Hello all, I am hoping I can get some comments on the current market value of this Jeffery rifle. Reason for the valuation is the rifle's involvement in a potential trade.

Description: Jeffery, W.J. & Co. caliber .475 No 2, serial No. 227XX. Anson & Deeley boxlock action, full coverage scroll engraving on action, 90% original case colors, 24" original barrels, nitro proofed 500 gr bullet, 80 grains cordite. Excellent bores, plain stock wood. LOP 15 3/8" to replacement Silvers type pad 1" thick. Overall condition excellent.

I am aware of the similar rifles for sale at Champlin and William Larkin Moore, and I invite comparisons. Note that both of those have been restored, and also the difference in the straight vs. scalloped edge of the action metal.

I do apologize for the awful photos. The rifle is not currently available to me to get better shots.

All comments on valuation welcomed. I am particularly interested if anyone knows of any similar recent sales.

Thanks very much!

Nice high condition gun. I would think at a big name dealer like Champlin's that rifle would be in the 40,000$ range. When guns are as nice as that one is it can be a bit hard to price them. Condition really is king and that is one nice rifle. Higher grade that average too. I have found that these type of guns tend to trade for slightly less on the private market, but that is just my take. Sure would be a fun gun to chase the big boys with.
Steve

Can the barrels really be original to the gun? Was H Leonard (the maker of the rifle) using Krupp barrels on his rifles?

I've just no idea if he was, not "bad mouthing" you or the rifle. $40,000 strikes me as high, although when push comes to shove I couldn't say conclusively one way or the other on that one as well.

Sooooo, glad to help out.

As far as I am aware, yes he was.

Krupp made the steel for the barrels. Without showing the area of the hook we don't know that Leonard made the rifle.
Just IMO and without looking at the rifle personally I'd set my price at 25K.

Leonard (and therefore Jeffery) used Krupp Guss-Stahl (ingot steel) and Fluss-Stahl (Fluid steel).
I believe that Guss-stahl is usually found on somewhat lower grades than Fluss-stahl.
However, this one gun looks very, very nice.
I think Leonard/Jeffery used Krupp almost exclusively on his doubles.

I often look at the dolls head fit and the breech face to get an indication of major use & rework on a gun.
This one does not look molested, but better pictures would help indeed...
I would say $20000 to 30000 depending on the details and who is selling it.
475#2 is not very popular compared to 470NE and an expensive round to reload.
WC-

Mike, when it comes to Jeffery shotguns and rifles supposedly the bowed action back is the tip-off that Leonard made the gun. At least that's what I've read.

I first came across it in a Sherman Bell article. It especially caught my interest because my 12 bore Jeffery's action back is as such. Later on a member here corroborated this as fact as well when he commented on pictures of my Jeffery that I'd sent him, and then I read it somewhere else. I believe it was a DGJ article but not by Bell.

I brought this up in a post years ago and a couple of our British members chimed in their agreement of this "fact" as well as a whole lot more information on Leonard/Jeffery firearms.

Mike - What's the Leonard identifier in "the area of the hook" that you mention?

KK, there is a Leonard number on the forend loop that is different from the Jeffery number.

As for the bow back, it is not necessary for the gun to be made by Leonard.
I have seen straight backs, circular backs (for the lack of a better wording) and notch backs from them.
I look at the general action style for more information.
Leonard guns have typically a round doll's head with some times but not very often a 3rd bite.
The general shape is quite different from a Webley or a Wilkes.
The action is on the short side (compared to Webley) but quite beefy.

Barrels are always chopper lumps.

Best regards,
WC-

The serial number puts our rifle at about 1922. However, I found these advertisements from 1926 on the Photobucket of Norman Poole. Hopefully it is not a problem to post them here. Clearly our rifle more closely resembles the "No. 2" advertisement, which is the higher grade one. It has the scalloped action back.

Extractors or ejectors?

Ejectors.

I think the rifle is worth maybe a bit more than $30k given its fine original condition. I hesitate to think it would bring $40k.

I'm saying $32k. The chamber doesn't help it.

I notice dealers with similar grade boxlocks by Webley offered in the high $30k to low $40k range. They have languished over the past couple of years. i see some dealers with very plain Webley rifles (very sparse engraving, extractors) priced around $30k. These aren't moving either.

I have a high grade Webley (A&W-C, First) chambered in .450NE. Mine is not for sale, but I would estimate its value in the low to mid $30k range. http://rbsiii.com/collection/rifles/gibbs_450/

I believe if I had the choice of my .450 or this .475 at the same money I would take the .450. I prefer the Webley action and the .450NE chamber. Perhaps I just like it because it is mine. I hope this helps.

Curl

P.S. Somebody said $20k above. That rifle would sell in a New York minute at $20k if there is nothing wrong with it.

Curl

The rifle is in excellent condition. The only thing "wrong" with it is the plain stock wood, and quite a bit of drop at the comb. Is this a big detractor?

Drop is not big a deal as it can usually be altered.
On a double, the only thing that is really tough to replace are the barrels (barring a cracked action).
My range was very wide but did include $20000 indeed, and that will be especially true if you sell it to a dealer. They usually are hovering around 30% gross margin.
Good luck with this... It looks great...
WC-