doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 7mmMag Griffin & Howe ca. 1963.......

Michael, a very short time before the Emil McConnell auction, I "did not buy" a wonderful G&H numbered Model 52 heavy sporter, about the nicest .22 rifle I'd ever seen that didn't live at my house. It was tagged at $2995.00 and could have been bought for less. Imagine my shock and horror when Emil's Model 52 sold for nearly $15,000. I wonder where "my" $2995.00 Model 52 is today?

Murphy, looking in the rear view mirror can be painful but I think with time the prices will stabilize a little bit, I hope, if not I'm about out of the game. Emil called me one time after he turned down what seems to be an outrages offer on his Kornbrath-Shelhamer Model 52. If he had been alive at the auction when it sold for 58K he would have dropped on the spot.
Would that be a record for a 52 sporter?

$58,000 .22

Do you remember the barrel number of the one that got away?

I guess I misplaced the sale price for the Model 52 in my mind. I only missed it by $45,000.00! I did not record the barrel number of the one I did not buy. I thought it would be there when I changed my mind, so I didn't take any information. I think we can be comfortable assuming that is the "record for a 52 Sporter".

There was a G&H Model-52 in the collection it had a single-lever side mount with a Lyman Alaskan but I don't remember the sale price.

Sorry I missed your post the first go around. I woke up one morning some thirty plus years ago with nothing to do and thought that Niedner guy had lots of swell rifles. So I decided to spend the rest of my life tracking them down.

A few years back I was in a gunshop and saw a rifle that reminded me of some pictures I had seen. I asked to look at it and sure enough it was a G&H, Springfield, 30-06. It was the first one I had seen in the flesh and it was something. It had (I think) a Lyman aperture sight, nice walnut, barrel band sling swivel. The bore was nice and bright and it was in overall fine condition. The best part was I had the money in the gun budget. I coulda picked it up for $800.

Of course I didn't buy it. I had such a severe case of non-buyer's remorse I took an early lunch the next day and went to pick it up--of course it was gone.

Oh well. As Hemingway said, the road to hell is paved with unbought G&H rifles. Or something like that. I've always wanted one since then!!!

Mr. Cooter, they are out there as we speak. No, Michael, the G&H Model 52 that I rejected was not a single lever gun. Oddly enough, it was a very cleanly designed scope block gun. I know that is hard to visualise in a Sporter, but it was a classic with no apologies. It is out there somewhere and will be easy to recognize when it is seen again.

Some of us, at least me, would very much like to learn some of the specifics of the McConnell auction. Is the information available on the web somewhere or could someone share it with us?

For those of us interested in G&H rifles, it would certainly be interesting.

The Emil McConnell collection was sold at J.C. Devine Auction, Catalog 2502 March 13, 2005. You can still get a copy of the catalog at

http://www.jcdevine.com/catalog_services/index.htm

Michael, thanks very much, I have ordered a copy.