Guns International #: 101955147
Seller's Inventory #: M22-841
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Guns International #: 101955147
Category - Custom Rifles
- Rifles - American Bolt Action
Seller's Information
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Seller: Antique & Modern Firearms, Inc.
Company: Antique & Modern Firearms, Inc. Member Since: 4/27/15
State:
Kentucky
Zip: 40503
Country: United States
Phone: (859) 276-1419
Fax: (859) 278-0838
Platinum Seller
Active Listings: 186
Total Listings: 14837
Seller Type:FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns and accessories.
Payment Methods: Visa,Master Card, Discover,Check
**SOLD*1946 Vintage W.A. Sukalle Full Custom Engraved 98 Mauser Rifle in .22-250 Caliber
** Beautiful Custom Rifle w/ Spectacular Wood & Engraving **
Description: This is a VERY classy and beautiful vintage 98 Mauser-based custom rifle made by the well-known gunmaker/ barrel smith W.A. (Bill) Sukalle in 1946. This full-custom rifle is one of the higher grades offered by Sukalle which includes some beautiful engraving and a highly figured deluxe checkered Walnut stock. Mr. Sukalle was trained as an automotive machinist and started out in the automobile repair business in the 1920's and fixed guns on the side as a hobby. In 1923 he hand-turned his first barrel and soon after the automobile repair shop was turned into a full-fledged rifle building operation as well as a barrel making facility. Sukalle had great success building barrels and full custom rifles, his eye for detail and his uncompromising standards led him to build the highest quality custom rifles and extremely accurate barrels. He soon came to be considered the finest machinist in the States, and his rifles gained such popularity that many of the famous gun writers of the day ordered rifles from him such as Jack O'Connor, who owned several of Bill's rifles. The so-called "patron saint of custom gunmakers" of that time period, Dr. Russel C. Smith of Wisconsin and later Alaska, also had several Sukalle-made rifles built for him, and became good friends with Mr. Sukalle. Bill Sukalle would travel up to Alaska to clean and maintain all of Dr. Smith's custom rifles as well as hunt with him. With the advent of the U.S. Space program NASA in the late 1950's the U.S. Government went about to find the best people they could to work on the space program. Bill Sukalle had such a reputation at that time that NASA hired him to work on building parts for them. NASA thought so much of him they allowed him to stay in his Arizona shop and would send the equipment and parts to him rather than making him relocate. Once he became involved with NASA Bill had a lot less time to build rifles and barrels, so the number of W.A. Sukalle custom rifles being made dropped substantially. This particular 98 Mauser custom rifle is really a spectacular example that was made entirely by Bill except for the engraving. It is dated on the bottom of the barrel under the wood "101046", which is also used as the serial number as it is the only number on the gun. This translates to the 1,010 barrel made and dates the manufacture time to 1946. Or at least this is the prevailing thought among Sukalle collectors rather than it translating to the 10th of October 1946. The engraving on this Sukalle is really spectacular but we have not been able to find a signature. It certainly has a German/European flair with lots of oak leafs and acorns but also has an amazing bull elk on the floorplate. You can zoom in on the pictures and really see how detailed everything is down to the veins in the leafs. All of the bottom metal is covered with engraving as well as the sides of the receiver ring. The top section of the receiver ring has been completely textured with very fine stippling. It would definitely be interesting trying to track down the engraver. This .22-250 caliber rifle is built on a 98 Mauser action, likely sourced from a WW2 K98, and is fitted with a 26" inch sporting contour barrel with no provisions for iron sights. The Leupold/Redfield style custom scope bases are expertly fit to the rear receiver bridge and on the barrel about an inch in front of the receiver ring. Everything is finely polished and finished with a high gloss blue finish except for the bolt body, which is in the white and polished bright and the trigger, which appears case hardened. The bolt handle has been reshaped and contoured, and the bolt knob has been checkered. The rear bolt shroud and firing pin cocking piece have been polished and are gloss blue, and the bolt has been fit with a custom hand-made 2-position safety that works with the low mounted optics. This is a very handsome rifle in excellent condition overall both inside and out. The stock on this Sukalle custom rifle is really beautiful. It is highly-figured with lots of contrasting grain and stripe in it that look like they are floating over top of one another. As good of a metal smith as Bill Sukalle was, he was also a expert stock maker. The proportions and lines on this stock are really beautiful and well-balanced. The hand-cut checkering is crisp and clean and has some very interesting design features. The checkering wraps all the way around the forearm and is on either side of the pistol grip with just a slim border between the two sides. The right-side cheekpiece is beautifully carved with graceful lines and the butt of the rifle is fit with a Neidner-style checkered blue steel buttplate. The pistol grip is capped with a blued steel cap with an engraved screw, the tip of the forearm is fit with a nice piece of Ebony, and the keel of the stock is fit with custom sling swivel bases. This W.A. Sukalle is fitted with a El Paso-made Weaver K 2.5 Scope fitted with a R.A. Litschert "6X Varminter" objective lens assembly. This increased the magnification of the 2.5 power Weaver to 8.5X and gives the scope a larger objective lens to gather more light in addition to being adjustable for focus. The Weaver scope and Litschert attachment are in excellent condition with clear optics and 100% functional controls/adjustments. We have no doubt that it will still hold zero. This rifle is really a special piece and is probably the only one exactly like this in the world. It was made in the heyday of American custom rifles in the late 1940's by one of the best gunsmiths/machinists of the time period. This rifle is a real pleasure to handle and admire, and no doubt will continue to be an excellent long-term investment. This will certainly be a gun the next owner can be very proud of! SOLD Curio/Relic: Yes Rifle Caliber: .22-250 Remington Manufacturer: W.A. Sukalle (Pheonix, AZ.) Model: Custom 98 Mauser Sporter Serial Number: 101046 Barrel Length: 26" Inches Condition: Excellent Metal Condition: Excellent Wood Condition: Excellent Bore Condition: Excellent Barrel Type: Standard Sporting Contour Action: Bolt Action Repeater Triggers: Hand-Tuned Single Stage Trigger Stock: Checkered Deluxe American Walnut Monte Carlo Style Stock Stock Comb: Right-Handed Cheekpiece Fore End: Ebony Forend Tip Butt Pad: Neidner Checkered Blued Steel Buttplate LOP: 13.25" Inches Finish: Gloss Blued / Polished Bolt / Case Hardened Trigger Weight: 9 lbs Sights: None Manufacture Date: 1946 Extras: Custom Scope Bases w/ El Paso Weaver K 2.5X Scope and Litschert 6X Varmint Master Adjustable Objective Lens |
Guns International #: 101955147
Seller's Inventory #: M22-841
Guns International #: 101955147
Seller's Inventory #: M22-841