This is a rare opportunity for a Sterling Davenport Mauser 98 500 Jeffery, priced at $9500 plus shipping. Included in the sale are 175-600gr Weldcore PP and 75-600gr FMJ Woodleigh bullets. Also included is the like new RCBS 3 die steel set and shell holder, 1” dies, which needs an adapter (not included). I have 7 dummy rounds (new brass), 22 brass - once fired/primed and 21 brass (new).
It utilizes the NECG slide in front sight so there are multiple options for load development, it will come with a solid brass bead, and a brass bead with flip up ivory. It has a single blade, checkered traditional flag safety, what appears to be 24 LPI mullered border checkering and a Pachmyar pad. I would grade the wood at 90%, metal is perfect. The most unique feature of this rifle is Sterling Davenport’s version of a lipped center feed 3 shot design capacity with fixed coffin type bottom metal held in place by his renowned engraved allen head action screws. The combination of Mauser CRF extractor with a center feed lipped design provides 100% reliable, smooth as silk straight up the tube function. No hitches, no dinged cases or dented shoulders, no bullet tips angling in and getting damaged while chambering. With so many 500 Jefferies you have to worry about the feeding. This one is correct! Gun operates perfectly...I just prefer my 500ne double.
Here are the details of the rifle: 24" Barrel, 11.2 lbs, mercury recoil reducer professionally installed, 13.75" LOP
Sterling Davenport retired from the US Navy after 20 years’ service in 1975 at the age of 40. During his stint in the Navy, he was trained as an aviation metal smith and while stationed at Pearl Harbor, he did light gunsmith work for Honolulu Sporting Guns. Finding his work well accepted, when he retired he attended the 10-month gunsmith program at the Colorado School of Trades for Gunsmiths, graduating with a job as a gunsmith with Harry Lawson Custom Gunmaker in Arizona. During his next 20 years, Sterling showed his own work in shows such as the Safari Club and others where the talents of the American Gunmakers Guild members were displayed. It was at one of these shows that Paul Roberts of Rigby examined Davenport’s work and hired him to build bolt rifles for Rigby under the Rigby name. Sterling said that Roberts would supply the barreled actions and the wood and Davenport would take it from there. His first firearm finished for Rigby had such exquisite and fine checkering, that Roberts complained that it was not of the Rigby style. From then on, Sterling finished the stocks and sent them to London for Rigby’s checkerers to finish, which used smaller patterns with coarser checkering than the work that Davenport did. For Rigby, Sterling used BRNO actions for the magnum action and either FN or Pre-64 Model 70 actions for the standard length cartridges. He said, “The BNRO forged Magnum action was as good as it gets… the more renown Oberndorf Mauser Magnum action is really no better, just more in demand and short in supply.”
Davenport figures he only made about 60 rifles under his own name; this is truly a rare masterpiece in one of the most sought-after calibers for the magnum actions.
It utilizes the NECG slide in front sight so there are multiple options for load development, it will come with a solid brass bead, and a brass bead with flip up ivory. It has a single blade, checkered traditional flag safety, what appears to be 24 LPI mullered border checkering and a Pachmyar pad. I would grade the wood at 90%, metal is perfect. The most unique feature of this rifle is Sterling Davenport’s version of a lipped center feed 3 shot design capacity with fixed coffin type bottom metal held in place by his renowned engraved allen head action screws. The combination of Mauser CRF extractor with a center feed lipped design provides 100% reliable, smooth as silk straight up the tube function. No hitches, no dinged cases or dented shoulders, no bullet tips angling in and getting damaged while chambering. With so many 500 Jefferies you have to worry about the feeding. This one is correct! Gun operates perfectly...I just prefer my 500ne double.
Here are the details of the rifle: 24" Barrel, 11.2 lbs, mercury recoil reducer professionally installed, 13.75" LOP
Sterling Davenport retired from the US Navy after 20 years’ service in 1975 at the age of 40. During his stint in the Navy, he was trained as an aviation metal smith and while stationed at Pearl Harbor, he did light gunsmith work for Honolulu Sporting Guns. Finding his work well accepted, when he retired he attended the 10-month gunsmith program at the Colorado School of Trades for Gunsmiths, graduating with a job as a gunsmith with Harry Lawson Custom Gunmaker in Arizona. During his next 20 years, Sterling showed his own work in shows such as the Safari Club and others where the talents of the American Gunmakers Guild members were displayed. It was at one of these shows that Paul Roberts of Rigby examined Davenport’s work and hired him to build bolt rifles for Rigby under the Rigby name. Sterling said that Roberts would supply the barreled actions and the wood and Davenport would take it from there. His first firearm finished for Rigby had such exquisite and fine checkering, that Roberts complained that it was not of the Rigby style. From then on, Sterling finished the stocks and sent them to London for Rigby’s checkerers to finish, which used smaller patterns with coarser checkering than the work that Davenport did. For Rigby, Sterling used BRNO actions for the magnum action and either FN or Pre-64 Model 70 actions for the standard length cartridges. He said, “The BNRO forged Magnum action was as good as it gets… the more renown Oberndorf Mauser Magnum action is really no better, just more in demand and short in supply.”
Davenport figures he only made about 60 rifles under his own name; this is truly a rare masterpiece in one of the most sought-after calibers for the magnum actions.
