Image Lot Price Description





2176
$0.00

*RARE POPE/GRIFFIN & HOWE WINCHESTER MODEL 1885 HIGH WALL SINGLE SHOT TARGET RIFLE.

SN Pope 722. Cal. 22. Very rare rifle with 30″ about #3-1/2 weight rnd Pope bbl made without sights and has integral forearm stud band. Bbl also has target scope blocks containing a Winchester “A-5” scope. Top of the bbl, between scope blocks is stamped “H.M. POPE”. Bottom of the bbl is marked “H.M. POPE” and a series of numbers “722/B2/L R/15.9/9.21.28”. Bore has Mr. Pope’s typical left hand rifling. Receiver is a standard high wall receiver that Mr. Pope relieved on the left side to facilitate loading the smaller 22 cartridge. His name, in identical font as on the bbl is stamped on the top flat of this cutout. Receiver has single set trigger. Hammer is typical of Mr. Pope’s light weight style with two holes drilled through and metal removed on the forward sides. According to Mr. Pope this lighter hammer reduced lock time by 1/10 of a second. Lever and bottom tang are extended, probably by Mr. Pope with a barrelshaped knurled knob on the end of the lever. Bottom of the lever is engraved in 3-lines “STOCKED BY / GRIFFIN & HOWE, INC. / NEW YORK”. It is mounted with a typical Griffin & Howe Schuetzen style left hand stock with deep cheek piece and deep full checkered grip. Buttstock has a custom checkered aluminum single prong buttplate. Forearm is 15″ long and tapered with the widest at the front and a flat bottom with extensive flat checkering. Bottom of the forearm has a military style sling loop. Accompanied by a copy of an article submitted by Mr. Yearout to The Gun Report Magazine in Feb. 1996 which describes in great detail this rifle and its provenance. He states that he purchased it in Mar. 1961 from Mr. Dane Durbin of Colorado Springs, CO who had purchased it from the estate of Mr. W.W. Hixon on Omaha, NE in about 1952. Apparently Mr. Durbin furnished a notarized accounting of his acquisition of this rifle, which is currently not available. Mr. Yearout synopsized this information which apparently was provided by Mr. Hixon’s widow. Mr. Hixon was a very successful business man who was killed in an automobile accident. He had collected a large number of firearms and sporting equipment which included this rifle. Mrs. Hixon related that after numerous encounters with Mr. Pope at his gun shop Mr. Hixon finally persuaded Mr. Pope to build this rifle. Apparently Mr. Pope was reluctant to build a 22 rimfire rifle but finally did agree, stating that this would be the 8th and last 22 rifle he would build. Mr. Pope built the rifle and shipped it to Griffin & Howe in New York for stocking & finishing and delivered the completed rifle in Jan. 1929. Mr. Yearout’s article then continues with the known & speculated number of bbls produced by Mr. Pope, arriving at a figure of 2,346 total from the 1890s through his death in 1950. This is one of the most rare of all the Pope rifle extant today. PROVENANCE: Estate of W.W. Hixon; Dane Durbin; Estate Collection of Lewis & Leyton Yearout. CONDITION: Extremely fine. Overall retains most of its fine Griffin & Howe finish to both metal & wood with some thinning of the bbl finish. Wood is sound with the checkering showing very light wear. Set trigger needs adjusting, otherwise mechanics are fine; bright shiny bore. 4-53854 JR90 (7,500-12,500) – Lot 2176

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Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014
Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.