Hawthorne rifle

[Ironhand54]

A guy wants to sell me a 30-06 bolt gun marked Hawthorne M760. I have not seen it yet but research says it is a commercial FN Mauser sold as a house brand by Montgomery Wards.

If I buy it I will either resell it or have it rebarreled.

The question is what is it worth?
Also, is it worth buying?

Thanks
IronHand

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Funny thing: back in the day, when the big catalog retailers put their house brand name on products, buyers felt reassured about quality and service. It added to their value. Today it tends to detract -- who wants a cheap Wards rifle? That makes many of these rifles high-quality sleeper bargains.

Both Wards and Sears had rifles made to spec with FN Mauser actions. Wards had them marked with both the Hawthorne and Western Field house brands. I own an excellent Western Field Mauser made by Heym -- it's the one in this 1966 catalog page with the full-length stock (#4):



The rifle just above it (#3) probably featured an FN action like the Hawthorne, but I think the 760 had a checkered wrist. http://smith-wessonforum.com/firear...y-wards-mauser-aka-hawthorne-model-760-a.html

FWIW, here's a similar rifle offered by Sears:



Is it worth buying one today? That depends on condition and whether you want one. It's likely an excellent buy if it's what you're looking for.

Price? Clean specimens tend to fetch under $500 today. Similar Husqvarna rifles of this vintage with FN actions also tend to sell in this range:

https://simpsonltd.com/husqvarna-640-z48576/

If the stock or barrel is thrashed and the action is in good shape, it would make a solid, economical (maybe $250-300) platform for a classic custom rifle. It's pretty easy to find shops that will rebarrel and/or restock FN Mauser actions.

If the whole rifle is in good shape, I suggest selling it on to someone who will appreciate it as-is. But I wouldn't expect to make money from the deal at present.

By rights these quality rifles should be priced double their current value, but we appear to be in a buyer's market for most vintage hunting rifles right now. I've picked up three in recent years, which is my bag limit.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Is there something wrong with the barrel? If so, that will certainly bring down it's "worth". Otherwise, why would you re-barrel a .30-06?

Is it worth buying? What does he want for it? To flip it, you of course want a bargain basement price. Same as if you are going to build it into something else, but again why re-barrel if the bore is good? I can't think of any caliber better than the '06. Maybe smaller, or bigger, or faster, but better? nope.

As an investment, to flip maybe ten years down the road, any price that is reasonable would be worth it. Used rifle prices will continue to rise, and "classics" such as the Monkey-Mausers will become recognized as a collectable category in time. But in that case I sure would not re-barrel it for any reason other than a rusted or shot out barrel. Having it re-barreled to some popular fad caliber now, that won't be around in ten years would be a liability down the road.

 

[Offfhand]

The question is what is it worth? Also, is it worth buying?

There was a time, like a dozen years ago and before, when rifles like Sears Model 50 could be bought at bargain prices, always well under $200. That's when I cruised gun shows and pawn shops, searching for these 1950's Sears and Montgomery rifles built on then new Mauser actions made in Belgium by FN (Fabrique National) the same firm making Browning and other fine firearms. Buying whatever was available with little concern about condition of barrel and stock as long as the action was in good shape. But in recent times buyers of similar intent have also gleaned sources and increased prices while making them harder to find. The reason being the phenomenon of the parts being more valuable than the hole, with those finely built FN actions being desirable for custom rifles, and even the gracefully milled bottom metal alone now fetching upwards of $200. The actions adapt to a huge variety of calibers with no further modification, making them like catnip for custom rifle projects. Here is one built around a Sears M-50, .30/06 I picked off a gunshop's used gun rack about 15 years ago. Now it is a .280 Rem with a stock by Monty Fleenor..