doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com P. O. Ackley Trinidad rifle

That's a very neat rifle, cool action, good sights and a great cartridge. Wonderful accuracy!
I built and shot a few .257 Roberts rifles a while back and found the Federal factory load with Nosler Partition bullets so accurate I quit handloading .257. Unfortunately I sold the Dakota #10 .257 R I built for myself simply because I needed the money. The fellow the bought it shot a fine Texas whitetail using that Federal ammo last fall.

Thanks SDH-MT. I thought it was a bit unique. Like you, I've never seen one of those recoil pads either. The one here is totally hard and "boiled over," so I'm not even going to try to remove it. It wouldn't survive, I'm afraid and that pad is a lot of the gun's provenance.

Like Mike A said, it's a working gun. It becomes clear that Ackley's emphasis was on barrel and metal work. The shaping of the stock looks a bit awkward in spots, even though it's comfortable. The inletting inside shows some fairly rough chisel work as if a "production" guy were trying to do it quickly. The checkering isn't bad and is 18 lpi. There are no sling swivels either, and today we'd find that a bit strange. But it all works.

I plan to touch nothing other than to shoot it and clean it once in a while, and otherwise keep it as it is.

I know this is a difficult question, but does anybody know what something like this might be worth? Obviously there aren't any on any of the sales sites to compare to but there must be some more of these out there somewhere, and somebody might know.

H47, I had a rifle similar to yours. The action was the same and it had a custom stock that I thought a bit awkward but well done. Had a 6x Kollmorgan on Stith mounts. The barrel was by Bliss Titus, chambered for .25 Souper. Sold it for 1200.00.



Steve, When I was in Trinidad any bar could be on the way home, but the one on Hwy 12 headed toward Cokedale was "The Office". I never went in but thought it a funny name, probally why I still remember. Dan.

Dan, I see what you mean about awkward lines in places. Seems that back in the day we didn't quite know how to handle the top line of the grip and the transition to the point of the comb on the Mausers. Later on when I was at Trinidad, Ed Shulin was suggesting that the tang should be filed down to smooth and ease this curvature and that a less abrupt curve to the comb be used. Stock makers were more used to doing Springfields and M70 ' s I think, and might have been more used to working to the Whelen/ Springfield style. The modern American classic stock formula was still evolving into its current form. So I'd think that both our stocks exhibit this transitional uncertainty. Each serves as a history example.

Did your action have a manufacture date by any chance?

WELL DONE
YOU got the pictures to show
Neat!!

Yes sir! Thanks to you. I appreciate it.

Nice little rifle! I remember an effort to really produce and market the P.O. Ackley rifles approx. 1970. The gunshop I grew up in received two for inventory, a .30/06 and a .270. I think the owner actually became what amounted to a dealer, and I remember putting a P.O. Ackley decal on the front door. The decal was a graphic of a barrel bore and rifling. These may have been Santa Barbara actions, I do remember the sliding safety, and they were drilled & tapped. Your rifle is for sure earlier than that. I like it.

You wouldn't happen to have any literature from that period would you? I believe Ackley operated in Trinidad up to about 1956 when he moved his shop to Salt Lake City. His barrel stamp then incorporated an "SLC" which is absent on my gun. A bit later on he either was bought out by or became associated with another company, which may be during the period you refer to.
Likewise I believe the FN actions evolved over time. The early post war ones were the "deluxe" like mine with 2 position wing safety and not drilled for scope mounts. Mine also has a military style trigger, but single stage. A bit later in the 1950's, they came drilled and tapped from the factory. About 1957 iirc, they evolved into the "supreme" which had a streamlined bolt shroud and redesigned trigger with side safety.
My action has no letters or numbers visible above the wood (perfectly legal back in 1948). All info is underneath including serial number. I think this may have been as a concession to factories and makers such as Ackley Who would then add their own information, engraving, etc., to suit.

WE must be careful with PO Ackley marked rifles.I have one in 338-06 AI that I know for certain was only barreled by him. The person I traded for it from did the rest of the work, using a Herter rosewood stock.Unless there is more than barrel markings, especially if the stock work seems a little "off",it should be suspect. Of course if it comes with invoices,letters,etc from Ackley;the matter would be clear. The current owner may be completely innocent in his belief that it was made by Ackley.
Mike

Yes I agree. Ackley apparently did a lot of rebarreling work which would have of course been marked. The credibility for me comes from the position of the Ackley stamp.. at top of the barrel several inches in front of the receiver where a manufacturer's stamp might be, rather than right next to the caliber marking. Also the aforementioned unmarked receiver (above the wood) such as a manufacturer might buy, and of course the custom made recoil pad with his company name. Taken all together I believe these things make a case for a completely Ackley - made rifle as opposed to a simple rebarrel. I would be interested to hear from those more knowledgeable than I of course.
The rifle came from an estate and afaik no documentation is available.