.270 GIBBS RIFLE / OPINIONS???
1. GIBBS RIFLE PRODUCTS, VIOLA, IDAHO MAUSER BOLT ACTION RIFLE
2. .270 GIBBS (chambering)
3. 26" MID-WIEGHT BBL
4. WEAVER K4 60B SCOPE & MOUNTS
5. 1 sporter stock (ebony forend) 1 heavy benchrest stock / glass bedded / california rollover cheekpiece
6. turned down / angled back bolt handle / scope clearing saftey
7. airmail letter and envelope dated DEC. 9 1958 with letter on load data on .270 GIBBS and instuctions for loading / making brass / etc..
signed by R.E. GIBBS.
8. brought in by the original owner.
9. dies, brass, leather custom case, etc... included..
the gun is in 90% ++ condition. the bore is perfect / mint. the chamber is perfect / spotless. the bolt action is a smooth as greaes lightning. the trigger break is about 1.5 lbs, with no creep, and an unreal crisp break. the gun has been shot, and shows handling wear. its not perfect as a collectable, but is superb as a shooter.
any idea on value??? any history or info on this gun??? is it collectable, or is it a shooter??? opinions on the chambering??? any other info accepted. best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
2. .270 GIBBS (chambering)
3. 26" MID-WIEGHT BBL
4. WEAVER K4 60B SCOPE & MOUNTS
5. 1 sporter stock (ebony forend) 1 heavy benchrest stock / glass bedded / california rollover cheekpiece
6. turned down / angled back bolt handle / scope clearing saftey
7. airmail letter and envelope dated DEC. 9 1958 with letter on load data on .270 GIBBS and instuctions for loading / making brass / etc..
signed by R.E. GIBBS.
8. brought in by the original owner.
9. dies, brass, leather custom case, etc... included..
the gun is in 90% ++ condition. the bore is perfect / mint. the chamber is perfect / spotless. the bolt action is a smooth as greaes lightning. the trigger break is about 1.5 lbs, with no creep, and an unreal crisp break. the gun has been shot, and shows handling wear. its not perfect as a collectable, but is superb as a shooter.
any idea on value??? any history or info on this gun??? is it collectable, or is it a shooter??? opinions on the chambering??? any other info accepted. best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
0
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That rifle should have considerable value to a collector of custom or wildcat rifles. Probably worth an honest appraisal by a pro before you price it for sale.
Mobuck0 -
mrmike,
There are 6 articles published in 'Wildcat Cartridges' Vol. II by Wolfe publishing regarding Gibbs cartridges. The amazing thing about this riflesmith is that he instructed his wife to destroy all of his notes upon his death and there is darn little published anywhere at all. Wolfe at one time, did publish a small volume of his reloading information. I had (stress had) a .240 Gibbs for a while but as so many others have confessed, I got rid of it in a weak moment.
Personally, I would hold onto the rifle and enjoy shooting it. You have a piece of history that others will envy. The letter and load data is priceless to those of us that are interested in the unique. I am not trying to influence the price of your prize, I'm just saying that it is a terrific thing to have. I really have no idea on the price (value) since that's not my expertise. I do know that it has a real big 'cool' factor for those interested in Rocky Gibbs. Your purchase is so complete, rare today, in a world where 'parting out' is a matter of course with no regard to the whole. Congratulations!
The first part below is from a magazine article and the other 2 are listings of articles in Handloader magazine.
Best.
______________________________________________________________________
High-performance 06 case aren't new. Years ago Rocky Gibbs came up with his eight wildcats, .240 to .338. They shared minimum body taper, short (quarter-inch) necks and shoulder angles of 35 degrees. Alaskan C. Norman Brown apparently designed the .35 Brown-Whelen. JGS Die & Machine of Coos Bay, Oregon, has fashioned reamers for a Brown series of cartridges in .284, .308, .338,.358 and .375. All have the Gibbs shoulder, though neck lengths vary. (Dimensional variations within a chambering are common among wildcats, too, as there may be no standard drawing, and reamer makers don't all work from the same sheet.)
http://www.z-hat.com/Rifleshooter.htm
______________________________________________________________________
.270 Gibbs
The .270 Gibbs Rocky's Favorite Hldr- Jun, 1990,40
(Handloader Magazine)
6.5 Gibbs
Sharp Shoulders, CAse Life & 6.5 Gib Hldr- Dec, 1990,38
(Handloader Magazine)0 -
here is some of the load data from ROCKY`s letter.
