Need help with the value of an Al Biesen rifle. Need to sell, need an idea of a fair price to ask for it. Thanks. Link to pics below.Rifle is a 7mm Weatherby. These rifles need to go to someone who appreciates them. Wife will end up giving them away.
http://imgur.com/a/2cWx4

I do believe I would give my right ball for that rifle.

WOW!!!

Blessings,

Steve

Yup! At my age they can have the left one too .

You beat me to that one.

Schit,the price is to high already.

How does one prove a rifle was built by Al Biesen?




Travis

Apparently it won't be from a white Hawaiian island splatter on the stock.

Contact info for the wife, please.

It has Al Biesen Gunmaker Spokane WN on the barrel. It's in 99% plus condition. Its not a super fancy example, but very nice. Needs a good home.

You look at it. You can spot one from across a crowded room and you won't be wrong too often.

I think y'all place an inordinately high value on your testicles. We had a bunch of Mt. Oysters at a catered event and they were about $3 a pound. I doubt many even come close to a pound per pair. My apologies and condolence if you have Tsetse fever.

That rifle is a real beauty and you may want to put it on consignment at one of the higher grade shops. The market will determine the price pretty quickly. That is very similar to the Jack O'Connor #1 rifle so even better.

Gorgeous rifle.

It's up to 2 nuts now. I guess I'll throw in my right arm... Damn..

Nice Rifle no doubt.If you are going to auction it you are going to need written provenance proving Al Biesen made it.Other wise it will only bring what any custom rifle will bring in like condition.

BS....

Well, I'd have to anti up more than that price AS boot with my wife!


Jerry

You can tell it's a Biesen by the stock shape and styling almost immediately.

When you come up with a price, I'd like to visit.

That stock is definitely a Biesen, the barrel marking is correct - "WN" - for Washington, before the current abbreviation "WA" (Roger still uses the original "WN" stamp as well).

The stock should also be marked in the barrel channel with the maker's name, but not always. The stock shape, especially the grip and checkering style is Biesen's signature style.

First I am not a gunsmith and have ONLY seen pics of JOC's guns and Al B's. I'm not an expert and don't pretend to be. It looks like a Biesen to me and am not arguing.

My main point---I know hundreds of people in Ar and @ 1/2 of those hunt deer.

I don't know ONE (1) person "personally" in Ar. who would have ANY idea of who Al. B is, much less that he made rifles.

There are SO many hunters that are NOT gun loonies, rifle loonies, shooting loonies, they just hunt!

Jerry

Gosh darn! That's a dream rifle right there. The rifle just looks ready to hammer high country deer and elk!

I would put it on consignment in a well stocked shop. Fees vary, so beware. My favorite dealer that can move high end items charges a nominal 10%. When I disposed of an estate in this manner, another high end dealer asked 20%, still another wanted 30%, and Cabela's asked 40%, + the gun library manager wanted a personal sweetheart deal on a matched pair of full engraved, ivory stocked Colt's SAAs. Yikes!

Needless to say, the ten percenter got the deal on almost 100K of pretty nice stuff. He made money with no investment and the kids got it all. They did gift me a couple of guns for my efforts in dispersing the entire estate, not just guns.

You can set a price, or some dealers might let it float while entertaining offers. ,

Best wishes,

Jack

Not a writer, just a guy who has been there and done that.

Jerry that's all true. I have many friends who would not know a Biesen from a Goens if they fell and hit them in the head.


Unfortunately (depending how you look at it) my earliest mentors back into my college days,had many custom rifles floating through the shop I frequented. Many were Biesen and Goens rifles,also G&H, Phil Pilkington, Duane Wiebe,Len Brownell,and many others.

Plus I have owned a few by these people myself, so the style jumps out at me....as it does many others who have grown up and old looking at them.

I mean, who would NOT recognize JOC's rifle?

No question about what shop that gun came out of! Spot the comb shape and checkering pattern from a mile away if you are "into" custom rifles. The cartridge chambering will likely detract a bit from the value, and some folks will not like it because it isn't a M70 but a call to Champlin Arms or other high end resellers should get you a ball park figure.

I'll up the bid to both of Steve and Bob's balls and one year of server security from Hillary.

280: Good deal.

