tells you nothing !
And bore destruction is not limited to shooting damage. I inspected a bore & found it to have a very deep, long gouge, (about 4"), a couple inches in front of the chamber. The owner finally admitted that he stuck a bullet in the bore (primer but no powder) and tried to knock it out with a steel rod, from the muzzle. Trouble was the rod slipped off the nose of the bullet and wedged itself between the bore and the bullet ogive, in the meantime, the steel rod was pounded on with a hammer.
I've also seen bores that were covered with heavy pitting. That could have been caused by mixing solvents and/or leaving some solvents in the bore for too long.
I have 2 rules for buying a used rifle: The bore must be clean and if the seller refuses to clean it, I get the impression he is trying to hide something. I will never buy a used rifle without 'scoping the bore first. If the seller refuses my request to 'scope it, I walk away.
fdshuster brings up a very good point that i had not thought about. a scared up rifling would definitely be a concern at any price.
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