100 gr bullet / 58 grs 4895 or 61 grs 4320
110 gr bullet / 59 grs 4064 or 65 grs 4350
130 gr bullet / 57 grs 4064 or 63 grs 4350 or 60 grs 4320
150 gr bullet / 57 grs 4320 or 61 grs 4350 or 63-64 grs 4831(DATA)
170 gr SPEER ONLY bullets / 60-62 grs 4831
"CONSIDER THESE AS MAXIMUM LOADS AND APPROACH WITH CAUTION"
loading will vary from rifle to rifle. your .270-GIBBS may handle these loads fine, but by all means start a couple of grains under and then work up a grain at a time, watch for ejector marks on the case head and a load that gives good case life with repeated loading is usualy O.K. to fire-form cases from factory .270 brass or ammo, you should pull the bulets and seat them out to where they firmly and definitly engage in the rifling. just before the bolt completely closes you should be able to feel the bullet seating in the lands (rifling). this holds the case from forward movement when the firing pin fals. remember that UMC and GI brass will hold less powder than SUPER-X or SUPER-SPEED, so you should drop at least a grain of powder from the loads that have proven top with the SUPER-X brass. you will note in your test loading sheet that i refer to bullet seating as the overall length of the loaded cartridge in millimeters. the nearest dime store has millimeter rules.
R.E. GIBBS / GIBBS RIFLE PRODUCTS / VIOLA, IDAHO
please help me with more info, and some idea of value. i want to take this home with me. best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.0 -
I'm lost on one as well. This one is a 9x57 Gibbs. Its a nice
older rifle. The only markings on this one is from about half
way the barrel back to the receiver. The first word I cannot
make out. It says "ST???? Fitted" By "George Gibbs" Bristol
55 Saville Row London. The only reason I say that its a 9x57
is that the elderly man who has it has the 9x57 Cartridges
for it. Please advise if you can help me!!!0 -
quote:Originally posted by southern reb
I'm lost on one as well. This one is a 9x57 Gibbs. Its a nice
older rifle. The only markings on this one is from about half
way the barrel back to the receiver. The first word I cannot
make out. It says "ST???? Fitted" By "George Gibbs" Bristol
55 Saville Row London. The only reason I say that its a 9x57
is that the elderly man who has it has the 9x57 Cartridges
for it. Please advise if you can help me!!!
Wrong Gibbs, your rifle probably dates to post World War 1 England.
George Gibbs was in business in England from the 1840's to at least the 1920's.
"IF" the rifle is chambered for the 9 x 57mm Mauser? It was a popular hunting cartridge of that era, similar in ballistics, but not interchangeable with our .358 Winchester.
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Mike,
Since I do not collect firearms and valuing them for price is not easy without seeing them, I have supplied a couple of contacts that I know and trust that might be of some assistance.
1) http://www.thadscott.com/
Thad Scott Fine Guns
505 Hwy 82 West
Indianola, MS 38751
662-887-5929
For more information, call Thad Scott at (662)887-5929
email address: thadscot@bellsouth.net
Updated February 25, 2004
2) http://www.simpsonltd.com/index.htm
Contact Information
Showroom Hours
Tuesday - Saturday: 1 pm - 6pm CST
Office also open Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 1 pm CST
Closed Sunday & Monday
Telephone
309/ 342-5800
FAX
309/ 342-5730
Physical address
140 S Seminary St; Galesburg, IL 61401
Mailing address
PO Box 1483; Galesburg, IL 61402-1483
(Use this address to get mail to us the quickest)
Electronic mail
General Information: sales@simpsonltd.com
Sales: lugers@simpsonltd.com
Imports or Exports: imports@simpsonltd.com
Computer Stuff: michael@simpsonltd.com
Orders: orders@simpsonltd.com
Website: adam.powell@simpsonltd.com0 -
I understand also that the Gibbs rifle co. has been sold and no more Gibbs are likely to be built.
He Dog0 -
Mike- I agree with nononsense! Keep it if you can. I owned a 240Gibbs on a Mauser action years and years ago. I sure wish I had kept it.Can't help on price either, but you won't hurt it if you shoot it. You've got a great classic,and even neater with the paperwork.
He Dog- This is not the same as the current Gibbs Rifle Co. Rocky Gibbs started making custom guns I believe in the late 40's.The current Gibbs is an offshoot of Navy Arms, dedicated to butchering Enfields[and others] resulting in total confusion for true Enfield collectors in the years to come!![}:)]
Love them Pre-64's!!!!-Bob0 -
I AM TAKING THIS GUN HOME!!!
i dismounted the gun from its "sporter" stock, and have learned some more information. the reciever is a commercial FN production piece. the trigger is a TIMNEY, and is a light red color. the sporter stock itself is very interesting... it looks like a midget with a miniature auger went to town on it. i estimate from the wrist forward, 25% of the wood has been removed, in an evenly spaced cylindrical fasion. i think that the intent was to reduce wieght, and improve balance, but it has been suggested that it would also facilitate cooling.
i mounted the gun in the benchrest stock, and its a perfect fit. when secured correctly, you can run a piece of paper between the stock and the BBL with no friction or snags.
when you compare the "normal" .270 win to the .270 GIBBS, the differance becomes quickly apparent. the sharper shoulder has been moved dramaticly forward. there is almost no discernable taper to the case up to the shoulder.
several of the fired rounds appear to be "FRONT IGNITION" variants. there seems to be a thin walled metal tube that is secured to the primer pocket with fine threads. it runs almost far enough into the case that a properly seated bullet would be just forward of the tubes top.
i cannot wait to try it out. best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.0
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