Getting somewhere around $4k for that rifle seems about right,although the cost to have something similar built would be 2-3x as much. I fear there will be more fine rifles coming to market in the years to come than there are new buyers to keep the prices up. None of my son's, or their friends, would trade a testical for that gun. (For which my wife, an impatient grandma in waiting, is grateful.)

utah we are a different breed from a different time....

Yep. I read JOC for hours. My sons played first person shooter games with modern/fantasy weapons. Milliron, Biesen, Burgess, Fisher, Brownell, Sedgely, walnut, Pre-64 will mean nothing to them.

Steve:

Do you have any left that you haven't already traded for other custom rifles?

Al Biesen was a true craftsman!!

Sir...you have a wonderful collection. I truly hope that its nothing negative forcing you to sell off such trophies...

Here is one on GB and yours is in a lot better shape. Very nice indeed.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=557926463

I'm at

Well Bob you taught me something. I'm very familiar with Al, his son and granddaughter but I'd never heard of Goens.

I ask because once upon a time I was told to make an offer on an alleged Al Biesen rifle. My first two questions were:

1.) Who the fugk is Al Biesen?
2.) How do you know Al Biesen made it?

He could only answer the first question so I didn't bother with it.



Dave

cdb: Dale Goens, Cedar Crest, New Mexico.

A contemporary of Biesen, Len Brownell, and others of that time period.

Excellent stock maker. I owned two by Dale and friends of mine owned several others.

Never had the pleasure of owning a Goens rifle, but I did get to meet Dale a couple of times before he passed on. Interesting guy - big man, around 6'4". Was a steel guitarist in Western Swing bands out of Oklahoma in his younger days.

There is a Biesen rifle on gun broker now for 4500.00. It's a model 70 with a left hand cheek piece.

That's a nice one. There's another on there for $2900. Mauser action in .308 Win. Very plain wood.

You are stupid.You should have known it was an Al Biesen just by looking at it.No one would lie to you about who made a rifle doncha know???

Anybody can get fooled because these stock makers had styles that evolved over time. Most cut stocks by hand before pantographs,so they were bound to vary some.

An early Biesen might not look exactly like the Biesen stocks popularized and standardized by JOC writings.

Still lots of custom stock makers are pretty distinctive, but any of us can get fooled now and then.

A late Goens or Biesen is easier to distinguish than (say) a Monte Kennedy or Len Brownell.

The first stock Biesen did for JOC had white line spacers. Probably induced an attack of Jack's famous "vapors". The next one was an FN 30-06 that O'Connor used extensively, and even that one didn't look much like Biesen's later stuff.

Monte Kennedy was a master of styles. His stocks are all over the place esthetically. Most of the Kennedy stocks I've seen are pretty flamboyant.

I think Leonard Mews and Keith Stegall did some very distinctive stockwork that would be tough to mistake for anyone else. Some of the wood Stegall used was mind-blowing.

Mews, Stegall,Brownell,and especially Kennedy were very skilled. Some say Kennedy was the best craftsman.

Who knows?

Gotta love the "I told you so" markets.



Dave

For all of you that want to donate a testicle, or maybe both... Just line up, and I'll snip'em right off for you.

Or, if you prefer, a good old rubber band off of the Sunday newspaper.

Just trying to be helpful.

In 1979 a guy in the bathroom at a theater offered to sell me a one carat diamond for $25.00. I wanted to but didn't have the money.

Thanks for the input on the rifle. Hope to get 4100.00 for it. Scope stays on it. Comes with dies also. 13 1/4 LOP. 22 inch barrel

I will gladly fill the void.

Well its a fine rifle, I would guess 4K give or take 500. The problem will be as it always is finding a buyer for such an item! Better with Documentation, of course its chambered for a 7mm WM while I would not have a problem with that, some may. Why that is I don't know! I don't have the cash in any event, if I did I would give it some serious thought!

so that means I can call you "Lefty"?

Add D'Arcy Echols and Gene Similion and Mark Penrod the three absolute best rifle makers of our current generation. Maybe add David Miller too. Those are the absolute best top four. Period.

Do you have any more details available on the rifle and the scope?

Feel free to PM to donsm70.

Thanks.

Or "Half Nuts".....

Yeh but it's only a Mauser.

You are just looking for an excuse to fondle our nuts...

Sounds about right. Kids now days don't have nuts...... Just sayin...

The rifle found a good home. Thanks