Colt “The Coltsman” Rifle ?

[CoElkHunter]

Just curious about this rifle. There’s one for sale here in .300WM for $800. Says it has a Mauser action. Same/similar to a Colt Sauer? Thanks!

 

[ldmay375]

I have one. It is a Sako L61R action.
To add: mine is a 30-06.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I have one. It is a Sako L61R action.

Thanks! And not being familiar with Sakos, how does the L61R differ from the AV or 85 models? The reason I’m asking is the same gun shop has a Sako AV in .375 for $750? I’m just trying to learn about fair values of these rifle brands I’m not familiar with? I’ve only seen photos of and not the actual rifles yet.

 

[Standard Velocity]

The "Coltsman" Rifle was the "New Model and Name" for the Colt "57" line of High Power Rifles, and were announced in late 1958. The Coltsman line featured four different calibers of rifle in three models designated as "Standard, Deluxe, and Custom." None of these guns were actually made by Colt. They were assembled on barreled actions furnished by Firearms International, Inc., in Washington, D.C. to Jefferson Manufacturing Company of North Haven, Connecticut. The .30-06 and .300 Magnum were FN Mauser Model 300 Actions from Belgium and the .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester calibers were on Barrelled Actions from Sako/Finnland on L-57, (Medium) actions. This series of Coltsman rifles was manufactured beginning in early 1959 and the entire production was completed before the end of that year. Sales were extremely slow and this run of rifles provided Inventory until 1962 when some models had finally been completely sold, leaving some models unavailable to the buyer of that time.


$800 is probably fair but I would only bite if it is in excellent condition and it has pretty wood.

This particular one appears to be a FN Mauser and not a Sako. The level of finish on the Colt/Sauers were high. How’s this one look?

 

[CoElkHunter]

The "Coltsman" Rifle was the "New Model and Name" for the Colt "57" line of High Power Rifles, and were announced in late 1958. The Coltsman line featured four different calibers of rifle in three models designated as "Standard, Deluxe, and Custom." None of these guns were actually made by Colt. They were assembled on barreled actions furnished by Firearms International, Inc., in Washington, D.C. to Jefferson Manufacturing Company of North Haven, Connecticut. The .30-06 and .300 Magnum were FN Mauser Model 300 Actions from Belgium and the .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester calibers were on Barrelled Actions from Sako/Finnland on L-57, (Medium) actions. This series of Coltsman rifles was manufactured beginning in early 1959 and the entire production was completed before the end of that year. Sales were extremely slow and this run of rifles provided Inventory until 1962 when some models had finally been completely sold, leaving some models unavailable to the buyer of that time.


$800 is probably fair but I would only bite if it is in excellent condition and it has pretty wood.

This particular one appears to be a FN Mauser and not a Sako. The level of finish on the Colt/Sauers were high. How’s this one look?

Thanks! The photos look good, and I checked again and it’s $750. The AV Sako .375 looks better and it’s $800. They’re located in a gun/pawn shop here in Loveland, Co., and it’s on Gun Broker under Foundation Pawn. Maybe you can check them out? I’m really not in the hunt for either of them, but I just was browsing and saw them tonight and was wondering their fair value? The issue is with this shop, is the guns are sold as is, so one really has to inspect them in person. I had looked at a Whitworth on line awhile back, but it had a crack in the stock behind the rear tang? Well anyways, thanks!

 

[Standard Velocity]

Thanks! The photos look good, and I checked again and it’s $750. The AV Sako .375 looks better and it’s $800. They’re located in a gun/pawn shop here in Loveland, Co., and it’s on Gun Broker under Foundation Pawn. Maybe you can check them out? I’m really not in the hunt for either of them, but I just was browsing and saw them tonight and was wondering their fair value? The issue is with this shop, is the guns are sold as is, so one really has to inspect them in person. I had looked at a Whitworth on line awhile back, but it had a crack in the stock behind the rear tang? Well anyways, thanks!

That doesn’t appear to be a period correct recoil pad. Also, if you look at the other FN Coltsman on GB (30-06) a fitted steel buttplate was an option. 30-06 level recoil is usually the cutoff for hard buttplates so it is probable it originally came with a rubber one, just not that rubber one. If it did have a steel buttplate originally the heel was also fitted. The new pad would have required cutting at least a quarter inch off the stock to remove this gap. The existing pad looks thick but I’d want to check LOP before buying.

There are no pictures of the bottom metal or grip cap. I’d take a good look at everything else if someone has already monkeyed with the stock. Make sure any modifications look to have been done by a gunsmith rather than Bubba.

Since you now know more about this rifle than the seller you have the bargaining chip of “but I’ve really been looking for a Coltsman in original condition.”

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

That 375 is an exact match for my 300. If I hadn't just bought the whitworth I'd be all over it. Seems like a really good price but I haven't shopped them.
I live on the other side of the mountain btw

 

[Dwight Beagle]

A friend of mine has one in 30-06 that was his Dad’s. Nice rifle.

 

[damundsen87]

I have one in 30-06 in the sako l61r action and it's a nice rifle. Cant really go wrong with either a sako or an FN but it would need to be pretty clean to justify that price. I paid 500 for mine

 

[CoElkHunter]

I have one in 30-06 in the sako l61r action and it's a nice rifle. Cant really go wrong with either a sako or an FN but it would need to be pretty clean to justify that price. I paid 500 for mine

It’s on GB, you could look at it if you wanted to? The photos look good?

 

[damundsen87]

It’s on GB, you could look at it if you wanted to? The photos look good?

It looks pretty good, it's definitely an FN commercial mauser. Stock looks nice, I am not 100% but it seems to have been reblued, I have had probably 8 or 9 FN commercial rifles and none of them had a matte finish like that one seems to. It looks like a nice rifle though. My FNs almost always shot well.

 

[CoElkHunter]

It looks pretty good, it's definitely an FN commercial mauser. Stock looks nice, I am not 100% but it seems to have been reblued, I have had probably 8 or 9 FN commercial rifles and none of them had a matte finish like that one seems to. It looks like a nice rifle though. My FNs almost always shot well.

Their shop is a two hour drive for me. If it ever quits snowing here, I’ll try and make it up there on a Saturday to check it out.